Hunting accidents (killings)

OK I'm a complete ignorant on the topic of hunting, but seriously - if the hunting is done in broad daylight, how can one mistake a human for a duck?
That issue has been bothering me after yet another hunting accident resulting in death.

Also, humans can't fly...Isn't the whole fun of duck hunting trying to shoot them while they're flying?

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Put a group of guys on a lake early in the morning in complete fog duck shooting and all with an itchy trigger finger, and thats an accident waiting to happen on shooting morning....

Anjewel got it in one, that is one reason I no longer participate in duck shooting.But, it still gets back to IDENTIFY your target.I am not sure exactly what the regulations are regarding lake shooting, but you would think that there would be regulations regarding the distance between maimai's.
Where I used to shoot, there were 4 of us shooting at the one pond, not a lake,.
The pond was 100 meters long, by about 6 meters wide, and it was curved, where we shot from, I could not see my father or brothers, they could not see me, (too much scrub) even in full sunlight, we could not see each other.We very seldom shot at same ducks, as the ducks I could see, no-one else could see, if a duck [or ducks] managed to land on the pond unseen [ happened quite often] the closest to them would "put them up" , hopefully someone would get a shot at them, too bad if not, there were plenty more coming in , we always got full bags each , each day we went there.
One year, the week before the season, there were over 400 ducks living at the pond.

As a shooter - and a health & safety rep - I would venture that like virtually all 'accidents,' when examined in depth, they are anything but. The point about identifying your target is valid, and sometimes the case, but this is more usually the province of deer shooting.

With duck shooting, it is far more likely that the point about too many shooters in a small area, plays some part. Inexperience even more. Many duckshooters don't do other forms of shooting, so the big thrill is getting ready for the first Saturday in May. In all likelihood, they don't use their shotguns often enough to learn good habits instinctively. Then there is the ideal shooting time, conditions of limited visibility often setting up in darkness or the pre-dawn. And the rite of passage with this particular pastime: alcohol consumption.

All in all, the number of accidents is probably vastly outnumbered by near misses.

Duckshooters also pheasant/quail shoot in the forests/bush, that pig hunters and some deer hunters venture into, and it isn't a yearly thing for a bird shooter to get killed by a mate or some random hunter...Target identification is of supreme importance...

All in all, the number of accidents is probably vastly outnumbered by near misses......I agree Lynz...