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  1. #1
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    British mountain biker shot dead by hunter in French Alps

    The 34-year-old, named locally as Marc Sutton, was killed by a stray bullet while riding in woodland near Montriond, close to the Swiss border.
    He was biking on a popular mountain track when he was shot by a 22-year-old who was taken to hospital in severe shock.
    Originally from Caerphilly, south Wales, he owned a restaurant in the small town of Les Gets.
    The Foreign Office said it was in touch with local authorities and was providing support to his family.

    The 34-year-old had recently opened his own restaurant in the area
    Mr Sutton, a keen snowboarder and mountain biker, ran a private catering business in the area and opened his own restaurant, Wild Beets Kitchen, earlier this year.
    In a Facebook post, he said of the restaurant: "I still can't believe that this is ours! Hard work does pay off and dreams do come true."
    Philippe Toccanier, prosecutor for the Thonon-Les-Bains region, told the Associated Press (AP) the death in thick woods was believed to be an accident.
    But he said that Mr Sutton "couldn't be confused with game, as he had a coloured helmet and a coloured mountain bike".
    In the past three years, more than 20 people have died in hunting accidents in France.
    On a local Facebook group people expressed horror and discussed how to prevent further incidents.

    "This has to be stopped. Ban the chasse immediately," one said, using the French term for hunting. "There are no excuses. People's lives are shattered."
    But others said hunting was a "lifelong tradition" and called for safety measures such as restricting hunting to certain days.
    An inquiry has been launched into the incident of "aggravated manslaughter," French prosecutors said.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45855897

    Unbelievable. This hits close to home. Happened in Portes du Soleil in Morzine area. Lifts are closed but people still bike the trails.

    Consoldences to his family and friends.

  2. #2
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    Terrible and tragic. Poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    20 deaths from hunting accidents in 3 years? Doesn't that seem high for a country with (I assume) difficult access to guns?
    Last edited by HankScorpio; 10-15-2018 at 07:12 AM.

  3. #3
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    they should never have overlapping hunting and biking (areas) but it's rather difficult. people can access the mountains anywhere. they can't post "hunting season" signs at every trailhead. hunting is a big tradition here just as it is in the US.

    i was biking here in switz a few years ago (st luc) and my wife saw a hunter carrying a big gun over his shoulder on the trail. freaked her out. i got a pic somewhere.

  4. #4
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    Some people should not have guns. It's plain and simple. This fucking moron should not have had a gun. There are too many out there that should not have a gun that do.

  5. #5
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    does this mean Andrew Mcclean was not completely wrong ?
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankScorpio View Post
    Doesn't that seem high for a country with (I assume) difficult access to guns?
    It is not difficult to obtain hunting long arms (rifles and shotguns) in western European countries.

  7. #7
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    GSP will be along shortly to tell Steve how wrong he is and something something Brazil.

  8. #8
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    Apparently, it is very, very common to combine eating and drinking well with hunting in France and Italy. That, combined with the clustered, close quarters nature of huntable land means that stray bullets or other accidents are much more likely to occur. In the US, it seems that hunter safety and hunting in general is taken much more seriously. I feel bad for the young guy who fired the lethal bullet by accident, dude is in a phsych ward.

  9. #9
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    British mountain biker shot dead by hunter in French Alps

    I ride really early in the morning and see hunters all the time.
    My dog wears blaze all fall.
    I do 50% of the time, but I might be going full time.

  10. #10
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    That sucks. Last year a biker was shot at a local trail system by a stay bullet but survived. I wear blaze orange or other neon colors and try to avoid early and late daylight times during hunting season. Better yet I ride where it isn't allowed or at night.

  11. #11
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    You aren't suppose to take the shot unless you are 100% sure there isnt someone in your bullets trajectory.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by mtngirl79 View Post
    You aren't suppose to take the shot unless you are 100% sure there isnt someone in your bullets trajectory.
    True, of course, but a deer rifle round can travel a mile or more, beyond any human's range of vision.

  13. #13
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    the firearms instructor told us he adjusts for a 25 yd drop to hit a target at 1000 yrds
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    the firearms instructor told us he adjusts for a 25 yd drop to hit a target at 1000 yrds
    When looking through a scope you essentially have blinders on so you can't see things coming as they are about to pass into your field of fire. Additionally, you very rarely are firing level, the target is almost always above or below you, so if it is above you on a ridge and you miss, that bullet will travel much further before hitting the ground. Point is, if the hunter is doing everything correctly, the risk is acceptably low. But to paraphrase Carlin, think about how dumb the average person is, now realize that half of everybody is dumber than that.

    I ride in a shuttle zone during hunting season that is only open then because the gate to the road only opens during hunting season. there has been a couple times we have not dropped into a trail because we hear somebody firing down at the bottom. When we get down to the bottom and ask "WTF, did you not see the riders or trucks with bikes that keep passing the exact spot you are firing?" the answer is always "well i didnt see anybody so i thought it was safe".

    Accidents will happen, but it seems like too many hunters are not sticklers for the rules. I wish they would limit it so only 1 or 2 groups gets to hunt in a zone on a particular day, but people use the excuse that hunters are just trying to feed their families when we all know that makes up the VERY small minority of hunters. Almost everyone is doing it because its fun and because they can get some good meat out of the deal too.

  15. #15
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    Ugh what a sad tragedy.

    Question for the hunting mags ... I ride with a bear bell on my bars (and when I ride with my dog she has a bear bell as well) - how much do you think this this helps keep out of firing range? I do this mostly for hikers to not be surprised but also for mountain lions as well. And also I can hear if I'm riding too fast for my doggie.

    We have a lot of hunters in these areas during fall riding season, actually a surprising amount really close to popular MTB and hiking trails. I have nothing against hunters but I don't always trust the judgment and sobriety of some of the people I see in the Oregon woods. My helmet is bright green but other than that I don't always wear bright colors nor do I make my dog wear bright colors (but she has some hound blood so she has a white tipped upright tail, though again that's probably only of help to experienced hunters not rookies).
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio View Post
    Ugh what a sad tragedy.

    Question for the hunting mags ... I ride with a bear bell on my bars (and when I ride with my dog she has a bear bell as well) - how much do you think this this helps keep out of firing range? I do this mostly for hikers to not be surprised but also for mountain lions as well. And also I can hear if I'm riding too fast for my doggie.

    We have a lot of hunters in these areas during fall riding season, actually a surprising amount really close to popular MTB and hiking trails. I have nothing against hunters but I don't always trust the judgment and sobriety of some of the people I see in the Oregon woods. My helmet is bright green but other than that I don't always wear bright colors nor do I make my dog wear bright colors (but she has some hound blood so she has a white tipped upright tail, though again that's probably only of help to experienced hunters not rookies).
    You and your dog should both be in blaze orange if you're riding during hunting season. Seriously. Many hunters would love nothing more than to dispatch a coyote that could be stressing/scaring the deer they hope to kill. Looking like a jong in a bright orange t-shirt is way better than catching a .243 in the back because a lazy hunter didn't properly try to ID you at 250 yds through thick brush.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio View Post

    I have nothing against hunters but I don't always trust the judgment and sobriety.
    This.

    Wear orange and get the pup an orange dog vest.

    I have sticky back orange vinyl that I cut an put on my helmet. I also use orange marking tape and tie it to my helmet and back pack.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankScorpio View Post
    Terrible and tragic. Poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    20 deaths from hunting accidents in 3 years? Doesn't that seem high for a country with (I assume) difficult access to guns?
    I have to disagree here. Getting hit by a train is a wrong place/wrong time situation. This guy is dead because some dipshit shot him dead. Sympathy for the dipshit and all that but if you unintentionally shoot someone dead, you're very clearly in the wrong and should not have been allowed in the woods with a gun.

    Not a hunter myself and I don't generally like guns but I do respect hunting for food. It's really the only ethical and environmentally sustainable (at least on the current scale) way to eat meat. Trophy hunting is a different story. Fuck those assholes. Problem here, as mentioned above, is the general intelligence of the average person, and by extension, the average hunter. Add alcohol and testosterone into the mix and well...

    Like I said, not a gun guy, but I don't think there are any licensing requirements for hunting type rifles over here. Not sure about over there. Also don't think there are any actual requirements for a hunting license, here or there. Both should be licensed with stringent qualifications to be met IMO.
    There's nothing better than sliding down snow, and flying through the air

  19. #19
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    in BC its not the law to wear orange while hunting but it is in Ontario

    so i seen this orange water proof Maddog gear 70% off at the hunting store, so i ask the guy why so cheap, he said nobody wants to wear it here so its on the clearance rack and the only orange stuff i have sold is to people visiting from Ontario
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by beaterdit View Post
    I have to disagree here. Getting hit by a train is a wrong place/wrong time situation. This guy is dead because some dipshit shot him dead. Sympathy for the dipshit and all that but if you unintentionally shoot someone dead, you're very clearly in the wrong and should not have been allowed in the woods with a gun.

    Not a hunter myself and I don't generally like guns but I do respect hunting for food. It's really the only ethical and environmentally sustainable (at least on the current scale) way to eat meat. Trophy hunting is a different story. Fuck those assholes. Problem here, as mentioned above, is the general intelligence of the average person, and by extension, the average hunter. Add alcohol and testosterone into the mix and well...

    Like I said, not a gun guy, but I don't think there are any licensing requirements for hunting type rifles over here. Not sure about over there. Also don't think there are any actual requirements for a hunting license, here or there. Both should be licensed with stringent qualifications to be met IMO.
    I read 2 different articles - one said he was hit by a stray bullet another said he was mistaken for an animal. If it was a stray bullet, I still chalk it up to wrong place and wrong time, but if the hunter was irresponsible enough to mistake him for an animal, clearly the hunter is 100% at fault.

    Also agree on hunting for food. Hunting is crazy popular around here and just about everyone hunts to stock up on meat for the winter. Requirements are also pretty loose - you need a license and need to be aware of signs posting where hunting is not allowed but that's about it. Hunting accidents are generally very rare here and hunting safety classes are free and frequently held. Regardless, I still stay out of the woods for the short rifle season.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankScorpio View Post
    If it was a stray bullet, I still chalk it up to wrong place and wrong time,
    Still doesnt mean the hunter wasnt at fault. Never shoot at a running animal, never shoot over a drop off where the bullet will keep traveling. never shoot towards known roads/trails unless you can see they are clear, etc. We dont know the story except that a hunters bullet killed a mountain biker. Could be a ton of mitigating circumstances that created the equivalent of lightning striking on a sunny day, or could be pure unadulterated negligence.

    The problem in my neck of the woods is that hunting season is when the shuttle road gates are open, and also when the best conditions of the year are. I just try and stick to the popular spots and wave to every hunter i see driving past so that they know we really out here.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by californiagrown View Post
    Still doesnt mean the hunter wasnt at fault. Never shoot at a running animal, never shoot over a drop off where the bullet will keep traveling. never shoot towards known roads/trails unless you can see they are clear, etc. We dont know the story except that a hunters bullet killed a mountain biker. Could be a ton of mitigating circumstances that created the equivalent of lightning striking on a sunny day, or could be pure unadulterated negligence.
    Very true. I don't know shit about hunting or shooting a gun so I'm seeing where hunters need to take responsibility for any bullet they fire.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankScorpio View Post
    Very true. I don't know shit about hunting or shooting a gun so I'm seeing where hunters need to take responsibility for any bullet they fire.
    This is basically where I'm coming from.

    I'm actually surprised that there aren't more accidents here in UT and in the States in general. Good on the food hunters for [mostly] promoting an environment of safety from a young age and encouraging classes. Locally, the Mormon hunter population seem to mostly have decent heads on their shoulders and take it all pretty seriously. Maybe most importantly, they don't drink.
    There's nothing better than sliding down snow, and flying through the air

  24. #24
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    Apparently this guy was a rapist. His sister tells the UK news it’s a miracle he’s dead and the hunter should be released from custody.


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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cono Este View Post
    Apparently this guy was a rapist.
    There's no getting away with that these days....
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

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