It’s nice to hear that the hunter who died in a shooting accident in Tomales, CA had so many friends. However, one of them, going by the name “Killer,” may not have been such a good friend after all. He did the deceased a disservice by trying to post the following comment with details about his alleged friend’s death:

“He already killed a deer before he jumped in his Jeep and ran it over (just to make sure it was dead). The ‘accident’ occurred when he backed up over the (slightly smashed) deer and the firearm slid from the gun rack and discharged, striking the valiant hunter in the hand and throat.”

Now “killer” is back, now cleverly posting under a new handle, “Animal Lover.” This time his comment is just a retraction of his last (unwelcome) comment:

“I am amazed that you people actually believe Mr. Weller drove a vehicle over the deer. I put that non-fact in my comment because the Moderator would not post my original comment. I knew that it would not probably not help the “hunting cause”, but it did provoke the desired result” [Which was what? To make us think hunters have so little regard for the animals they shoot that they’d drive over them afterwards; or to draw out a lot of outraged comments from us for some reason?

How are we supposed to believe him this time? If I believed him that his friend drove over the deer he shot, it’s because I never had the pleasure to make that particular hunter’s acquaintance. But I’ve known plenty of other hunters who routinely pulled similar stunts. When asked if he’d seen any deer that day, one unabashedly announced, “No, but I got off a couple of good ‘sound shots’!” [Meaning, he shot blindly at a sound he heard in the bushes].

I’ve seen hunters standing up in the back of pickup beds, loaded rifles at the ready, in hopes of shooting deer from the road. Working in the woods, I’ve been in the rig while the driver tried to run a deer down. And of course, the truck cab with three cammo-clad, orange-vested hunters sitting abreast, each with a can of malt liquor on their lap, is as common a site as falling yellow leaves in Autumn.

So, do I believe “Killer’s” original story, or his new retraction? Maybe neither; maybe this is something the local Sherriff and county coroner should look into. Who knows, maybe “Killer” himself is responsible for the killing. He sure likes to blow smoke like someone with a guilty conscience.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter to us; we’re here for the animals. We don’t have time to dwell on the hunters or their apologists (although some sure seem to crave any attention they can get).

Text and Wildlife Photography © Jim Robertson