Here is the scene:

Four of us were riding our horses up the side of a sage brush hill, nearing the edge of a brush filled ravine.  We were hunting deer on this morning and the sun was up but not far.  The air was colder than on any other morning since we arrived for our hunting trip.

As we rode slowly up the side of the hill and approach the edge of the ravine we can see the other side of the brush, which is about 60 or so yards away.

Suddenly, we see two buck deer.  We scramble off our horses and grab our rifles.  It takes awhile to get the guns ready as we have to place a firing cap on the nipples of the rifles.  And in order to get a cap on the nipple, you have to cock the hammer back on the rifle.  One is quicker than the rest to get the cap on his gun and then suddenly knowledge of what to do next escapes him.  Buck fever some call it and almost anything can come from such fever.  He places his finger inside the trigger guard and pulls on the trigger.    BOOOOOMMM!

The two bucks are alerted to our presence by the sound of the rifle discharging and escape unharmed.

Looking amazed, the man who fired his rifle is beside himself as to his act.  His mouth is agape and looks at us without saying any words, but goes about reloading his muzzleloader in anticipation of perhaps getting another chance to shoot a buck on this day.

In the world of mountain men we all have a name that is attributed to some grand act we may have accomplished in our life, or some really unique thing we did or a series of unique acts we may have accomplished over a long period of time.  But more often than not our names come from some really dumb thing we did.

Help name this man.

Bears Butt

Oct. 6, 2012

SAFE FIREARM HANDLING
The rules of safe firearm handling are simple and must be followed at all times.
The following material is a composite from the National Rifle Association, the National
4-H Shooting Sports Development Committee and the Utah Hunter Education staff.
1. Treat each firearm like a loaded firearm.
Consider each firearm to be loaded and treat it accordingly, even if you just
unloaded it.
2. Always control the muzzle of your firearm.
You must decide what the safest available muzzle direction is and keep your
firearm pointed in that direction. Never point your firearm at yourself or
others.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
The natural instinct when picking up a firearm is to put your finger in the
trigger guard. DON’T! This could cause an accidental discharge if the gun is
loaded.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond.
Never point your firearm at something you do not intend to shoot.
Make sure you positively identify what you are shooting at and know what
lies in front of and beyond it.