Doe! Hunter mistakes woman for deer in Norton, so he shoots her

I went to school in the Berkshires and there were signs posted warning people to wear bright clothing or sing(!) when walking in the woods during hunting season. Hunters would sometimes wander onto the property and it isn't unheard of for hunters to mistake humans for deer.

A fundamental rule in hunting is NEVER to pull the trigger unless you absolutely know what you are firing at. He clearly mistook the woman for a deer and could not have properly identified his target. I am astounded that someone who is professionally trained in the use of firearms would make such a bone-headed mistake. This incident certainly does not cast his firearms training as a state police officer in a good light.

Best wishes for the woman in her recovery.

The 2011 Hunting and Fishing regulations list the sunrise/sunset times for every day of the year. For December 31, the sunset time in Worcester is listed as 4:24 PM. The table indicates that Boston would be 3 minutes earlier. Norton would be somewhere in between.

If the shooting occurred at 4:55 PM, as I've read, then this occurred outside of the legal hunting times. It was also the last day of the season making this out of season.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I would hope that hunters would err on the side of caution and not hunt up to the last second of the season.