[Az-Geocaching] The OASIS Cache

[Scott Wood]

At 09:59 AM 11/30/2002 -0800, you wrote:

>Well, Scott, since you chose to handle this publically on the list, I
>will respond in kind.

No, you started this publically by stating that you almost got shot, when 
you log indicates differently.  I quote from you log entry.

#93....we hope to make the magic #100 before New Years! This was 5th of 6 
caches we did, we just came from 'Skippy. Drove in, didn't see a soul or 
hear anything, then halfway to the cache, GUNFIRE! YIKES! We figgered, oh 
well, we are out in the open no matter which way we go, so we hunkered down 
and finished in a hurry. We took a poncho and left some stickers and a toy 
bear. Hope the cache stays watertight. We never did locate the shooters, 
but didn't hear any bullets zinging past us, so I think they were just 
target practicing. Either that or some hermit/militia type is living in the 
abandoned, shot up house and takes pot-shots at the cachers coming by!! I 
did note that the cacher listed before us online didn't have a log entry, 
maybe the gunfire made him forget!!!! Well, on to Tamba to close out the day!
Trisha & Dan
'Lightning' and 'VStar'
Prescott Newlyweds
Yavapai Co. Jeep Posse Searchers

You say right in your log that you didn't hear any bullets zining by you, 
but now in your message you say that you did hear a bullet hit/ricochet off 
of the building near you.  Which was it, did you hear the bullets or 
not?  If you did, then yes, I would agree that you might have almost gotten 
shot, but if you didn't, which is all that was indicated in your log entry, 
then no, you didn't almost get shot.

>I, too, am a target shooter, I HUNT (elk and deer), I have a CCW
>permit and legally carry a concealed semi-automatic weapon. I legally
>carry in the field as part of my search and rescue activities. HOW
>DARE YOU ASSUME that I am somehow "anti-gun" or that I think it is

I never did assume that you were anti-gun, nor did I say that.  I just 
stated that you message to the list seemed to jump to a conclusion that you 
"just about got SHOT" when there didn't seem to be any evidence that you 
did.  As I said, all I had to go on was your message and log entry which 
clearly states that you never saw a person shooting, nor did you ever hear 
a bullet zinging by.

>Need I state the OBVIOUS that you were NOT THERE at the cache, so how
>do you know how close the gunfire was??? Are you the only person

No, I wasn't, I was just reading you account of the events.  Remeber, words 
do mean things, and when you say "We never did locate the shooters, but 
didn't hear any bullets zinging past us" it would indicate that the bullets 
were not close to you.  For the record, ricochets make a zinging sound, 
bullets that are still in normal flight have a very different sound, I know 
first hand.

>capable of judging how close gunfire is?? Since you have been to the
>cache, do you remember the old abandoned (shot-up) building closest to
>the cache?? (Between the road and the cache) We heard the shot
>hit/ricochet off THAT building. IT WAS THAT close. I call that "just
>about got shot" as it was that close. Intentional or NOT!!! Our fear

As I said, if that was the case then you are right, but given your first 
message and log entry you never said that.

>I REALLY take personal offense that you would go off on me like that,
>calling me "irresponsible", "uncomfortable around guns" and attacking

I never said that you were uncomfortable around guns, but given what your 
first message indicated and what you log says, I do believe that your first 
message was irresponsible and would just go to instill fear of target 
shooters among those that are uncomfortable around guns and people who own 
guns.

>If you read my log, you would have seen that I said we saw and heard
>nothing until we were part way to the cache. Had we seen the shooters
>prior to our walking to the cache, like Larry indicated he did, we
>would have asked for them to stop for the few minutes it took to do
>the cache.

I did read your log, and as I have said a couple time now, that is what 
lead to my being upset about your message.  There was nothing in your log 
to indicate that the bullets were ever close, infact it was just the opposite.

>And, how do you know FOR SURE it was a sport-target shooter? Maybe a
>disgruntled mine-owner/land owner/crazy person wants people off his
>private property!

Could be, but if that were the case, you would have most likely seen this 
person as he/she was telling you to get off their property, or you would be 
dead.

>I'll bet I'll get a whole bunch of negative comments back from this,
>but I don't care. ALL of you keep in mind, before you respond, that
>Scott brought this up, and  that YOU were not there, and the gunfire
>was CLOSE. It was not a "mile off" as Scott the Psychic says. The

I never said that the shots were a mile off.  I said that COULD have been a 
mile off.  You are the one that first said that you never saw a person nor 
HEARD A BULLET.  That story has now changed to say that you did hear bullets.

If you did hear the bullets, you really should go back and edit your log 
entry.  If you would have put that in your log I would have never said a 
thing.  I based my message only on your statements that you never saw or 
heard anything other than the report from the shots.


In liberty,

Scott

wood@myblueheaven.com
www.myblueheaven.com