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Hunting in camouflage is a red flag
10/20/02
Bill Monroe, The Oregonian
Wavia Mulholland thought she finally was getting over it after nine years of grief, therapy, and raising a son and daughter as a single parent.
Then in September she saw a newspaper article about hunters, camouflage and what animals can see. It's all right to wear orange, the feature began, because most big game can't see much color.
Mulholland saw the word "camouflage" -- and then saw red all over again.
As bull elk and special doe deer seasons begin this weekend, and as elk hunts for bulls and cows start the next few weeks, tens of thousands more hunters will head into the field, keen to spot movement within range of high-powered rifles.
Mulholland's message is as sharp as the pain that caused it: "Hunters need to rethink some of their lives before they go out," she said. "Tell them to wear orange. Tell their wives to make them do it. No one should have to go through this."
On Nov. 24, 1993, Mulholland's husband, Guy, was shot and killed by another hunter while he worked on his dead cow elk near Freezeout Saddle in Hells Canyon. He wore a dark brown sweater and brown overalls.
The other man insisted he saw only the elk's brown head move and fired a single shot.
The bullet passed through Mulholland's arm, leg and other arm, severing an artery. Before he lost consciousness he shouted: "Don't shoot again."
His hunting partner, the shooter and several others rushed to his aid, but the 34-year-old Portland contractor, Army National Guardsman and Cub Scout den dad died.
A Wallowa County grand jury declined to indict the shooter, and a sheriff's report said Mulholland wouldn't have died if he had worn a bright color.
Despite the state's low incidence of death and shooting accidents -- there have been 300,000 hunters a year the past five years and a total of nine deaths -- Wavia Mulholland, a nurse at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, is among those who know even one is too many.
And, though she faults the other hunter (the elk was clearly down and he should have gotten closer than 100 yards to make sure, she said), she also blames her husband for not wearing orange.
"I loved being a wife. It was always fun with Guy, and we were happy and good together," she said. "But he was so macho, he didn't want to be seen, heard or smelled by anything."
Oregon is not among the 44 states and Canadian provinces that require hunters to wear bright colors -- ranging from an orange area the size of a hat to a full coat -- in the field.
A bill that would have added Oregon to the list stalled in committee during the last regular legislative session.
"I don't have a crystal ball, but I can tell you that 90 percent of the vision-related accidents could have been prevented with the use of blaze orange," said Tony Burtt of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One deer hunter clad in a black hat and clothing has died this year in Oregon after possibly being mistaken at 300 yards for a black bear. A Hood River County grand jury is investigating.
"The bottom line is life," Mulholland said. "Practice safe hunting by knowing what you're firing at. . . . Come home to your families as a happy, alive hunter, not another hunting statistic."
The Mulhollands celebrated the birth of their daughter and 10th wedding anniversary shortly before he died. His last romantic hand-written card reads: "Ten years is but a freckle on the face of eternity." Bill Monroe: 503-221-8231; billmonroe@news.oregonian.com
10/20/02
Bill Monroe, The Oregonian
Wavia Mulholland thought she finally was getting over it after nine years of grief, therapy, and raising a son and daughter as a single parent.
Then in September she saw a newspaper article about hunters, camouflage and what animals can see. It's all right to wear orange, the feature began, because most big game can't see much color.
Mulholland saw the word "camouflage" -- and then saw red all over again.
As bull elk and special doe deer seasons begin this weekend, and as elk hunts for bulls and cows start the next few weeks, tens of thousands more hunters will head into the field, keen to spot movement within range of high-powered rifles.
Mulholland's message is as sharp as the pain that caused it: "Hunters need to rethink some of their lives before they go out," she said. "Tell them to wear orange. Tell their wives to make them do it. No one should have to go through this."
On Nov. 24, 1993, Mulholland's husband, Guy, was shot and killed by another hunter while he worked on his dead cow elk near Freezeout Saddle in Hells Canyon. He wore a dark brown sweater and brown overalls.
The other man insisted he saw only the elk's brown head move and fired a single shot.
The bullet passed through Mulholland's arm, leg and other arm, severing an artery. Before he lost consciousness he shouted: "Don't shoot again."
His hunting partner, the shooter and several others rushed to his aid, but the 34-year-old Portland contractor, Army National Guardsman and Cub Scout den dad died.
A Wallowa County grand jury declined to indict the shooter, and a sheriff's report said Mulholland wouldn't have died if he had worn a bright color.
Despite the state's low incidence of death and shooting accidents -- there have been 300,000 hunters a year the past five years and a total of nine deaths -- Wavia Mulholland, a nurse at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, is among those who know even one is too many.
And, though she faults the other hunter (the elk was clearly down and he should have gotten closer than 100 yards to make sure, she said), she also blames her husband for not wearing orange.
"I loved being a wife. It was always fun with Guy, and we were happy and good together," she said. "But he was so macho, he didn't want to be seen, heard or smelled by anything."
Oregon is not among the 44 states and Canadian provinces that require hunters to wear bright colors -- ranging from an orange area the size of a hat to a full coat -- in the field.
A bill that would have added Oregon to the list stalled in committee during the last regular legislative session.
"I don't have a crystal ball, but I can tell you that 90 percent of the vision-related accidents could have been prevented with the use of blaze orange," said Tony Burtt of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One deer hunter clad in a black hat and clothing has died this year in Oregon after possibly being mistaken at 300 yards for a black bear. A Hood River County grand jury is investigating.
"The bottom line is life," Mulholland said. "Practice safe hunting by knowing what you're firing at. . . . Come home to your families as a happy, alive hunter, not another hunting statistic."
The Mulhollands celebrated the birth of their daughter and 10th wedding anniversary shortly before he died. His last romantic hand-written card reads: "Ten years is but a freckle on the face of eternity." Bill Monroe: 503-221-8231; billmonroe@news.oregonian.com
