Waterfowl Hunter Shot - Apparent Accident. Iowa.

I find that putting safety first results in a missed opportunity here and there.
Exactly. No bird or any animal for that matter is worth the consequences that can occur if safety is not first and foremost. At the end of the day, if the bird gets away, who cares? There will be more opportunities. There is no taking back a fatal accident when it comes to guns and hunting. Like my Uncle Jimbo always said, when in doubt, don’t.
 
There was a podcast I listened to a few years ago, I think it was Dive Bomb, where they interviewed a Canadian guy who was present in a pit blind when one guy fatally shot and killed another guy in the pit. Scary stuff. Really made me rethink safety talks when hunting out of pit blinds with strangers. It can be hard to go over basic rules of safety with guys you don’t know in a pit but after listening to that podcast I decided it was something worth doing. Just basic stuff most take for granted but things some guys don’t do. Safeties on till guns are up and clear from the blind, no fingers in trigger guards in the pit etc. Sure you might lose a split second on birds, but who cares.
 

Here’s a link to the episode if anyone is bored and on a long road trip like I was that day.

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So speaking of bad shells, a new one for me today. Pull up on a decoying mallard, feet down 15 yard gravy shot. Pull the trigger and the gun doesn't go bang but instead "poof" and I watch the wad and shot go out the barrel and land about 20 feet away well short of the duck. Semi auto didn't cycle the shell and by the time I did duck was long gone.

Bad primer? Bad powder? Was a factory hevi shot shell, new out of box, never got wet.
 
The number of hunting incidents in Iowa this year is pretty alarming. The number is higher than I remember it ever being and we still have firearm deer seasons coming up. Historically you can add at least a couple property damages and personal injury incidents during those seasons.
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Cheap 22 ammo is a great trainer for bad shell use. My kids are so used to counting to twelve after a misfire I'm not sure they don't think it's a normal part of using a gun. I slipped in a fired case on my sun recently to make sure a flier wasn't a flinch. After he clicked on it, I told him it's ok, cycle the action. He gave me a blank stare while slowly counting off.

Conversely, an adult used to doing drills on defensive firearms will tap rack bang right away. We shouldn't do that on a duck gun.
 
So speaking of bad shells, a new one for me today. Pull up on a decoying mallard, feet down 15 yard gravy shot. Pull the trigger and the gun doesn't go bang but instead "poof" and I watch the wad and shot go out the barrel and land about 20 feet away well short of the duck. Semi auto didn't cycle the shell and by the time I did duck was long gone.

Bad primer? Bad powder? Was a factory hevi shot shell, new out of box, never got wet.
I have had this happen multiple times especially with shells that I’ve had in the safe for a while
 
The number of hunting incidents in Iowa this year is pretty alarming. The number is higher than I remember it ever being and we still have firearm deer seasons coming up. Historically you can add at least a couple property damages and personal injury incidents during those seasons.
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Yeah, they'll probably add a couple more in the next few weeks. During gun season it turns from:
Idiots
Out
Wandering
Around

to:
Idiots Out Driving Deer and Blasting Away at Anything They Can.
 
Long time ago my brother was out in the boat chasing a cripple, his gun went "poof" (probably a wet shell) and in his haste cycled his pump and shot again. Blew the last foot of his barrel off, evidently the wad was still in the gun, probably at the choke. He does remember seeing shot splash in the water. He was not injured but I wonder if someone else was in the boat it could have been bad news due to shrapnel.

Just a reminder to check your barrel after any dud shell scenario.
 
Long time ago my brother was out in the boat chasing a cripple, his gun went "poof" (probably a wet shell) and in his haste cycled his pump and shot again. Blew the last foot of his barrel off, evidently the wad was still in the gun, probably at the choke. He does remember seeing shot splash in the water. He was not injured but I wonder if someone else was in the boat it could have been bad news due to shrapnel.

Just a reminder to check your barrel after any dud shell scenario.
Well holy fricken crazy. I owe you. I just went to look and while I thought I saw wad and shot go into the water, it was only shot!!!

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I have heard of it and actually witnessed it once. Semi-auto or pump gets set down loaded with the safety on with the action up- how you naturally set down. The dog steps on the safety/ trigger and the gun goes off.
 
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