Scott Coby was 75, and he and his wife Francine lived on Lacey Road north of the hamlet of Keene, according to Essex County Coroner Frank Whitelaw.

“What we believe happened is that he was seated at the base of a tree, and that when he went to stand up, he used the rifle sort of like a brace to help push himself up, and he caused it to discharge, and it discharged into his chest,”Whitelaw said Wednesday.

“He was overdue to return, and when she wasn’t able to get a hold of him by cellphone or anything, she drove up to the orchard and looked…