Oregon Man Shot by Dog During Hunting Trip

[mom of 3 angels]

I know this is a serious matter, the man is recovering from getting shot by his own shotgun, but I'm laughing anyway. Maybe they need to enroll their dog in a hunter's safety course!

FOXNews.com - Oregon Man Shot by Dog During Hunting Trip - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

PORTLAND, Ore. — Henry Marcum has nothing but kind words for the dog that shot his 23-year-old son this weekend.

Marcum says his son, Matthew, was standing in Tillamook Bay at the start of duck-hunting trip when his dog jumped into the boat, setting off a 12-gauge shotgun.

The blast blew a hole in the aluminum boat before hitting Marcum, who is recovering from injuries to his legs and buttocks at Portland's Legacy Emanuel Hospital.

Henry Marcum says he's not angry with the dog, and neither is his son.

The elder Marcum says the Labrador named Drake is a good dog and the shooting is "just one of those things."

[HK4U]

I wonder if there should be a ban on dogs?

[tattedupboy]

In another thread I once mentioned that part of the reason I believe it is a bad idea to keep guns loaded when not in use, particularly if there are kids or dogs around, is because they could possibly run over the trigger, causing an unintentional (not sure whether it would be considered negligent or accidental) discharge. This incident just solidifies my position on that.

[toreskha]

It would still be negligence on the part of the human, who didn't think to keep the gun away from the dog/kid/fish/whatever.

So next time they take someone hunting and they ask about the patches in the boat, what'll they say?

"Oh, that's where Spot got a little crazy with the 12 gauge."

[gdcleanfun]

Nah, all dogs shouldn't be banned, just Labradors. After all, that was the kind of dog that actually pulled the trigger. No other breed of dog has been shown to know how to pull shotgun triggers, have they?

[Glock Fan]

Nah, all dogs shouldn't be banned, just Labradors. After all, that was the kind of dog that actually pulled the trigger. No other breed of dog has been shown to know how to pull shotgun triggers, have they?

I don't understand how the dog pulled the trigger, as my 4 year old son put it "They don't have thumbs".

All kidding aside, I know a guy who was shot with #7 bird shot when his bird dog knocked his shotgun down. I wasn't there that day, as I was hunting a different area. I hunted with him in the past and warned him several times that his truck wasn't a gun rack. He never believed that his careless handling of firearms would some day get him in trouble. He was taking a lunch break, and failed to unload his shotgun when he got back to the truck (a hunting violation as the truck was parked in a "safety zone"). He leaned the gun up against the passenger side front fender and began to eat his lunch. The dog spotted a mongoose and jumped up. The dog's leash caught the stock of the shotgun and the gun fell. All my friend remembers was a loud "bang" and a burning pain in his right thigh. The two guys hunting with him came over from the other side of the truck and helped patch him up while they waited for the ambulance.

My friend was in surgery for several hours while they repaired the damage to his leg. He's now know as "limpy" and none of us will hunt with him. Not sure if he still hunts. He hasn't said anything about hunting in the last 2 years or so since the "accident".

Local game enforcement investigated the incident and he was cited for having a loaded shotgun in a safety zone, failure to wear blaze orange in a hunting area, and for not properly restraining his dog in a safety zone. Under Hawaii law, all the charges are considered "criminal", so he had to show up in court. With the help of a public defender, he was able to get the charges reduced to having a loaded shotgun in a safety zone. The judge wasn't very sympathetic and ended up imposing a $250 fine. I hope he learned his lesson.



gf

[capo2186]

I feel bad for this guy. This is very unfortunate. Accidents like this make me feel bad because it could have so easily been prevented. It is by no means the dog's fault; it is negligence on the hunter’s behalf. Accidents like this hurt us. I wish him a speedy recovery!

[tattedupboy]

I'm happy to see that his negligence didn't cause any injuries to anyone else.

[DrDavidM]

This is very unfortunate and the man is lucky to be alive. I have a feeling he learned his lesson. I am sure every time he sits down for about a month he will think about his negligence.

[toreskha]

My friend was in surgery for several hours while they repaired the damage to his leg. He's now know as "limpy" and none of us will hunt with him. Not sure if he still hunts. He hasn't said anything about hunting in the last 2 years or so since the "accident".

Limpy is lucky; he could be dead like a lot of other careless people. Back when I was in high school, there was a guy in his mid-30s from Georgia who just started going to a martial arts school that I was a part of. Like 80% of everyone else, he was into hunting. One night at class, our instructor told us that he had had a (highly preventable, and extremely negligent) accident. As far as anyone could tell, he was climbing a tree stand and put his loaded shotgun, stock first - ie, muzzle pointed towards his face - onto the platform. Apparently he got it caught on something and it discharged. He was missing for several days until someone found him lying on the ground with his head blown off and the shotgun was still on the stand.