Elk hunting accident -- Colorado

I regularly carry in the field with a round chambered. In a mod. 94 lever I keep the hammer on half cock( I don't own any of the newer ones with a safety),in a mod. 99 Sav. I use the tang safety. My most often big game gun is a mod. 70 Win. that I carry W/ one in the tube,and I drop the firing pin. All that's needed to charge the pin is to raise, and then lower the bolt when ready to fire. I've heard lots of different opinions,just be safe. I've also made a practice of pointing the rifle in a safe direction and pulling the trigger before walking off. I've never had one go off, but I'm sure it would scare the bejesus out of me and anyone with me if it did.I hunt with all vintage shotguns with exposed hammers. I carry these cocked with the breach open. I do have a couple scars from snapping them closed with a bit of skin in the way, but no other injuries. It all comes down to safety first,last,and all the time.
May we all be as safe as we aspire to,and avoid any tragedy.

What a classic and horrific example of a cascade catastrophe. Had any one of the steps been curtailed, then the shooting would not have occurred. Removing any one of the problems could have negated the fatal result and for the fatal result to occur, they all had to happen in the proper order.

Had the gun been properly maintained (including the carry strap), there the carry strap would not have broken under walking conditions.

If the carry strap would not have broken, the gun would not have fallen.

If the gun had not fallen, the son would not have tried to catch it.

If he didn't try to catch it, he would not have managed to depress the trigger.

If he had not carried it ready to fire (loaded, bolt closed, safety off), it could not have fired.

Had the gun not fallen in the direction and orientation that it did, the discharged round would not have hit the father.

Alas, for some reason the carry strap was not sufficient such that it broke while walking. The gun started to fall. The son tried to catch it and depressed the trigger. As the gun was ready to fire, it did fire when the trigger was depressed. Because of the orientation of the muzzle during the fall and when the trigger was depressed, the father was shot and killed.

OLD TIME HUNTER - "Why is there a need to have a live round in the chamber while hiking?"

Because you can never tell when a Bigfoot is liable to ambush you and try and eat you!

You gotta be ready for anything when out in the boonies!

L.W.

If the carry strap would not have broken, the gun would not have fallen.

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The article said the sling broke but it may have been one of those old style push sling swivels where just a bump in the right direction knocks them open. I've seen it 3x and 2 hunters caught their rifle before it hit the ground. The third missed and put a nice ding in his new Leupold scope.

After that I searched for a better mousetrap and found the screw in type sling swivels where you have to thumbscrew them off. Micheals makes them I think it is or Quake Industries. Won't hunt without them now. At least tape the old style one so they don't get bumped loose and you drop a rifle down hard.

While in the USAF another teammate had a sling break on a GAU-5 (USAF version of CAR-15) while rappelling and it went off right between the two of us. Bout soiled myself. No one got hit thank god.

Cascade, yes. But still avoidable. From my point of view, if you're carrying your rifle slung over your shoulder, you're not hunting and, thusly, should not have a round in the chamber. Sounds like in this instance the safety also failed ... or it wasn't activated. Sad. I used to tell the kids in my hunter safety classes that when you are not actively engaged in hunting, nothing in the chamber and action open. I'll confess to hiking in and out with my action closed, but if the rifle/shotgun is slung, its chamber is empty.