Sad Story: NY “Hunter” Shoots & Kills Woman
Russ Chastain 11.27.17
In a horrible incident destined to stain all hunters and hunting in general, a so-called hunter in Chautauqua County, New York has reportedly killed a woman, claiming he thought she was a deer.
Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies and the Sherman Fire Department responded to a report of an accidental shooting at about 5:24 p.m. in the area of 2998 Armenian Road in the town. It is illegal for hunters to hunt after sunset, which occurred at 4:46 p.m. Wednesday.
Thomas B. Jadlowski told deputies he thought he saw a deer in a field when he fired a single shot from his pistol. He said he heard a scream and immediately ran to the area about 200 yards away, which is where he discovered Billquist, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Jadlowski called 911 and applied pressure to Billquist’s wound until emergency medical services arrived.
I can’t tell you how this story hurts my heart. To think of the mourning husband robbed of his wife, an entire family who lost a loved one, and made even worse by the moronic manner in which she was slain. I send up heartfelt prayers for them all.
The time of the report was approximately 40 minutes after sunset, which ends legal hunting in New York state. The range from the killer (I refuse to call him a hunter) to the victim was about 200 yards. And he reportedly shot her with a handgun.
I routinely hunt deer. I do so in the evenings. Where I hunt, we can legally do so for 30 minutes after sunset… and believe me, any later than that, it’s a rare evening when you can see well enough to properly identify a target that’s 200 yards away, even with a high quality rifle scope and a steady rest.
Most handguns used for hunting have less-powerful scopes than the typical hunting rifle. It’s simply too difficult to hold a handgun steady enough when it has high magnification. So this guy probably saw some movement out there and decided it simply *had* to be a deer. Without knowing for sure, he fired.
It’s easy to get self-righteous about this. But in light of the fact that nothing can undo his unwise act, let us instead use this as a reminder that NO questionable shot should ever be fired.
You don’t shoot into a bush where a deer just ran. You don’t drop the hammer on the first thing that moves out from behind some brush behind which you saw some deer run.
Always be sure of your target and what’s beyond it, and never aim a firearm at something you are not willing to destroy.
