NJ hunter found stabbed and beaten to death at Boy Scout reservation

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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I don't hunt but this could be me or anyone else here. I also made a donation.
 
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RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
I don't hunt but this could be me or anyone else here. I also made a donation.

A noble gesture Guy. You are right, in the places that some of us venture alone, it is something that could happen to anyone.

This case is especially intriguing, given the fact that he was hunting in a time period where the only big game season open in that zone is deer with a muzzleloader. You only have one shot with a muzzleloader but I still I can't imagine how it could have ended with the man being bludgeoned and stabbed to death if he had a loaded rifle in his hand.

I hope they find the perpetrator quickly and I will pray for comfort for his family.
 
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Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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It certainly may have been him, but nobody should die for that. I gave to support his kids.
 
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SpineyPiney

Scout
Jan 15, 2013
69
74
I agree that no one should die for being a jerk in traffic or anywhere else, but unfortunately we see stories in the news every day about what happens when two hotheads meet under the wrong circumstances. I definitely feel bad for everyone involved. News like this always hits close to home. Not only as someone who spends a lot of time in remote areas alone and with my three young kids, but this scout reservation is only a few minutes from my house. I’ve always been more worried about people than nature when I’m out in any piece of woods. You never know who you’re going to come across out there, what they’re going to be doing or how they might react if they are up to no good.
 
I agree that no one should die for being a jerk in traffic or anywhere else, but unfortunately we see stories in the news every day about what happens when two hotheads meet under the wrong circumstances. I definitely feel bad for everyone involved. News like this always hits close to home. Not only as someone who spends a lot of time in remote areas alone and with my three young kids, but this scout reservation is only a few minutes from my house. I’ve always been more worried about people than nature when I’m out in any piece of woods. You never know who you’re going to come across out there, what they’re going to be doing or how they might react if they are up to no good.

Other than ticks, there's no non-human critter in the outdoors in NJ that makes me nervous.
 
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turtle

Explorer
Feb 4, 2009
653
213
a village...in the pines
Mark and I discussed this as we walked a slightly remote area today and realized that if either of us were in the location solo, these stories can creep into your head and take away from the enjoyment of being out.
I always felt more comfortable the further out I got, figuring I'd see less people....until I turned a bend one day, about a mile into the woods and there was a scroungy looking fella standing in the middle of the path. I didn't even have my dog with me and had not shared my destination with anyone. It's the ONLY time that I have ever felt uneasy or vulnerable while alone in the forest. I've made some adjustments since that day.

.... I smiled and nodded as we passed each other. I got about 20 feet away and pulled out my cell phone and acted as if I was answering a call, discussing where I was and what I was doing. I never turned around, just kept walking and "talking on my phone".
 
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Teegate

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When I run into people, especially females, and they see Jessica, things always seem more relaxed. Jessica may not be, but they usually are.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Mark and I discussed this as we walked a slightly remote area today and realized that if either of us were in the location solo, these stories can creep into your head and take away from the enjoyment of being out.
I always felt more comfortable the further out I got, figuring I'd see less people....until I turned a bend one day, about a mile into the woods and there was a scroungy looking fella standing in the middle of the path. I didn't even have my dog with me and had not shared my destination with anyone. It's the ONLY time that I have ever felt uneasy or vulnerable while alone in the forest. I've made some adjustments since that day.

.... I smiled and nodded as we passed each other. I got about 20 feet away and pulled out my cell phone and acted as if I was answering a call, discussing where I was and what I was doing. I never turned around, just kept walking and "talking on my phone".
Scroungy looking Dude? First I thought it might have been me but you've never seen me without speaking to me.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
Looks like they might be zeroing in. This guy is from my old hometown. Yikes.
pine hill.jpg
 

SpineyPiney

Scout
Jan 15, 2013
69
74
I deleted my previous post. After some research and asking around I think the man I had a run in with was a close relative, but not him. Courier Post and BCT both have articles about the person of interest. Apparently, he is a missing endangered person due to diagnosed mental disorders. Camden County prosecutors office is warning not to approach him and says he "has been known to possibly become aggressive if approached," according to their press release. So that could start to explain what happened out there.

I haven’t been able to confirm with any news articles but I heard they had tracked him to a Heritages’ Dairy store in Pine Hill a couple days ago. They were reviewing security camera footage from the store and searching some woods off Sicklerville Rd with Gloucester Twp. K-9 units and a state police helicopter. They allegedly caught who they were looking for, but like I said I haven’t found anything online to confirm who they were looking for or the outcome.
 

Teegate

Administrator
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Sep 17, 2002
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Jessica said she read where he was bow hunting so that may be why he was not armed. I am not sure if she was correct, just repeating what she told me.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
Well, Shawn Massey from Gibbsboro (not Pine Hill as the article says here) has been formally charged instead of just being a person of interest. Unfortunately, no luck yet in finding him.

One of my fellow Board members at my sportsmen's club was very good friends with Joe Bottino. We ran a 50/50 and "passed the hat" for Bottino's family last week at our club meeting and donated $700.00 to the Go Fund Me. This murder appears to be a completely random act, which makes it even more frightening.
I hope they find Massey soon.

Pine Hill NJ: Shawn Massey is charged with murder of Joseph Bottino (courierpostonline.com)
 

Jon Holcombe

Explorer
Dec 1, 2015
967
1,934
Medford
Very sad story. I have been uneasy a few times when encountering people, but I hike up my shirt so they can see the hunting knife on my belt. My other hand is on the pepper spray, and I'm careful not to turn my back. They probably go home and tell their wife about the nut job they met in the woods today.
 
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