# HUNTER SHOT & KILLED YESTERDAY IN BALDWIN COUNTY



## NorthEnd Yahoooo!!! (Jan 16, 2009)

<DIV id=inpagetitle><H1>Hunter Shot And Killed</H1></DIV><DIV id=article><DIV id=date>*Published:* Thu, January 22, 2009 - 9:38 pm *Last Updated:* Thu, January 22, 2009 - 9:46 pm </DIV><SPAN id=article_font>A man was killed while hunting Thursday night.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office says Forty-two year-old, Larry Vincent Rook, was shot and killed while hunting with his step-son, Twenty-four year-old Clayton Crane. 
According to Sheriff's spokesperson Anthony Lowery, Rook was *shot one time in the head* with a high powered rifle from approximately 50 yards away, by his step-son. 
Sheriff Huey Mack tells News 5, Crane told investigators he *mistook his step-father for a deer*. 
The shooting took place shortly after 5:30 P.M. on a dirt lane south of Johnson Cemetery Road in the White House Forks Community. 
*Neither hunters were wearing hunter orange.
*The case is under investigation and will be presented to a Baldwin County Grand Jury. </DIV></DIV>


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## 69Viking (Oct 30, 2008)

He mistook his step-father for a deer, yeah right! I've hunted for 5 years and I can honestly say I can't see how anybody can confuse a human with a deer unless you're just shooting at the bushes when they move!


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

Thats a very sad story. I pray for the family.


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## KingMe!!! (Apr 25, 2008)

And to make a head shot to boot....Come on.....:blownaway


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## davdoc0011 (Nov 13, 2008)

Sounds fishy


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## P-cola_Native (Feb 5, 2008)

That is really sad.:angel:angel

After 5:30 means it was dark, which makes the no Orange even worse. It gets hard to tell whats what in the dark.


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## AUradar (Oct 1, 2007)

sounds fishy, but I can give him the benefit of the doubt. If it was dark (after 5:30) then he may have seen movement but couldn't quite make out what it was. SO he was a dumbarse and just shot at something moving. Still completely stupid and unexcusable, but may not be alternative motives.


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## 7mmbrowningman (Oct 19, 2008)

I SOOO WILL DISAGREE THAT IT WAS DARK!!! :nonono I was able to sit until just before 6pm last night - while looking at my 9 and 3 oclock positions - and could still see the plots on those sides of me...the one at 9 oclock is about 50-60 yrds away...the other approx 35-40 from my tree I climb....in fact, I just checked my text on my cell that I sent a buddy once I made it to the car - it was sent at 6:14...so I started down the tree around 6 for sure! 

Try it yourself this weekend - check your watch at 5:30 pm and try to look 50yrds...if you can't see 'this time of the year', you should not be hunting unless you have just gotten your new glasses.....

Trust me when I tell you - more will come of this story! I certainly hope not, but....

Now then for this man and his family - may God bless them through these terrible times! Because no matter what did 'actually' happen - this is a terrible tragety...


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## miztergentz (Oct 8, 2007)

Please forgive me if I am wrong but............. at 5:30 it's not dark, there is still plenty of shooting light at that time (now...not early in the season) Especially at only 50 yards in a road.... This is a very sad situation... 

I have told this story to many people, but I will share it again here... Several years ago a friend of mine who ownes a lot of land up in the Molino area had tags to shoot does throughout the season... One afternoon late after work he decided that he was going to sit in his truck on the edge of one of his fields and wait for a doe. As it got later and later he had about convinced himself to go home..when he saw a white flash 75 to 100 yards away. It was very close to dark... He aimed his rifle at the white spot on the deers chest and watched her as she walked towards him. Slowly he took the safety off, put his finger on the trigger and while he was waiting for the perfect shot, he decided that he didn't want to have to clean a deer that night.... as he lowered his gun back down, and watched the deer continue to get closer and closer, the deer slowly materialized into his 13 year old nephew how had walked down into the woods that afternoon to hunt himself. My friend had trained his crosshairs on his nephews blonde hair...... My friend never got over this, and how close he came to taking his nephews life. I share this story often and hope that you will too... never pull the trigger if you are not 100% sure...........


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## AUradar (Oct 1, 2007)

at 5:30 (or after) it depends on where you are at, at least from my experinence. In my stand I can see fine in the food plot area where the back ground is nice and bright, but just into the woods where there is a lot of blacks and shades as background I can't see squat. I have shot that late, but I looked and looked, and looked, checked and rechecked, and was abosloutely sure what I was shooting. 

This guy was deffienetly wrong. Like I said, I could believe he didn't know what he was shooting, but then thats incrediably wrong, if you don't know, don't shoot.


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## 7mmbrowningman (Oct 19, 2008)

Btw - didn't mean to sound condeming....but think about one other issue...

When looking through as magnafied scope at 50yrds....and *STILL* had no idea???? Awefully hard to believe...:nonono

Any *REAL* hunter worth his salt would have never taken the shot - this has always been common practice with those that I have hunted with! One should *NEVER* shoot if not *EXACTLY *sure what you are pulling the trigger on - and as we all know, there are many reasons why - this being the absolutely worse outcome of all....


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## Speckulator (Oct 3, 2007)

Something sounds fishy!!!!

It's still daylight at 5:30 pm..

George


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## 69Viking (Oct 30, 2008)

I think most of us agree, if you can't positively make out what you are shooting at you have no business taking a shot. You should be able to identify the sex of the deer, it has 4 legs,and how big it is before you decide that is a DEER that you would shoot. 

Not trying to pick on Trigger's friend but nobody should be shooting a spot of white they see moving if they can't see it's 4 legs, head, and tail to 100% confirm it really is a deer they're looking at.Even thoughI know the guys I hunt with are safe we still have two rules, always wear a hunter orange hat and if it's dark have a flashlightof some sort and turn it on even if to just flash it every couple of seconds. Walking throughprivate woods without these two items is crazy enough butimagine in public woods.

I don't think this guy wants me on his jury if this goes to trial!


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## Catchin Hell (Oct 9, 2007)

The TV didn't say whether he had doe tags or not, but it would be hard for me to believe he identified his stepdad as a buck with visible antlers. Now, I have seen pictures of hunter with a broadhead stuck in the back of his head, so I won't say it can't happen, but darn, with a bow... I have the pics on another computer here if you guys really want to see the broadhead incident. They're pretty graphic...


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## Atwood (Feb 12, 2008)

Always carry a light of some sort and use it, or whistle or something when leaving a stand in low light conditions. Sometimes its like you can almost feel the cross hairs on ya.


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## 7mmbrowningman (Oct 19, 2008)

As stated when this thread started....

"The shooting took place shortly after 5:30 P.M. *<U>on a dirt lane</U>* south of Johnson Cemetery Road in the White House Forks Community."

Doe tags or not.....something is fishy here! Not like they were deep in the woods or something!


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## Nat (Oct 10, 2007)

It is possible for your eyes to play tricks on you

meaning 

what your mind tells you see, IS NOT really what your looking at

it's happened before


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## 7mmbrowningman (Oct 19, 2008)

Which would be why many on here have stated....

*UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU PULL THE TRIGGER IF YOU HAVE NOT CHECKED - CONFIRMED...THEN RE-CHECKED AND RE-CONFIRMED -MULIPLE TIMES-BEFORE EVER PULLIN THE TRIGGER! :doh*

I just see no way of arguing that point at all.......:nonono:nonono:nonono


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

I'm not arguing the point that you should know what you are looking at before you shoot. But I worked with a guy years ago that shot another hunter through the back with a bow. The guy that was shot was on his hands and knees following a blood trail. When he went into some bushes the guy I worked with thought it was a deer and shot the guy in the back (he was in a stand). From what I gathered this wasn't the guys first hunt and he knew better but he did it anyway. This could be the same situation. Did they say if this guy was a seasoned hunter?

I agree it seems fishy.......but without knowing all the facts all I can say is "what a shame"


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## OBsession (Feb 13, 2008)

Pretty Fishy ! Head shot??? pretty high up for trying to shhot a deer in a vital area.


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## 7mmbrowningman (Oct 19, 2008)

OBsession - 

I totally agree...never EVER seen a 6 foot deer! 

KONZ-

Absolutely no offense intended....but I seriously do not think him being 'seasoned' has much to do with it....after all, it IS NOT dark at 5:30(this time of the year) and it does state it was on a dirt lane....50yds, on a dirt road - with a scoped rifle....not a thing adds up.I will agree though - WHAT A SHAME!


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

i would not consider myself an avid hunter, i've killed 3 deer in my life, own a .243 and a 7mm-08, i can put 5 shots within 3 inches of each other at 100 yards all day long.

in my opinion there is NO FEASABLE WAY for this guy to mistake his stepfather for a deer, i mean come on, hitting something roughly a bit larger than a football at 50 yards isn't exactly a hard shot, and i don't see this shooting as anything other than intentional. may god bless them and their families, but i believe this man will be going to prison for a long time.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

These were taken at 5:30 tonight. I had no problem seeing the dog walk across the street, in fact it was easier to see without the camera. I wasn't there...so I can't judge but, yes something sounds fishy to me.


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## fromthedepths (Nov 21, 2008)

this happened down the road from my house ,my mom was one of the first responders .


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

I hate to hear/read stories like this, it is horrible. 

I hunt and shoot often. It is my belief that the *end result* *is the resposibility of the shooter Period*. One Man shot and Killed another man. No excuses. 

Most have the freedom to carry a gun, but there is a common resposibility that comes with carrying a gun. Part of that responsibility is to know what you are shooting at before shooting at it. If you don't know and shoot you have done something that you should be held accountable for and is/was your responsibility. If someone/anyone shoots something that they thought was a deer and it turns out that it was another human, so be it, and the person that shot made the decision to do so without confirming what they were shooting at. Poor eyesight, low light, thick cover, no hunters orange, weather conditions and fogged glasses or all excuses that do not relieve the shooter of the resposibility of confirming the target. There is absolultly no reason that anyone should ever shoot/kill any living creature only to get to it and find it was something other than what they thought it was, and if someone ever does, they may wantto trade, hand down or sell their guns, as they have then become less than responsible as well as dangerous.


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## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

Shit, Dick Chaney shot the guy standing next to him bird hunting...anything is possible.


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

> *WW2 (1/24/2009)*Shit, Dick Chaney shot the guy standing next to him bird hunting...anything is possible.


*Good Example, and Mr. Cheney was at Fault, and took responsibility for it. *


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## rob883 (Oct 3, 2007)

well my eyes play tricks on me at dark so i come down earlier then most why because i cannot see excatly what i am shooting at !! That is my choicce and taking my resposiblity seriously.That ground checking or if it is brown it is down mentality is why we read this stuff.It sux hopefully older hunters mentoring newer hunters will put this no shoot until you know what it is period rule into their bringing them up !!


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## fishn4real (Sep 28, 2007)

"The case is under investigation and will be presented to a Baldwin County Grand Jury."

Apparently the Sheriff and Coroner think that it was not an accident.


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## NorthEnd Yahoooo!!! (Jan 16, 2009)

<H2 align=left>HERE ARE A FEW MORE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT. </H2><P align=left>I got this from this link.<P align=left>http://www.all-creatures.org/cash/taah-sh-20090123.html<P align=left>Just fuel for the fire for them.<P align=left>Never, never think our right to hunt is totally protected. Someone out there is always trying to stomp on our personal freedoms.<P align=left>SOUNDS LIKE HE WAS A GOOD GUY!!!!!!<H2 align=center>AL: Another hunter killed in hunting accident </H2>

Outdoorsman Vince Rook killed in Baldwin County hunting accident

Friday, January 23, 2009 
By MARK R. KENT 

BAY MINETTE ? A Baldwin County outdoorsman well known for organizing local bass tournaments was killed Thursday evening in a hunting accident in a wooded area near the Whitehouse Fork community, officials said. 

Larry Vincent "Vince" Rook, 42, was shot once in the head with a high-powered hunting rifle and was pronounced dead at the scene, Baldwin County Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack said. 

Mack said the accident happened about 5:30 p.m. in woodland off Johnson Cemetery Road. The area is about 10 miles southwest of Bay Minette. 

Mack said Rook, his stepson, 24-year-old Clayton Crane, and a friend of Crane's were hunting in the woods when Rook became separated from the other two men. 

Crane apparently mistook Rook for a deer, Mack said, and he fired one shot from a .270-caliber hunting rifle that had a scope, killing him instantly. 

Mack said Crane and Rook were about 50 yards apart when the shot was fired. 

The shooting occurred just after sunset. Mack said none of the three men was wearing hunter's orange. The sheriff added that Rook had a flashlight but did not know if it was turned on. 

The third hunter, whom Mack described as a family friend, did not fire his rifle. Mack did not have his identity Thursday night. 

Members of the Whitehouse Fork and Crossroads volunteer fire departments responded to the call and found Rook's body. 

While Mack said the shooting appeared to be accidental, an investigation by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and the Alabama Department of Conservation will continue. 

Rook was a familiar figure to fishermen in Baldwin County. A tournament bass fisherman himself, Rook was known for organizing Thursday night bass tournaments out of Cliff's Landing in Baldwin County that took all comers in two-person teams. 

Rook also fished in tournaments that were more national in scope. 

According to a Web site belonging to FLW Outdoors, Rook took part in five tournaments in 2008 with the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League in 2008, catching 21 bass with a total weight of 39 pounds, 1 ounce. 

FLW Outdoors said Rook's best 2008 tournament catch was at Lay Lake in central Alabama, where he caught bass totaling 12 pounds, 3 ounces. He earned $400 on the 2008 tournament tour, the site said. 

Rook was a resident of Whitehouse Fork. 

Return to Hunting Accident Index


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## DWL (Jan 24, 2009)

Wow, This is just hard to believe. I am only a bow hunter but 50 yards with a rifle and scope hmmm. Something is FISHY about that.


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## S.Turman (Oct 6, 2007)

This is why I use my binoculars, I don't even pick up my rifle until I know for sure.:banghead


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

> *7mmbrowningman (1/23/2009)*OBsession -
> 
> I totally agree...never EVER seen a 6 foot deer!
> 
> ...


Yeah I hear ya....an open lane is another thing all together. I must have missed that.


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## cmt23cmt23 (Nov 26, 2008)

Just going to add something out there... What if the man was just coming over a hill. This could mean that the only thing that was seen was the upper torsoe. Or he could have been bent down looking at deer tracks on the road as I do very often. This would make him appear 3 to 4 feet high. Also it depends largely on what he was wearing. Not everyone wears camo in the woods. I'll give you an example, this year I had a very scary moment. My whole life it has been pounded in my head that you do not shoot until you are <U>100%</U> sure what you are shooting at. I was walking down a road hunting hogs early one morning with my uncle. I seen a black body moving down the road but there were limbs in the way. I thought it was a hog so I raised my gun. After about 5 sec. I discovered that it was a hunter wearing black sweat pants. He did have orange on but at first there were thick limbs up high and I could not see the orange at first. Once I identified the hunter I told him what happened and suggested not to wear black in the woods. He agreed. 

I think the main thing that needs to come of this is <U>100% ID YOUR TARGET BEFORE YOU SHOOT...</U>


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## Skippy (Sep 18, 2008)

> *S.Turman (1/26/2009)*This is why I use my binoculars, I don't even pick up my rifle until I know for sure.:banghead




Absolutely correct, any, dumb ass ******* that raises a weapon, points it at an object, then identifies it through the mounted optics, is actually living up to the world wide saying that Americans will shoot, identify, then ready the weapon.



Spray and pray baby......Yeeeehaaaa



If you are not using binoculars to *POSITIVELY* identify a target, and what is beyond it when hunting you have no business being out there in first place, placing other peoples live in jeopardy :nonono



SKippy


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## boudin (Sep 30, 2007)

I know a guy inLa. he was shot by his friend twice with a 30 06. He still hunts,but not with the same same guy. His name is Mike,but we call him Lucky.:doh


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