A Pennsylvania hunter feels lucky to be alive after being accidentally shot while turkey hunting.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has investigated three incidents in which hunters were accidentally shot this month during spring gobbler season. 

One of the victims, Justin Silfies, 30, of Quakertown, shared what he experienced when he was shot in the head while hunting in Lehigh County.

He was hunting in Lower Milford Township on May 7 when he was shot just at daybreak by another hunter who didn’t realize someone else was there.

“I’m lucky to be alive, that’s for sure,” he said in a May 22 telephone interview.

“I woke up late; I wasn’t going to go out hunting as it was a little rainy,” he said. However, he saw the rain was slowing up and decided to go. “I got there at daylight and started walking down to the spot. I heard a turkey gobbling hundreds and hundreds of yards away,” he said.

He moved to the edge of the field to find a spot to set up to call to the bird.

“As soon as I got to the end of the field, I was looking for a tree to sit down at and the next thing I knew I was shot,” he said. “I wasn’t even calling, didn’t even get time to hunt. I got there and got blasted. It was crazy.”

He remembers lying on the ground and feeling the blood on his face when the other hunter he didn’t know came running up to him. “He asked me if I was OK and I told him yeah, but I wasn’t. I could breathe, I could see. He got me up and he said, 'I’m so sorry, man, I thought you were a turkey.' I said, 'Where did you shoot me from?' And he said, 'Over there across the tree line.’ That’s pretty much the extent of it and we walked out to the ambulance,” Silfies said. 

“I luckily didn’t lose consciousness,” he said about being able to call 911 and report what happened. 

He said the other hunter turned ghost-white pale as he realized what he did, saying “I can’t believe I did this, I can’t believe this happened. You hear about this stuff and think it’s never going to happen to you.”

Silfies was told the other hunter was about 30 yards away and shot him with a 12-gauge with a 3.5-inch TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) shell.

“I don’t know him, he’s just another hunter who could hunt the same farm that I hunt,” he said about the 55-year-old man who is still being investigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Thinking about what the other hunter did, Silfies said, “He made a serious, serious mistake, but he didn’t run away like a coward.”

Silfies was hospitalized overnight and is recovering at home. 

“I am in pain, I do have some severe hearing loss,” he said. He believes he has about 50 pieces of the shotgun shot still remaining in his skin.

“It did some permanent, serious damage, but nothing life-threatening,” he said. “The trauma team said if I was 5, 10 yards closer (to the shooter), I probably wouldn’t be here. It was definitely a scary experience.”

As a Christian, he feels God looked out for him. “If you don’t believe in God, you better start. I’m living proof that not everybody should be taking a 12-gauge to the face and living, especially that close.”

Silfies has been hunting for close to two decades and this is the first time he’s ever had a problem with another hunter.

“I’ve been hunting since I was 12,” he said and this “is the first time I’ve ever been shot at or shot. I’ve never been in a situation where a hunter had negligence like that.” 

Since it was a TSS shell, he’s concerned that metal may be detected whenever he goes through a metal detector in the future.

“I love to travel. I go to Colorado elk hunting, I do all this stuff. Now I have to carry a card and go through an extra x-ray thing because I have these foreign bodies in me,” he said. “My life is never going to be the same.”

For those who enjoy spring turkey hunting season, Silfies said, “Absolutely identify your target. Just because you hear a turkey doesn’t mean that it’s a turkey. It’s a big safety thing. If you aren’t sure of what you’re pulling the trigger at, don’t pull the trigger because no animal is worth anybody’s else life. We’re all out there to have fun.” 

Two other shootings this month

The Game Commission released the following details about two other incidents in which turkey hunters were accidentally shot by fellow hunters.

On May 3, a father and his juvenile daughter had harvested a turkey in West Rockhill Township, Bucks County. They were walking with the bird when the man was shot in the face and torso by a third hunter with a 12-gauge. The victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Game Commission’s investigation is continuing in this incident.

On May 12, two people unknowingly were hunting the same flock of turkeys in Allegheny County, Findlay Township. Each hunter moved to an area where they thought the turkeys would go. One hunter saw a legal turkey, then five to 10 minutes later, mistook the other hunter for the bird and shot. The victim drove himself to the hospital, where he was treated and released. 

The shooter was charged with a game law violation for shooting at or causing injury to humans. It’s a summary offense punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $300 fine unless specifically set higher.

Travis Lau, communications director for the Game Commission, said hunters are required to confirm their targets and in this hunting season, hunters need to be able to see a beard on the turkey’s chest before shooting.

“It’s a season for bearded birds only. It’s not a season for any turkey or not a season for gobblers that don’t have a beard,” he said. “Even when you are in a situation where you know you are working a gobbler, where you’re calling and he’s responding with gobbles, he’s coming closer and you know it’s a gobbler, you still don’t know that you’re in the clear to take a shot if the turkey offers one because you need to verify the turkey has a beard first. That’s the law."

The laws are designed to create safe circumstances for hunters.

“Certainly, hunters should be doing everything in his or her power to ensure that they are hunting safely and complying with the law and in spring turkey hunting; that’s ensuring that the turkey they are taking a shot at has a beard before they pull the trigger,” Lau said.

Turkey hunters aren’t required to wear orange clothing, but it’s recommended, such as wearing an orange hat, for those who are moving during hunting hours.

“I’m in no way putting any blame on any victim in any of these incidents, but when you are hunting on public land where you know you may encounter other hunters, it’s a good idea to have orange with you,” Lau said.

There are also safety regulations that prohibit hunters from stalking turkeys as well.

“We tell hunters in our Hunter-Trapper Education, that when they are turkey hunting they should assume that every call they hear is being made by a hunter. It may or may not be the case,” Lau said as some hunters use both hen and gobbler calls.

“A shooting incident for a hunter is like the worst-case scenario. I can’t think of one worse. It’s something that no one wants. So any steps that can be taken to prevent that, I think should be thought of,” Lau said. 

Spring gobbler season ends May 31.