Two Idaho Hunting Deaths Put Gun Safety Back in the Crosshairs

The original story by Mark Heinz for Cowboy State Daily.

Two fatal, accidental shootings in Idaho just two days apart have Wyoming outdoors folks on edge as rifle seasons ramp up across the region. Beyond the grief, they say, it’s a blunt reminder: when more people head into the field each year, the margin for error shrinks.

Kaylanee Orr, 21, of Blackfoot, died Friday after being shot in the chest during a trip in remote Fremont County. Early Sunday, California resident Nathan Thomas Kaas, 48 — a lieutenant with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office — bled to death from a leg wound in rural Clark County. In both cases, investigators say the shots were fired unintentionally by hunting companions.

Veteran Wyoming hunters and instructors say complacency is the common enemy. Platte County hunter-ed instructor Nathan Warren drills that point from the jump: firearms safety isn’t a box to check once; it’s a habit that prevents tragedies.

Retired Wyoming Game and Fish warden H.R. Longobardi says a surprising number of mishaps happen in or around vehicles. It’s legal in Wyoming (and some other states) to have a loaded gun in a vehicle, but he calls it one of the riskiest practices he’s seen — especially when people are climbing in and out or wrestling guns from cases.

Clark County Sheriff Mark McClure says Kaas was getting ready for a mule deer hunt when a .270 rifle discharged as a companion pulled it from a case, striking Kaas in the right thigh and likely severing a major artery. First responders arrived quickly after a 5:55 a.m. call, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting was ruled accidental, with no charges filed.

Details in Orr’s case are still sparse, but family told local media that a relative’s gun discharged; CPR efforts on scene weren’t enough to save her.

Safety basics that matter in real life

• Run empty chambers until it’s time to shoot. Longobardi keeps rifle chambers empty until a shot is imminent. With shotguns in blinds or tight quarters, be extra disciplined about muzzle control.

• Don’t trust the safety to save you. Avid elk hunter Kyle Wendtland notes mechanical safeties can fail. Treat every gun like it’s ready to fire.

• Slow down around vehicles. Loading, unloading, or yanking cased rifles from cramped back seats is a classic setup for an unintended discharge.

• Break open doubles. Over/under shotguns can be carried “broken open” until the dog goes on point or birds start to flush.

• Cross fences the right way. Unload, open the action, place the gun on the far side, and cross behind the butt—never over a fence with a loaded firearm in hand.

• Choose your partners. Wendtland hunts solo often and is “super-selective” about who joins him. Everyone must share the same safety standards.

• Be seen. Warren outfits youth hunters with extra blaze orange — more than the minimum — to keep everyone visible at all times.

• Rehearse safety daily. Camps that talk through muzzle control, loading habits, and roles every morning and evening tend to avoid close calls.

None of this is complicated, the old hands say — it just has to be consistent. As pressure builds on crowded hillsides across the West, the simple habits are the ones that keep hunts from turning into headlines.