Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Update on CO Bowhunter fatality

Root cause. Not being absolutely sure.

For certain. I've never seen a rule of safe gun handling that had anything to do with blaze orange.

Wearing orange in the woods is never a bad thing.

Although I used a to bowhunt a lot and occasionally still do, I've become a lot more aware of muzzleloaders.

Just skimmed though, yes I heard about this when it happened. I’d wonder, did the M-L hunter have a ‘bull only’ tag?

I think CO M-L hunting is iron sights only, no scope? As posted previously, one has to pick a spot on the animal for proper placement, not just shoot at the ‘elk’.

I’d wonder the history of the individual, it may not matter in this case, but what’s his background? Was there any impairment? Does he have a history of game law violations or running afoul of the law?

I offer zero excuses for the shooter, no reason whatsoever of not identifying before pulling the trigger. Just like with turkey hunting, that ‘gobble’ may not be a gobbler.

It still baffles me that people shoot firearms into thickets not knowing exactly what they're shooting at. The fact that this guy packed up and was ready to bolt tells volumes about what kind of human being he is. I say throw the book at him and make an example for others to see.

Ron

You are supposed to know if a bull is legal before you shoot it (4+ points or brow tine longer than 6") for crying out loud. How many points did the victim have? Certainly not enough to be a "legal bull" in Colorado.

It sounds like the type of guy who would leave game lay if it didn’t have a legal rack. That’s the only account I can see to be shooting when unsure of the antler points. Yes, that’s beside the normal safety protocols about shooting at what you think is game.

After they throw the book at him, he should be mandated to tell his story in hunters safety classes for 5 years, when out of prison.

There are no either-sex tags for ML in that unit these days. There used to be, but the elk population is way down in the past few years.

Someone brought up the case in 2015 where the ML hunter from WI shot the teenage bowhunter on Grand Mesa. That guy pleaded guilty and told his lawyer not to ask for lenience. In other words, he made a mistake but took responsibility and owned it.

This guy pleaded not guilty and is trying to get evidence suppressed, including his own account of what happened. In other words, just the opposite. I can understand making a mistake in the heat of the moment with "buck fever" and all. But I can't understand trying to get out of it once you've had time to sit down and think about what you did. Plus, his hunting partner was right there and saw what happened. Not much doubt about what happened. The ML hunter pulled the trigger and the bowhunter Greg Gabrisch is dead, I don't see the point of arguing the details.

Ain’t none of us perfect.

That said, I don’t often talk about showin’ my āss on the interwebs.




P

I thought elk were like deer, and can’t actually distinguish orange?

That's right. Bowhunters just don't want to wear it.

i agree ,this muzzle loader hunter is guilty and if his partner was next to him he is guilty too ! i just don`t understand this it is a very horrible mistake. if the 2 seasons over lap in Colorado did the archer have orange on also like muzzle loaders did ?

pete, why do you say the hunting partner is guilty? Guilty of what?

Hell, I don't know ANYBODY that wants to wear it.....

I don't want to wear it either. But with people from all over the county in the woods taking "sound shots" and shooting at "flashes of white" if I'm bowhunting during ML season, blowing a bugle and raking trees I might anyway. At least a hat.

Know your target and beyond.

Shooter didn't know, so, he shouldn't have shot. His mistake and lack of skills, cost's someone their life.

Strange, we had a supervisor that was a high strung nut from Pennsylvania, and he would brag about what a great deer hunter he was and all his buddies up there were great, too. Once he bragged about shooting at a deer behind a bush and he hit it even though he couldn't see it. I guess he couldn't understand why nobody at work ever asked him to go hunting with them. Word got around pretty quick. I wonder if the killer knew him???? Maybe it's standard procedure in PA!

I don’t mind wearing orange.







P

You wouldn't be legal here with that unfortunately.