At my son's Hunter Ed class they taught them to never assume they missed. Always check for blood. Look for a wounded animal. I guess this doesn't apply for adults. What a fine example. At least we know everyone feels bad about it.
Answer:
You are absolutely right that everyone feels bad about this incident, including the hunter who made this terrible mistake. The officers that investigated felt that this was indeed a mistake with no intentional wrong-doing on the part of the hunter. This incident will undoubtedly become an example for hunter education students to emphasize the importance of identifying their target, not assuming they missed and looking for a wounded animal. While we all hope that everyone who walks out of a hunter education class will always do the right thing, we know that mistakes are made, especially in the excitment of the moment. The fact that both the hunter and the outfitter voluntarily reported his mistake says a lot about their hunting ethics and sense of responsibility. Had he truly been a poacher, he never would have said a word, making his act a crime in every sense of the word. It was a sad end to what should have been the hunt of a lifetime.
Answered on:
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - 4:53 PM MDT