This Recent story came across my news feed today, and it just makes you shake your head… I’ll refer to it as “The Illusion Of The Mistaken Hand Turkey.”

According to the outcome of a two-day trial in Monroe Circuit Court a week prior, the defendant, Michael L. Nanny of Gosport, IN was acquitted on two felony counts of criminal recklessness. Nanny was convicted of “Use of private land without consent.” The third count levied as a misdemeanor punishable by 1 to 60 days in jail, and a maximum imposed fine of $500.

It is reported that the defendant was accused of shooting two hunters while trespassing and using a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot. The two hunters were sitting together in full camo at the base of a tree when one of them took off a glove to take a “selfie.” According to a Conservation Officer’s report- At a distance of ten feet, the defendant misidentified the uncovered hand as the head of a turkey. One of the victims sustained injuries to the face The other victim sustained injuries to the left hand. Sentencing and a pending civil case remain to be concluded.

Rather than embellish on an initial reaction, I’ll provide a link to the news story and just shake my head as to all the common sense questions that I would expect most of you will have. I’m still stuck on ten feet, and one nagging and the somewhat disturbing question-did they do the duck lips thing for the selfie? In all seriousness, the facts as reported are alarming as a collection of too many wrongs all perpetrated in one single near-fatal event…

Man acquitted in turkey hunting mishap By Laura Lane Hoosier Times

-MJ

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