Hunter shoots himself to death in Okayama

how JT concluded that it was an accident?

He who lives by the sword.

Cleo

Are you saying that because he was a hunter, after one of your precious animals, that it is some kind of poetic justice that he died this way? If so, that is a shameful point of view.

I'll say what you should have said in the first place. This is a tragic accident and my condolences (and Cleo's) go out to his family. The fact that he was hunting ducks in no way makes the incident less tragic.

Razor -

No, that's not what I'm saying. If he did trip and shoot himself, it means he was wandering around with a loaded firearm and not taking adequate safety precautions. He could just as easily have tripped and hit an innocent passer-by out to enjoy the warm weather by the pond. Maybe a bird-watcher.

Condolences to his family certainly, but to the intrepid hunter, a Darwin award.

Did he had a dog with him? or maybe the Ducks should be investigated, it even could be a suicide

As I have learned during military service, there are several rules to follow, when using a gun:

1) Only load ammunition, when your are ready to shoot.

2) Make sure, the gun is secured.

3) Always remember, a loaded gun is dangerous. Don't point it at yourself or other persons.

4) Only when ready to fire, move the security lever.

5) If you don't need the gun for a while, unload it.

It seems the hunter violated most of this rules. Sorry for him.

I guess this is why guns have a safety latch so they can't accidently fire.

I wonder if the police are searching for an armed duck?

The cops think this is an accident? How does one accidently point the rifle at one's chest and pull the trigger?

telecaster: Admittedly it sounds a bit odd, but we're not getting any details. I can see how a person slips and falls down even a short embankment and, if the gun is loaded and not on safety and is dropped as a person sticks out their hands out, it could happen that it goes off and hits the person in the chest. Any simple autopsy should be able to confirm proximity to the gun, as well as elevation/angle and see if it was indeed fired immediately against the person's body, far away and straight on, or what have you.

Anyway, until we get more details, which we probably won't find since it's not a major story, we can only speculate.

It seems strange that he would be hunting duck with a rifle, not a shotgun. One would have to be a pretty good shot to hit a flying duck with a rifle. I assume the Japanese source did not specify which one, and JT just translated it as rifle out of ignorance. The only Japanese source I could find only said it was a 猟銃（hunting gun）.

This can happen. When I was in school, a classmate's step-father saw some critter in the yard (A deer I think) and ran out with his rifle to shoot it. The grass was wet, he slipped and fell and the gun went off and killed him. A really rough time for the kid. Firearms are definitely to be treated with caution and respect. I also worked with a guy who shot himself in the hand. He was mentally deranged (my assessment) and should have never been anywhere near a gun, but he was and he ended up discharging his gun right through the middle of his left hand while "cleaning" his weapon.

It seems strange that he would be hunting duck with a rifle, not a shotgun. One would have to be a pretty good shot to hit a flying duck with a rifle.

Shoot 'em when they pause while swimming. Or when they rest on land. Seems easier than hitting a flying duck with a shotgun!

Moderator: The story has been modified to read hunting gun instead of rifle.

he ended up discharging his gun right through the middle of his left hand while "cleaning" his weapon.

Nice terminology that bebert. Keep it up!!

If he'd been bird hunting, he'd have had birdshot; if he'd taken a rifle and was hunting for fowl, he was being quite irresponsible (and likely unlawful) since a projectile of a rifle falls at near muzzle speed if it misses the target and lands or hits people -quite dangerous. So, I'd say, if it was a rifle it likely was not intended for fowl. The article mentions bullet, so I suspect it was a rifle. So it seems he didn't go out hunting for game birds.

Man, the most dangerous game.

I think the ducks shot him.

It is quite difficult to put a bullet in your chest accidently or on purpose while walking with a rifle or shotgun. Small caliber rifles for fowl are sporting for adept marksmen although a "duck" gun; shotgun with long barrel for tight patterns at distance is the usual weapon. These long barreled shotguns would make a accidental hit in the chest almost impossible. Much more common accidents are in the feet or side of the head. In a country such as Japan I am not put off by hunters if they respect, clean and eat or share bagged game.

if he'd taken a rifle and was hunting for fowl, he was being quite irresponsible (and likely unlawful) since a projectile of a rifle falls at near muzzle speed if it misses the target and lands or hits people -quite dangerous.

This is the reasoning in North America, and thus duck hunting with a rifle is illegal. But there are advantages to duck hunting with a rifle, such as I mentioned, but also the fact that you don't have to pick all those darned pellets out of the bird.

He had a bullet in the chest.

Possibly a shotgun slug? But that seems the worst option of all for hunting ducks. I think I would prefer a crossbow to that.

But maybe he had the slug in the shotgun from a separate hunting trip and forgot it was in there? Could explain a lot.

as others have hinted the gun clearly was a shot gun, I see hunters in the fall going after ducks or male pheasant, this hunter clearly made some stupid mistakes, he aint the only one. A couple weeks while out walking the dog while passing a house a guy had been cleaning his shot gun & left it sitting on a chair outside & nobody around, there are some pretty daft people everywhere

Small caliber rifles for fowl are sporting for adept marksmen

Crack shot with fire power vs feathers. What's 'sporting' about that?

you don't have to pick all those darned pellets out of the bird

I bet the duck has a stronger adjective to describe the pellets. darned hardly cuts it.

What's 'sporting' about that?

You've obviously never tried to hit a flying duck with any kind of weapon. Of course, shooting a clay pigeon vs the real thing is as sporting and, as this story shows, safer.

You've obviously never tried to hit a flying duck with any kind of weapon.

Goes without saying. Can't imagine why I would want to.... Clay pigeon shooting is harmless, but, as far as I can see, pointless. At least if you shoot a card or tin man at the fairground, you get a prize....

ah but shoot a duck & you get a nice dinner!

Suppose he felt a bit gamey. Sad story though. And for those of you who never shot a duck on the water, I guess you don't know that rifles only puts a hole in the bird, and then they fly away, unless you get a head shot. Can't tell you how many duck have flown off with my arrows.

Just checked a J news site and the 'bullet in the chest' should probably be translated as 'he had shot in his chest'.

ah but shoot a duck & you get a nice dinner!

Not if you're a vegetarian, you don't. You just get a bloody feathery holey mess that has to be buried.

Can't tell you how many duck have flown off with my arrows.

You've lost count of how many birds you've left wounded and probably facing a slow death? Don't you think it's time you stopped your 'sport'? At least until you've practised some more and are a better shot.

I really think that rabid anti-hunting rants are off topic. Even after the word "rifle" has been corrected to "hunting gun"; most likekly a shotgun, the use of the word "bullet" really makes no sense at all. We all know a shotgun doesn't fire bulets, it fires pellets and for bird hunting small ones. So one "pellet" in his chest makes no sense not to mention that even small bird shot from a 12g will create a golfball sized hole in your chest if fired at close range. And it can't be a slug because, well, after you hit a bird with a slug what's left besides feathers and scattered organic matter? Surely a better understandable version of this story exists somewhere.

I really think that rabid anti-hunting rants are off topic

So do I. However a post pointing out the fact that half-shooting birds and letting them fly off with an arrow embedded in them to die slowly somewhere else is neither hunting nor sporting, is not. It's an example of irresponsible use of a hunting weapon. So is the death of this clumsy duck hunter, tripping about carrying a loaded firearm with no thought to safety. We're lucky it was the man with the gun that got shot, and not some innocent strolling by the pond enjoying the wildlife.

it can't be a slug because, well, after you hit a bird with a slug what's left besides feathers and scattered organic matter?

What if he wasn't hunting for the table but simply got his jollies from watching birds explode?

Duck hunting is indeed dispicable, I prefer to eat the ducks that donated their bodies to the local market..........

"However a post pointing out the fact that half-shooting birds and letting them fly off with an arrow embedded in them to die slowly somewhere else is neither hunting nor sporting, is not. It's an example of irresponsible use of a hunting weapon. So is the death of this clumsy duck hunter, tripping about carrying a loaded firearm with no thought to safety."

Umm, What does this have to do with this guy shooting himself ? This is "another" clearly off topic post from the master of such... Cleo. Hmmm.

badchili -

Is that you, 3times?

Sorry if you're confused, but which bit of 'irresponsible use of a hunting weapon' do you not understand?

One intrepid hunter is wandering around leaving arrows in birds, the other could well have left a bullet in an innocent passer-by. Added to which, Ossan tells us that hunters don't use slugs, so the bullet in the chest is a mystery. Maybe our intrepid hunter wasn't an intrepid hunter trying to feed his family at all, but simply someone who enjoyed shooting things. And wasn't very good at it.

Thanks, Nanda. Shot with shot.

LOL @ Nessie :8)

The original Japanese word was 'Tama'. This word is a broad Japanese word to cover single slugs/bullets from a rifle, or collective shot/pellets, or even single pellets/shot from a shotgun. I.e. The guy received 'Tama' in the chest.

The translator is not aware of the different types of guns that are available, and indeed the original Japanese article/word does not specify. Japanese readers do not particularly care either, as they have little knowledge about guns, and certainly far less than most people in the West, more especially the USA.

This process of lack of differentiation can be observed in Britain recently where police marksmen will be called out over sighting of an air-rifle for example, because a member of the public has reported a 'gun'.

The fact is that he accidently discharged a shotgun, and received singly or collectively 'shot' (UK usage) or pellets (US usage) in the chest.