Deer hunter shot and killed by fellow hunter

"TBS reported that a group of 20 individuals "

a hunting party of 20?? when I go hunting back home, you can better believe there not are 20 of us roaming around. That is a recipe for disaster. 4 is getting too big, but 20?

"A 68-year-old member of the party fired at what he thought was a deer"

What he thought was a deer. That is quite flabbergasting. Positively identify your target, don't take a pot shot at what you think might be a deer. Never shoot at shape alone, never shoot at sound alone, never shoot at movement alone.

Bertie, deer meat is commonly used in Japanese cuisine, and the deer skin is used for manufacturing of traditional products, such as the glove for kyudo. Something a hipster green peace member like you never had a thought about.

Atleast one once a year. rip

And always a 60 and up yr old hunter is the shooter.

Do they wear vest? Are there orange deer in Japan?

Idiots! You don't go in with a party of 20 to begin with, and even with a smaller party you make SURE you all have bright orange vests. I bet they did not. Get the guns out of the hands of these old fogeys. They're always shooting each other or other innocents.

A hunter who shoots through a thicket at a target he cannot clearly see deserves all the punishment he gets. How can such a person be allowed to handle a gun, as strict as the gun laws are here?

The hunters should be taught that deers do not stands on 2 foots, beside they have horns on their head. Or maybe the shooter had grudge against the victim? Maybe not. Accidental manslaughter?

Is it going to be a tradition each year? Killed by your own fellow hunter..........20 old people with guns in closed vicinity means only one thing ,"Hunger Games" or in Japan's case "Battle Royale".They should do more screening about gun possessing for old folks here. May your soul rest in peace!

Um, Cleo, I'm afraid you are wrong. It is very popular in countryside areas where deer are abundant. In some places it is the main meat they eat.

Actually nature if enough to regulate the deer population. Nature doesn't need human to regulate itself.

You forget that man too is part of nature, and that man has always been the top deer predator going back to the days of sticks and stones. There are not enough other predators in Japan or elsewhere to regulate the deer population. Without man consuming the deer, the deer population might evetually settle to a natural number, but at the expense of other animals and vegetation.

Atleast one once a year. rip

It amazes me that these old geezers think it's perfectly OK to wander into wooded areas and take reckless pot-shots at what they think might be wildlife. Play with fire, get burned.

Presumably the intrepid hunter will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for dangerous handling of a firearm, and will have his license (assuming he has one) revoked.

blindly firing into a thicket is not a mistake, it's negligence bordering on manslaughter. this isn't a wild boar that could attack, it's a deer that would run away at the sight of a human. who gave that bozo a hunting license?

Won't catch me hunting with these damn old crazy men!!

Cleo

No it isn't. I've lived here nearly 4 decades, and not once - not once - have I ever had deer meat put on a plate in front of me, or been offered deer meat, or seen anyone else preparing or eating deer meat...

My freezer hasn't been venison-less for more than a week in the last 15 or so years.

For the small amount of hunters with rifles in Japan there seems to be quite a lot of accidents, presuming this was an accident, of course.

It is absolutely incredible to me that a country that prides itself on being an "advanced nation" organises HUGE deer hunts. Not for the meat. Just for the "pleasure" of killing a beautiful animal.

Man has always been the largest predator of deer in Japan (and any other country where men and deer live in proximity to one another) and has been so for as there have been men and deer. But as the hunting and consumption of deer by people has decreased, the numbers of deer have increased greatly, to the point that many deer starve every winter. Like it or not, man plays a part in the natural regulation of the deer population. When there are not enough deer culled by hunters, they are often culled through poisoning or shot by foresters, otherwise, besides starving, they destroy forage which other animals also depend on.

I know of no hunters who kill deer for the "pleasure" of killing another living thing. There is pleasure in the challenge of trying to hunt for deer, this is a natural instinct. But actually shooting them is not such a pleasure. And after shooting and killing a deer, a lot of hard and messy work is involved in getting the deer moved, cleaned, and dressed. Deer are killed no more permantently than the chickens, cows, fish and plants that are killed evry day to feed us.

A hunting rifle is dangerous only when handled by an incompetent shooter, just as a car is dangerous when being operated by a careless driver.

There's too many of these trigger happy hunters in Japan. I've witnessed hunters shooting down whatever was flying while they were supposedly quail/pheasant hunting, shooting down couple crows instead. Besides, deer hunting in the middle of summer?

sangetsu03Jul. 22, 2014 - 09:02AM JST Like it or not, man plays a part in the natural regulation of the deer population.

Actually nature if enough to regulate the deer population. Nature doesn't need human to regulate itself.

the numbers of deer have increased greatly, to the point that many deer starve every winter.

Next thing you know, they'll start firing their guns in the air.

@Cleo... Remember that there are many country sides here in Japan.. and the culinary tradition of one are to the other vary greatly (very greatly)... So if you lived thirty some years in a country side of Japan... good... but have you lived in every country side in Japan?

I don't know about the deer population in Japan.. but I don't think a hunting party of 20 was ever necessary... the hunting itself seem unnecessary.

Urbanization is the main reason (these days) to organize a hunting party here in Japan and every other country... people should do every effort not to invade more territory. We choose to get better medication, let the old and the weak to live more (I am not against it)... so that means humans are going to increase in numbers.... We either let nature go (and thus... let the weak die) or be prepare for war (territorial, resources disputes) so there can be a human population control (human hunting)....

We humans are part of the nature, and as so we should be submitted to mothers nature population control....

At the very least, it is negligent to fire at anything without identifying it first. If you can't identify the deer before it escapes then that is just too bad. I go hiking in japanese forests where I run into many deer and it's disturbing to think I could be shot.

Also, in all seriousness, I think these incidents and the parties involved should probably be fully investigated before they are deemed to be pure accidents.

As an ex wild pig & Kangaroo shooter, the golden RULE is that you NEVER fire your weapon unless you have a clean clear shot! And that is just common sense anyway! Also, from what news video footage I've seen of hunters carrying, handling & shooting at targets - there seems to be plenty of careless trigger crazy idiots around, even firing at deer at a long distance WITH A SHOTGUN! Bakayaro!

Hunters probably traditionally ate deer, although the general populace was Buddhist and meat was normally forbidden. The skin was certainly used in high class goods such as sets of armor/armour.

Oh deer. It is hard to sympathize with the victim in this accident.

ban guns everywhere. Clearly it is not just the "bad" men that kiss with it, guns kill people. Stupid men, clumsy men, older men, irresponsible/ negligent men, children, etc aaaalll kill with guns.

Hunters are a slowly dying breed in Japan and most of them seem to be up in age. In Japan hunting actually in most cases is culling and that is why there were 20 in the group. They will form a line spaced evenly apart, track in one direction and take down a specified number of animals to control the population and the meat is distributed amongst the hunters. Problem is there seems to be a lack of young people who take interest as it really isn't done for sporting purposes but out of perceived necessity. These hunters are likely the farmers who are experiencing crop damage by deer and more devastating, wild boar. Beers are hunted too but they are taken-down when there is perceived overcrowding or recent attacks.

Actually nature if enough to regulate the deer population. Nature doesn't need human to regulate itself.**

Actually humans increased the populations with gardens and farms. Plentiful food equals increased numbers. Reduction of natural predators, increased human encroachment. Deer need culling. We humans have disrupted nature.

I'm afraid you are wrong. It is very popular in countryside areas where deer are abundant.

Most of my time here has been spent in countryside areas and like I say, I have never seen bambi on a plate. I'm not saying no one nowhere ever eats it. I‘m saying it is not 'commonly used'. Probably as popular as fried bee larvae.

According to the article below he fired a shotgun at 30 meters and hit the other guy square in the abdomen. Must have been some heavy slug. RIP http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news/140721/szk14072102040002-n1.htm

There is no deers in many prefectures.

Totally wrong on this, sorry!

I think they would have been better off hunting with spears because guns kill and according to most Japanese they are unsafe and in this case looks like the hunter got haunted!

A slightly dated, but very appropriate article:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/11/29/environment/deer-problem-growing-fast-2/#.U83a2sKRUuo

A major problem is the significant reduction in the number of licensed hunters in Japan while the deer population has been exploding. In 1975, there were 518,000 licensed hunters, 9% over age 60, whereas in 2011 the number had dropped to 198,000 of which 66% were over 60. With the rural-to-urban migration, this is one of the side effects.

Perhaps the Swiss model of firearm training of young, responsible individuals would be helpful in getting the balance restored. Alas, it would detract the youth from their video games, soccer matches, and doting on their eyebrows and coiffures...

@cleoJUL. 22, 2014 - 12:28PM JST NHK seems to agree with me that deer meat is not a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. http://cgi4.nhk.or.jp/eco-channel/jp/movie/play.cgi?did=D0013773118_00000 The video shows culled deer being buried where they die, to prevent them becoming food for wild boar. Thinking this is a waste, Oita Prefecture which claims to have a huge surplus of deer that it wants rid of, is trying to market the meat instead of having it rot in the ground; but people aren't buying. Less than 5% of culled deer get processed into meat Quote from the butcher - 今の人たちはそういったものを食べる週刊はない (People today don't eat deer meat)

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You are right, grew up in a city and in our city and never heard deer eating because there was no deer in our prefecture. I never heard deer earing, If it was Japanese custom, I should know. BTW, I don;t want to be picky but your kanji of Shukan custom, habit is Shukan weekly publication,

In full agreement with Carcharodon. Always visually identify your target first before shooting, but even then with extreme caution. You never shoot at what you think something might be. I used to hunt with my dog, so I was always nervous about where it was in relation to the target before squeezing the trigger.

Um, Cleo, I'm afraid you are wrong. It is very popular in countryside areas where deer are abundant. In some places it is the main meat they eat.

Yes, it's true. I have had it on a couple of occasions and as a hunter myself, I do love a good deer chili every now and then. Main thing is, when you are hunting always make sure the party that you are hunting with are not anywhere near your cross hairs. Be careful and be cautious.

All readers back on topic please.

Ok, cleo, enlighten us all with your brilliant solution to both the deer overpopulation (which cost farmers upwards of ¥20billion every year for the last decade - 'at's a lotsa veggies) AND the rapidly declining numbers of licensed hunters. Clearly, anyone who goes hunting absolutely MUST be well-trained and responsible, such as militia. Anyone who would " go traipsing through the woods shooting at anything and everything that moves" as you said, would clearly NOT be a well-trained hunter, but rather a knucklehead city-slicker.

And as others have mentioned, hunting in a group of over four is a recipe for tragedy such as this one.

Japanese traditional cuisine? Seafood. Do Japanese police investigate relationship between the shooter and the victim? He may be innocent, then he needs Japanese Matlock in the court. If he is guilty, police needs Japanese Jessica Fletcher. RIP.

I went on a two day hike in the middle of Shikoku and saw about 30 deer with no effort at all. Over population is a problem. I am not against responsible hunting if the meat is eaten. When my brother was visiting Japan i took him to Nara Koen to feed the deers. A few days later we were near Odaigahara eating Deer Curry Rice.

'Perhaps the Swiss model of firearm training of young, responsible individuals would be helpful in getting the balance restored. Alas, it would detract the youth from their video games, soccer matches, and doting on their eyebrows and coiffures...'

No way, no day, no shape, no form. Keep the disease of guns away from the children of this fine country. I'd take video games, football matches and vanity any day of the week. I

The deers culled to supress over population are not eaten and buried where they had been culled since wild deer carries various parasites. The shot gun pellets lodged into the carcass makes it worthless on the commercial market.

One last thing, license to carry rifes are limited. Hunters starts with shotguns and after a certain time obtains qualification to try for rifle license.

Number one rule of hunting: "Make sure of your target before launching a projectile." This ojiisan failed Hunting 101. Now he gets to live out the remainder of his days knowing he ended someone's life over his stupidity.

kill* LOL

Killing deer for fun?! Killing deer is a "Party"? Instead of killing deer, killed a man. Maybe there is a teaching in this accident. Maybe it is not an accident.

Well, Cleo, I'm still waiting for you to dazzle me with your brilliant solution to the problem of exploding deer population and rapidly shrinking number of licensed hunters.

I'm still waiting for you to dazzle me with your brilliant solution to the problem of exploding deer population and rapidly shrinking number of licensed hunters.

The 'rapidly shrinking number of licensed hunters' is not a problem. The fewer gun nutters wandering around getting their jollies from shooting the place up, the better. Remember these are not 'well-trained and responsible hunters', they are a rabble of old men looking for an excuse to fire a lethal weapon.

The problem with the 'exploding' deer population could be handled humanely by seeding the places they live with feed laced with contraceptives. Not as much 'fun' maybe as a shoot-'em-up, but probably a lot cheaper than paying for ammunition and the power shovels needed to bury the bodies that no one wants to eat, not to mention a lot cheaper than the billions of yen-worth of veggies and trees that are lost. And it would also result in fewer old codgers being accidentally shot by their mates.

Bertie - apart from the venison dog treats that my local pet shop had a great deal of trouble selling, the only 'genuine' use of deer meat in Japanese cuisine I've ever come across is shika-nabe, also known as momiji-nabe. It's certainly not common, and most Japanese people would pull the same face at the prospect of eating bambi as they would at the prospect of eating whale, only more so.

I say, why waste the money?

So do I. Hunting parties obviously haven't provided a solution so far, and have been a waste of time and money. Not to mention the inhumaneness of killing healthy animals (some are left in traps for days, and the hunters don't exactly seem to be what one might call sharp-shooters) and the we-hear-it-every-year reports of the intrepid hunters shooting each other instead of the deer.

Shoot them and be done with it and use the meat if you can.

But shooting them isn't 'done with it'. The bodies have to be disposed of, they cannot be just left to rot in the woods, and people do not want to eat the meat. Attempts at marketing the stuff still leave 95% needing to be buried.

Deer: lmao

@ebisenJUL. 22, 2014 - 08:51AM JST Bertie, deer meat is commonly used in Japanese cuisine, and the deer skin is used for manufacturing of traditional products, such as the glove for kyudo. Something a hipster green peace member like you never had a thought

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Japanese people traditionally did not eat any meat until Meiji Ishin about 300 years ago. People who handled animal products had been discriminated for generations, Deer eating in Japan? There is no deers in many prefectures.

The "bambi's" in Nara are a PIA to me. Too accustomed to people.

NHK seems to agree with me that deer meat is not a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

http://cgi4.nhk.or.jp/eco-channel/jp/movie/play.cgi?did=D0013773118_00000

The video shows culled deer being buried where they die, to prevent them becoming food for wild boar.

Thinking this is a waste, Oita Prefecture which claims to have a huge surplus of deer that it wants rid of, is trying to market the meat instead of having it rot in the ground; but people aren't buying. Less than 5% of culled deer get processed into meat

Quote from the butcher - 今の人たちはそういったものを食べる週刊はない (People today don't eat deer meat)

Perhaps the Swiss model of firearm training of young, responsible individuals would be helpful...

Now you're just being silly. Where are you going to find any of those? :-) Seriously though, responsible individuals don't go traipsing through the woods shooting at anything and everything that moves.

The article you link to is revealing, though; it seems from reading that, that the deer 'problem' is entirely man-made. And the only 'solution' to destroying nature that man can come up with is - destroy a bit more of it. Sigh.

I notice above I wrote 週刊(week) instead of 習慣(custom). Ooops.

It is absolutely incredible to me that a country that prides itself on being an "advanced nation" organises HUGE deer hunts. Not for the meat. Just for the "pleasure" of killing a beautiful animal.

BTW, you ever heard of culling?

"Idiots!"

Beat me to it, smith.

I say, why waste the money? Population control made simple. Shoot them and be done with it and use the meat if you can.

Not a hunter, I prefer deer to be shot by a hunter and utilized rather than roadkill and creating more. Scavengers as roadkill also scavenging.

It seems it's off topic to discuss why these trigger-happy old blokes were up in the mountains taking pot shots at deer and each other, or what happens to what they kill. So, back on topic. Guns don't kill people, stupid old men wandering around the mountains with loaded guns, poor eyesight and poorer judgement looking for something to kill, kill people. And deer. And Lord only knows what else.

I heard somewhere that the police are purposefully not giving out many new gun licenses. The old guys are grandfathered in, but when they die, that's one less hunter. The police want all the guns gone.

I went on a two day hike in the middle of Shikoku and saw about 30 deer with no effort at all. Over population is a problem. I am not against responsible hunting if the meat is eaten. When my brother was visiting Japan i took him to Nara Koen to feed the deers. A few days later we were near Odaigahara eating Deer Curry Rice.

I've had it, very delicious. I think if nothing is done and the deer population gets out of control, you can look forward to the cases of lyme disease growing, so I think population control is very important, not to mention the meat is very tasty.

I'm neutral on hunting, but I will say that these accidents do happen. And I don't think age is always a deciding factor.

there are many country sides here in Japan.. and the culinary tradition of one are to the other vary greatly (very greatly)... So if you lived thirty some years in a country side of Japan... good... but have you lived in every country side in Japan?

In every part of the countryside, no. In a good many different parts, yes. The point being made was not that there might be some people in remote parts of Japan who regularly eat deer meat; the point being made was that it is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Soy sauce is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. So is miso, tofu, negi, chicken, pork, rice wine, onion, carrot, konyaku, fish of all kinds. Deer meat, no, not commonly used.

I have had it on a couple of occasions

And you have lived in Japan for how many years? Eating something on a couple of occasions does not make it commonly used in Japanese cuisine. By that token, crumpets, Christmas pudding and blackberry crumble are all common in Japanese cuisine, cos I've eaten them in Japan on more than a couple of occasions.

Anyone who would " go traipsing through the woods shooting at anything and everything that moves" as you said, would clearly NOT be a well-trained hunter, but rather a knucklehead city-slicker.

I don't think many of these knuckleheads are city-slickers; the street view of the address of the knucklehead who did the shooting looks pretty rural to me.

ebisen,

Bertie, deer meat is commonly used in Japanese cuisine

I'm sorry, but it isn't.

People who cull deer often slice bits off the carcass and give it to friends in places where deer are common - like Hokkaido, but there is no way it is commonly used in Japanese cuisine.

What?

"Shika-katsu?"

"Shika-yaki?"

"Shika-shabu?"

cleo,

Totally agree.

It is absolutely incredible to me that a country that prides itself on being an "advanced nation" organises HUGE deer hunts. Not for the meat. Just for the "pleasure" of killing a beautiful animal.

deer meat is commonly used in Japanese cuisine

No it isn't. I've lived here nearly 4 decades, and not once - not once - have I ever had deer meat put on a plate in front of me, or been offered deer meat, or seen anyone else preparing or eating deer meat. These old codgers might eat the odd venison burger when they're not too busy taking pot shots at each other, but it is certainly not commonly used in Japanese cuisine.

My local pet shop used to stock dog treats made from venison, they seemed to have trouble moving them even though they were dirt-cheap. Most Japanese people don't even want to feed Bambi to their dogs, much less put it on their own dinner table.

Hunters are a slowly dying breed in Japan

Be fair, they do seem to be trying to speed it up.