# Ohio Hunter Dies on First Day of Season



## WallyGator (Jun 12, 2006)

Story from ONN...

Ohio's deer-gun hunting season opened Monday morning, and it has already turned deadly.

Authorities say 20-year-old Billy Prince of Mansfield was hunting with his uncle when he was apparently shot by him.

According to local reports, the uncle heard a rustling in the leaves and fired a shot. The Richland County coroner says Prince was killed by a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The coroner says Prince was shot around 6:30 a.m., but deer gun season did not begin until a half hour before sunrise, around 7:30 a.m. So, there is a possibility that the two were hunting before it was legal to do so.

The sheriff's office will hold a press conference around 2:00 p.m


Sad, sad story... Be safe out there guys!!!


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

What a shame, 20 year old dead because somebody was shooting at rustling leaves in the dark on top of that.


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## Bubba bass bigfoot (May 8, 2006)

yeah i just read about, man that sucks. they said he heard a russel in the leaves, turned and shot, im not a hunter (yet) but that does not sound like a very smart hunter.....(they were out before the season ever started an hour before it did) i thought you were suposed to know what was in you path and what you were shooting at, the only thing i can think of is he was startled. (your safty is suposed to be always on right). feel for the 20 yr olds famliys loss.


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## FishinDawg (Mar 9, 2005)

I hunt public land, only land I know to hunt, this is one reason I'm not out today, too many people who only time they get to pull a trigger is this week, i'll stay put and go bow hunting later in the month. 

sad story, very unfortunate


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## Micro_Mini_Angler (Jun 15, 2006)

yep. me and my uncle were talking about deer season while squirrel hunting yesterday and we even said "by the end of the week someone will get shot because some stupid guy heard something in some bushes so he shot not even knowing it was a deer." what a shame


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

holey carp!!!!

Condolences to the families. Best luck healing emotionally.


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

I just got back from Mansfield covering the story. Very sad for the family. 

Another reminder to be safe and extremely careful when in the woods. 

My condolences to the family.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

condolences to the family..sad indeed..im sorry for their loss. 

when are people going to learn?? charges should be filed on the uncle. might sound crule but it was a needless death. yet another black eye to sportsman due to the fact someone was breaking the law and left his common sense at home..


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

it is very sad.it's also very preventable.i've NEVER been able to figure out why or how anyone could point a weapon and fire without being 100% sure of the target.
a friend of mine told me once that he was always amazed that a person could be a very safe hunter while they're out after squirrel,rabbit,pheasant or whatever but that same safe hunter loses his sense of safety and good judgment when deer season rolls around.
it's really simple. i.d. your target before you even level your gun.
it really doesn't matter what the law or a court of law will do to the uncle.the punishment will pale compared with what he has to live with for the rest of his life.all for a deer!


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i for one would never walk thru the woods without a bright flashlight when dark. my buddies father walked thru a brushpile at salt fork.when he came out ,he found a guy with a 12 ga.leveled right on him. he was even wearing orange from head to toe.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

This accident, as many could have been prevented. The shooter broke every gun safety rule there ever was. You are not even allowed to have shells in your gun until legal shooting time.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree 100% with Toxic and feel there should be a citation issued in spite of what the shooter has to live with the rest of his life.


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## reel (Dec 15, 2004)

Almost sounds beyond just plain too stupid.
Maybe check-out other motives or circumstances ? ?
Grassy-knoll conspiricy theory ? ?
...


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

I know the uncle was torn up in a big way over this. Was even transported himself, for chest pains.

It's a tragic accident for the family involved, and any penalty will be decided by the proper folks, once they wrap up the investigation.

Very preventable, yes, and a lesson to hunters everywhere to be cautious. But please, in the family's hour of despair, don't refer to them as "stupid". I'm sure they're going through enough without the name calling.


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## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

For one I don't believe in hunting Accidents. I really feel for the family of the deceased and only hope it makes the rest of us more aware of our responsibilities as safe hunters. Couldn't even imagine what that would be like but i think about it before every shot.


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## BIGDAWG (Apr 17, 2004)

I hate that we hear stories like this every single year. I'm not going to bash anyone, but I can only fathom why someone would be "driving" deer on OPENING morning anyway?!? Guys and gals, please be careful out there, I know that the majority of everyone on this site are great outdoorspeople. Remember and teach our children, there isn't ANY wild game out there worth jeopardizing ANYONE'S safety, period. Those deer will be there tomorrow, next month, next year. Oh, trust me, I still get all geeked up when I see a dandy, but IDENTIFY the target before you even level the gun, let alone take the weapon off safe. Slow down and ENJOY the hunt. Whether that means harvesting an animal or just enjoying the outdoors or BLANKING for another year. Besides, we have to give our friends something to rag on US about!! Stay safe and good luck to all.....BD :!


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree with Carl's statement that we should not resort to name calling of the people involved. They have enough hell to deal with for their poor judgement to last them many, many years. At the least though let this be a reminder of the necessity for following safety precautions. This is a vivid reminder of what may happen if we don't. My prayers are with the families involved.

I didn't hear all of the details but I doubt that the nephew was "driving" deer at that time. My guess is that he was trying to get to a hunting spot and that he and uncle did not know where each would be which is one major error. Before taking to the field people hunting an area need to be very concise with their plans of how they are going to set up. Someone also mentioned th use of a light. By all means if you are in the field or woods before starting time use a light. This light doesn't have to be a bright spotlight for you to see but just a small LED light is plenty and will show up very well if someone is looking your direction. I have one of the LED headlamps that I carry pointed down to the ground when I am walking in or out. I am hunting on my own ground and there is not supposed to be anyone else in there but I am not taking any chances. Nothing was mentioned about whether he was wearing orange but at that time of the day it didn't matter what color he had on because you will not see the color.

This morning at 6:30 I turned the lights off in the kitchen so that my two youngest boys could look out and see how dark it was and explained to them what happened and why it should never happen. They are still too young to hunt but they are not too young to begin learning the safety guidelines.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

rattletraprex said:


> For one I don't believe in hunting Accidents.


The Ohio State Highway Patrol do not call car wrecks "accidents", they call them crashes because accidents can be avoided. Maybe the Division of Wildlife should call hunter related shootings for what it is a "shooting".


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