On Opening Day of deer hunting season Oct. 28, Karen Wrentzel, 34, of Hebron, was killed in a hunting incident while on her own property.

She didn’t know it was hunting season.

She wasn’t wearing orange or paying attention to her surroundings. After all she was on her own property.

We felt horrified at the news and also stupid. We didn’t know it was Opening Day, either.

But over the course of the next few days, we discovered we weren’t alone. A lot of folks didn’t know.

In Western Maine, where we worship at the altar of fresh air, hiking, spending time outdoors, letting our pets run free on our property, we need to pay attention.

And those of us in the position to share information be it via newspapers, social media, television and radio … we need to take part in notifying folks when they need to pay special attention.

Searching through emails, we discovered we never received an announcement of Opening Day. We are pretty sure we have in the past.

So the state needs to be on top of it as well.

And last but not least, those with the weaponry to kill, need to pay closest attention to what they are aiming at.