This is supposed to be the quietest time of year for Georgia's outdoorsmen.
Deer season ended in January and gobbler season doesn't open until March 20. Spring fishing and warm weather are on the horizon, but not quite here.
Yet five accidental deaths occurred across the state last week- all within four days:
- March 5: Christopher Upton, 37, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service officer, was shot and killed by a hunter who mistook him for a coyote. The incident occurred in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest when Norman Clinton Hale, 40, fired high-powered rifle equipped with night-vision equipment. Upton was killed instantly.
- March 6: Two fishermen drowned in Middle Georgia's Lake Tobesofkee after their boat overturned. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said 52-year-old Willie Buckles was found Tuesday afternoon near where the body of his uncle, 62-year-old Frank Roquemore, was found Sunday.
- March 8: The body of 15-year-old Daniel Head was found face-down in shallow water in the Altamaha Wildlife Management Area near Darien. The teen had been hog hunting with his stepfather, Brian Gale, who told investigators the pair became lost. Gale left him to go for help. The cause of death was suspected to be hypothermia.
- March 8: The body of Ira Braitsch, 64, was pulled from the Chattahoochee River after an accident the previous day in which his boat capsized. A fellow boater was rescued, but remains hospitalized.
Accidents typically are a product of numbers. The more people in the field, the greater the likelihood of a mishap.
Hunting accidents, for example, are most common during Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks, when more people are wandering the forests with rifles or climbing deer stands. Boating and fishing accidents are often clustered around warm, holiday weekends, such as July Fourth or Memorial Day.
But last week was a quiet time, with few boaters in the lakes and even fewer hunters afield.
It was an oddity, perhaps coincidence, to have so much tragedy in such a short time. It was also a reminder that accidents can happen under the most routine circumstances.
Fishing and hunting are some of our safest pastimes, but if you followed the headlines last week, you might be thinking otherwise.
It never hurts to give some extra thought to being careful, or to expect the unexpected.
Thank you, Mr. Pavey, for elaborating upon an astute observation. We fellow-posters have also noticed a striking number of accidents lately, some of which we concluded, were probably preventable, while others were simply inexplicable and/or almost mysterious which left us asking questions....but that's your profession isn't it?
Couple of points here, Mr. Pavey; Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the heaviest hunting periods for deer hunters. More hunters are in the woods during those times, due to holidays and schools letting out. I think it would be great if the DNR created some kind of continuing education program for hunter safety. It could improve the current statistics on hunting accidents.
As for fishing, possibly careless boating and alcohol consumption while fishing has been known to cause unnecessary accidents. I realize during these austere times, increasing patrols is a futile request, but what about volunteers with authority to arrest? It could surely improve sportsmen's safety!
STUPIDITY! BUT WAIT, 3 WERE BOATING ACCIDENTS AND ONE WAS HYPOTHERMIA---AHHHHHH, ONLY ONE WITH A FIREARM. And now I will say it, the ranger was stupid! Hear a coyote call, (distressed rabbit) and start binoing everything, from behind a berm where the only thing you can see is a set of "eyes"!!! Come on, jump on me for that statement. The ranger is "supposed" to be trained--all the shooter needs is a license. Appears the "ranger" was the one who did not adhere to his training!!! Just saying! Still, I am profoundly sorry and myprayers are with his family!
I would want to hear more about exactly how the ranger was "stupid" before passing judgment on the matter.
I'm no hunter, but it seems the poor decision making was done by the man with the weapon, the guy who killed the ranger. Seems the burden of responsibility is on the man with the weapon not to kill another human being, not the ranger walking through the forest with binoculars.
If I am hiking through the forest and hear something, is pausing to look for it with binoculars an activity that puts my life in danger? Is the burden really on me?
I realize it's a horrible accident and the man involved is taking full responsibility, but I couldn't possibly call the man who was killed stupid.
By the way, Con, not a good idea to be walking in the woods on a moonless night, just for a stroll!
Connor Threlkeld, the investigation is still incomplete as far as I know, but considering what was published in the AC, I could see where possibly two faults occurred. The hunters not fully identifying their target "AT NIGHT," and Mr. Upton using a pair of binoculars looking straight into the hunter's light was an accident looking for a place to happen. I would not go as far to call either stupid, but I think it was a major error on all parties concerned. I would venture to guess DNR would come up with additional training as a result of this tragic accident.
Sargebaby, you make a great point, especially in light of the state budget cuts that have left most of our remaining game wardens with several counties apiece to keep track of. Each season, though, the DNR folks bombard us reporters with boating and firearms safety news releases - and we try to do those stories as often as we can. Perhaps we should do more in the future. I also agree with you on the extent to which alcohol is a factor in many boating cases, although I have no indication whether it played a role in the above mentioned tragedies.
Stay on it, Rob! With a little extra public information, possibly you could drum up some volunteers to support the DNR with safety information classes. Keeping the problems in the public eye, is critical. The more people know, the more they will know what to look for. Good job, Sir!
Rob and Con--I am not "dissing" either of you, and if it appeared so, I apologize!
Rob, I will say one thing---TONE DOWN YOUR HEADLINE, by it, appears hunters and fishers have "gone wild"!
Glassrinkmaker, thanks for clearing up some of the issues in the case, and feel free to repost your comment minus the abusive language. Abusive language towards commenters (site admins or otherwise) who lack your level of knowledge on a subject has no place on this website.
Like I said in my first post, I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about hunting, but if I'm hunting at night, it will take a lot more than a glint of light or reflection to convince me to open fire with a deadly weapon. If that was all I had to go by, I couldn't pull the trigger. Granted, that would make me an awful night time hunter, but that's just my take on the subject.
We seem to be in agreement that the ranger made a mistake, but it should not have cost him his life. The hunter now has to live with the fact that he accidentally killed another person, and the ranger's family has to deal with the loss of a loved one.
"TONE DOWN YOUR HEADLINE," I don't know, Glass, it's an attention getter, that's for sure! It asks an all important question, "What happened?" This invites the discussion, and so far, the discussion has made some important points. Safety shortfalls being the prime concern, possibly, the article could be educational in purpose. At least, I would hope that it would!
Connor and sarge, I agree--maybe I over reaceted. One thing I am sure of tho, is EVERYONE made mistakes--AND that is the LESSON TO BE LEARNED! NOT THE BLAME GAME!
OK, I know I'm not the greatest headline writer (when we blog, we do our own, and don't rely on the pros on our copy desk). It might seem like I'm "giving hunters and fishermen a bad name" by reporting on accidents, but over the years I've come to believe that by reporting on these accidents - especially circumstances - it helps people realize they have to be careful. The more accidents that are explored, in terms of how they happened, the more we are equipped to avoid them. One of the fatalities we wrote about last deer season was a youngster using a lever-action .30-.30. He fired a shot, chambered a new shell and got excited - and when he started to climb down from his stand, he shot himself. Most grownups know levering those rifles also cocks the hammer on a live new round. Kids don't always know that, but by writing about such tragedies, I hope the next fellow who offers a lever-action to a new hunter might think to coach him on how it works. I use that example because, way back when I was 17 and learning to hunt, someone loaned me a Marlin lever-action. I shot it a few times and forgot to uncock the hammer, accidentally discharging a shot into the ground. I'm glad no one go hurt, but Ive always remembered that little mishap. I got several emails after that column from folks who have had similar things happen to them with lever-actions.
Ron, keep writing your articles--If you konw how a lever action 30-30 works, you know more than most! Cheers!
Killed my first dove and quail, with my grandad's 410 when I was---------7yrs old! Got my own from "Santa" when I was 10!
I was walking behind my daddy when I was a kid in SC and accidentally fired into the ground inches behind him. I had a habit of pulling on the trigger thinking the safety was on. I never did that again. These articles may help others never do these foolish things.
My thoughts are that a lot of mistakes were made that night and no one should go to jail, but if you kill someone, you need to pay in civil proceedings with everything you have or will have.
River, darn, I did the same thing, except I was behind and my trusty 410 was over my shoulder. My dad said, "what the (deleted) was that?", I said "nothing"--he said "ok", but he knew! Never made that mistake again!
Rob, an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure. From fishhooks to crossbows, safe operation and practices prevent tragedies. The hunters safety course required by Georgia is only the beginning of the educational process for new hunters. Guidance, and continued training is a must before taking on the responsibilities of owning firearms and shooting game!
Glass, that is interesting. My daddy pretty much handled it the same way.
Sarge--Check! River, funny now, isn't it?
NEVER, EVER, NEVER GO HUNTING WITH DICK CHENEY ! :O(
I am so offended by the comments of "glassrinkmaker" it makes my stomach turn. To call Officer Upton "stupid" when you clearly are hearing the shooter's side of the story from his "friends" via their comments on this and other sites is both irresponsible and disrespectful. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I am in fact a member of Officer Upton's family. You are basing your "conclusions" on one simple press release and the shooter's side of the story passed on through friends of friends. Rest assured, the investigation is far from over.
Have any of you ever actually volunteered to work with the DNR at a state park or any of the numerous WMA's located around our area. 1. I grew up on what is now one. 2. I completed an internship last winter with the DNR at a state park. In order to fully understand what they go through you need to stop and walk in their shoes for awhile. What most people need to understand is that most poaching and illegal activities happen at night. That is why he was out. A game wardens job involves this type of activity. Predator hunting is allowed and in certain cases it is encouraged especially when it is a non native species. The problem is, don't pull a trigger unless you have positively identified what it is you are hunting. To do so is careless. This would be the same as seeing a bush move and shooting into it. You must clearly identify your target, where your shot will be located then shoot. Not see eyes and fire. Yes it is tragic for all concerned. More people do need to help the DNR and I am sure they will welcome it. The DNR is one of the first agencies to lose money due to the current budget reforms. They are operating under a skeleton crew. Most game wardens cover an enormous territory and it is nearly impossible to do the work they do. As for volunteers with guns, no. You must be highly trained to do what they do. Try going to the GA DNR website before you start vocalizing anything else. It helps when you are actually educated about the topic you are speaking on before you decide to even comment. (I am speaking to someone specific.) Oh, current up to date licensing guidelines and restrictions are located on this site as well. Read it and learn.
Glassrinkmaker please just stop while you are ahead.
Jam--you said it, I am ahead and I stand by my words, all of them. Appears you need to take your own 0405 advice.
You never ever pull the trigger unless you are 100% positive that you are shooting at your intended target. I don't know what prompted the 2 boats to capsize but the other incidents are all preventable and are tragic due to gross negligence. You also don't go into an unfamiliar area with one GPS unit and no backup batteries or backup GPS unit and no compass.
Baron, every incident is potentially preventable. Unfortunately, not all are avoidable.
Jam, comment direct! Truth and factual information are respected here!
Jam--Good comment, especially pointing out poaching and illegal activities at night. Most every crime is committed at night.