[at-l] AJC on the Shooting 11/26

[orangebug74@yahoo.com (Orange Bug)]

There are two articles in today's Atlanta Journal and Constitution on
the shooting. The URL's are:

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/today/news_d33ec1caf016a0d610c0.html

and

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/today/news_d33ec14bf016319b1021.html

As these will become expensive in about 1 week, I will do the copy and
paste thing, here.

Hiker has no rancor for hunter
Victim of Appalachian Trail shooting doesn't want rifleman prosecuted
because he gave her aid.
Diane R. Stepp - Staff
Tuesday, November 26, 2002


The Cartersville girl shot Sunday morning when she was mistaken for a
deer in the North Georgia woods does not want the hunter prosecuted,
the girl's father said Monday.

After visiting 16-year-old Rachel Ferguson in the intensive care unit
of St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, Terry Ferguson, her father, said
Rachel was upset to learn a felony charge had been filed against the
hunter, 21-year-old Matthew Bryant.

"That's not what she wants," said Ferguson.

Bryant, who surrendered to police Monday and was released on $10,000
bond, was charged with misusing a firearm. He could be imprisoned up to
10 years and fined up to $5,000.

"He gave her first aid and CPR," said Ferguson, who can only see his
daughter in the intensive care unit for 20 minutes every four hours.

"She wanted him to ride in the ambulance with her, but they wouldn't
let him."

Ferguson, a bullet against her collarbone, was in fair condition
Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Doctors have decided for now not
to remove the bullet and believe Rachel could go home by the weekend,
Ferguson said.

Bryant, of Suches in Union County, was hunting with a friend as dawn
broke Sunday when he fired on movement about 220 feet away, at the edge
of the Appalachian Trail in the Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area of
the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Rachel was with about 15 people --- adults and other teens associated
with Venture Scouts, a high-adventure program sponsored by Boy Scouts
of America. They had hiked along the Appalachian Trail and camped
Saturday night about 19 miles south of Blairsville, said Sgt. Johnny
Johnson of the state Department of Natural Resources.

As the campsite stirred about 6:45 a.m. Sunday, Rachel, wearing jeans
and a gray sweatshirt, went looking for a place to relieve herself, her
father said.

The .243-caliber rifle bullet struck Rachel under the right armpit and
stopped at her left collarbone without hitting any organs.

Bryant was legally licensed for the firearms deer season that began
Oct. 19. He was hunting in an authorized area and was not violating
state hunting regulations, said Johnson.

Union Sheriff Scott Stephens said Bryant had hunted previously, but had
"limited" hunting experience.

Georgia law requires 10 hours of hunter safety education for anyone
born after January 1961. Licensed hunters must be at least 16. The
DNR's Johnson said he did not know how old Bryant was when he took the
training.

Bryant did not say in court on Monday what made him mistake Rachel for
a deer. "He feels real bad about it," said Stephens.

Hunters' excitement can lead to mistakes, said the DNR's Johnson. "The
mind's eye can create what the hunter wants," he said.

When the campsite learned the honor student had been shot, a camper
called 911 while others began first aid. By their side almost
immediately was Bryant, who started CPR, Terry Ferguson said.

And the second:

Hunters, hikers will still share trail
Jingle Davis - Staff
Tuesday, November 26, 2002


Hunters and hikers have coexisted on the Appalachian Trail since the
Georgia-to-Maine route unofficially opened in 1928. Mostly the
relationship has been peaceful, authorities say.

That changed early Sunday when a deer hunter accidentally shot a
Cartersville teenager who was camping on a popular section of the trail
near Neel's Gap in Union County. The 16-year-old girl is recovering and
the hunter has been charged with felony misuse of a firearm.

Dick Patterson, spokesman for the U. S. Forest Service in Washington,
said that as far as he knows, Sunday's incident marks the first time a
hiker on the Appalachian Trail has ever been shot by a hunter.

Still, the accident is prompting hunters and hikers to call for
additional measures to help safeguard the 4 million people who use the
Appalachian Trail annually.

Some advocate banning hunting anywhere near the trail, but that is
unlikely, authorities say.

More likely, hikers and hunters will be expected to take greater care
to safely share increasingly popular natural resources.

The National Park Service manages the Appalachian Trail, which is about
2,160 miles long. But about 60 percent of it passes through U.S. Forest
Service land, where hunting is legal. Owners of private lands crossed
by the trail may also allow hunting on their property.

Angela Coleman, spokeswoman for the Forest Service in Atlanta, said
potential conflicts between hunters and hikers are a growing concern.
An estimated 10 million people use Forest Service land each year in
Georgia.

"Just because of the sheer numbers of people on the trail, we've got
some work to do, no question about it," she said.

Coleman said the Forest Service will consider posting more signs on the
trail to warn people to watch out for hunters. The service may also
post hunting seasons, she said.

Because the trail passes across private and public land and through
multiple jurisdictions --- local, state and federal --- prohibiting
hunting along the trail corridor would require enormous coordination
and effort, experts say.

Brian King, a spokesman for the Virginia-based Appalachian Trail
Conference, the private, nonprofit organization that takes care of the
trail with authority from the Department of Interior, said enforcing a
hunting ban would be virtually impossible.

"And anytime you pass laws impossible to enforce, they're bad laws,"
King said.

He said the conference and its 31 member organizations list hunting
seasons for the various jurisdictions crossed by the trail on the
conference Web site. They also warn their members to wear blaze orange
caps and vests on outings during hunting season.

"But we estimate we may reach 3 percent of the trail users," he said.
"We obviously need to do more education."

All 78 miles of the trail in Georgia meander through the 750,000 acre
Chattahoochee National Forest, an area used by hunters, hikers,
fishermen, campers, bird watchers, and just about anyone else who
enjoys the rugged outdoors. Some kind of hunting is generally permitted
from mid-August through mid-May. Hunting for deer and bear is allowed
from late October to early January.

As long as they are properly licensed and hunting legally, hunters can
stand on the trail itself and fire, according to law enforcement
authorities, who say most hunters avoid shooting anywhere near the busy
trail.

"Hunters usually use the trail for access to better hunting areas,"
said Sgt. Johnny Johnson of the state Department of Natural Resources.

The trail has been part of the National Park System since 1968. With
some exceptions, including law enforcement and policymaking, it has
been under day-to-day management by the Appalachian Trail Conference
since then.

But many other groups take an interest in the "A.T.", as users call it,
including the Conyers-based Center for Appalachian Trail Studies.

Dan "Wingfoot" Bruce, who directs the private, volunteer center, has
hiked the trail seven times and writes guidebooks about it for what he
calls "thru-hikers," those who walk the trail's entire length.

Bruce said he believes hunting should be banned along the trail for a
safe distance on either side.

"It's bad policy to allow hunting on lands used by people hiking," said
Bruce, 60.

"I've had bullets pass close to me, and I know other hikers who have,
too. We've had a lot of near-misses."

Jerry McCollum, executive director of the Georgia Wildlife Federation,
a hunter advocacy and conservation organization, said the first rule of
hunting is to identify the target before shooting.

"This [accident] was one person's fault and there can be no
justification for it," he said.

At the same time, McCollum said anyone walking in wild areas during
hunting season would be wise to wear the blaze orange caps and vests
hunters are required to don.

Georgia requires all hunters born after January 1961 to take a 10-hour
safety training course before obtaining a hunting license. McCollum
called the state-required course "the minimum we need."

He suggested hunters continue to educate themselves and said adults
should take responsibility for training younger hunters in firearms
safety.

GEORGIA HUNTING INCIDENTS*
Line graph shows number of incidents compared to number of fatalities
from '79-80 to '99-2000.
Incidents 2001-02: 52
Fatalities 2001-02: 10
*Figures for the current 2002-03 hunting season are not available.
Source: Department of Natural Resources
/ CHUCK BLEVINS / Staff



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