Exposing the Big Game

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Category Archives: Hunting Accidents

Teen hurt in MN hunting accident

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Posted: Mon 7:50 AM, Sep 25, 2017  | 
Updated: Mon 8:49 AM, Sep 25, 2017

http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/Teen-hurt-in-MN-hunting-accident-447646143.html

A 16-year-old boy is recovering from a duck hunting accident on the opening day of Minnesota’s waterfowl season.

Douglas County sheriff’s officials say the boy and a 17-year-old hunting partner were in a boat on North Union Lake when the accident happened Saturday.

Police say the 17-year-old believed his shotgun was empty and put it in a case, but it accidentally discharged when he leaned over the side of the boat to retrieve a duck.

The other boy was hit in the leg, but his injuries are not life-threatening.

A crossbow hunter thought he shot a coyote. It was a family dog named Tonka

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By Kristine Phillips September 23 at 2:46 PM

Tonka, a 1-year-old Alaskan shepherd, sleeps next to James Mongno, 9, and Lauren Mongno, 3. Tonka died Sept. 20 after a hunter mistook him for a coyote and shot him. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Mongno)

Elizabeth Mongno was walking Tonka around her wooded property in rural New Jersey when the 1-year-old dog spotted a deer and decided to chase it.

Tonka liked to roam free on the 3-to-4-acre parcel of land divided among a handful of homeowners, and he usually came back within seconds. But when he dashed into the woods Wednesday evening, he didn’t return. She screamed for Tonka to come back, and about 30 seconds after her dog took off, she heard a yelp. She knew Tonka was hurt, and thought he had been bitten by another animal.

About 10 minutes later, her husband found Tonka on the ground about 50 feet from their property line. He’d been shot directly in the heart with an arrow. Tonka tried to walk home, Mongno said, but he didn’t make it.

“It didn’t occur to me that there’s a hunter in the woods,” Mongno told The Washington Post. “I started screaming.”

Police said Tonka was killed by a crossbow hunter who mistook the 95-pound Alaskan shepherd with white and gray fur for a coyote chasing a deer. The hunter, Romeo Antonucci, was licensed to hunt and was within the proper distance from houses when he fired, police said. But Antonucci has been charged with careless discharge of a weapon and damage to property. (In this case, Tonka is considered property, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection told NJ.com.)

[She was walking her therapy dog. Ten feet away, a hunter took aim.]

Antonucci, of Kenilworth, N.J., did not respond to requests for comment.

Bowhunters in New Jersey are allowed to hunt deer as long as they are 150 feet from residences. The state legislature passed a bill in 2010 to shorten the minimum distance requirement from 450 feet to 150 feet, in an effort to curb the deer population.

Tonka sits on the couch with James Mongno. (Elizabeth Mongno)

State law also allows hunters to shoot coyotes. Only bows are allowed during the fall hunting season, which began this month. Firearms and bows are permitted from November to March.

Mongno said Antonucci is a relative of one of her neighbors, who gave him permission to hunt on their property, which is not far from Mongno’s. She said she and the other neighbors should’ve been made aware that somebody was hunting on the property, which is dotted with five houses, so that they knew to be more careful.

“We didn’t know that there was anybody hunting. . . . Children played in those woods,” Mongno said. “It didn’t even occur to us that anybody would even hunt there because it’s a small piece of property.”

Mongno said she is not against hunting. Though she doesn’t hunt, her husband is an avid hunter.

“If the rule is 150 feet, and that is what it is, that’s fine,” she said. “But we have the right to know if somebody is hunting in the property adjacent to us. . . . It never occurred to us that we needed to have hunting laws for our back yard.”

Tonka, an Alaskan shepherd, with  Lauren Mongno. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Mongno)

She also criticized Antonucci for mistaking her dog for a coyote.

[Inside the controversial culture of using dogs to hunt coyotes]

“If he couldn’t tell the difference between a dog and a coyote, he should not have a weapon. . . . You need to know your target,” she said.

Mongno’s family got Tonka last year, when he was still a puppy. The beloved dog had become Mongno’s third child and her little boy’s best friend.

“I will never forgive myself for letting him get away from me. My poor kids couldn’t be more broken, especially my 9-year-old.  . . .  Tonka put so many smiles on so many faces. His lovable, goofy personality made everyone around him happy,” Mongno wrote on Facebook.

Mongno’s Facebook profile has many pictures of Tonka with her children.

One photo showed Tonka sleeping in the car with Mongno’s son James, 9, and daughter Lauren, 3. James was resting his head on Tonka, who was curled up in the middle seat between him and his little sister. Another photo showed a younger and smaller Tonka sitting on the couch with his tongue sticking out as James lay next to him with a big smile on his face.

“My son cried himself to sleep every night,” Mongo said.

James skipped school last Friday because he knew his friends and classmates would ask about what happened to his dog, Mongno said, but he didn’t want to talk about Tonka.

Read more:

Family dog found dead in plane’s cargo hold after a two-hour flight delay

Game wardens killed a deer — in front of the family that kept it as a pet

This Alabama hunter shot and killed an 820-pound hog — after it wandered into his front yard

Shot that killed hog hunter recorded by woman’s firearm, investigators say

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Janice Limon 
Social Media Executive Producer

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. —The gunshot that killed an Upstate hog hunter Wednesday night was recorded by a night-vision scope on the firearm, investigators said Thursday.

Kenneth Jason Young, 40, of Starr, was hog hunting on private property by himself when he was mistaken for one of the animals by a female hunter, Anderson County chief deputy coroner Charlie Boseman said.

The accident was reported just after 8:30 p.m. on Gentry Road between Highway 181 and Highway 81 near Brooks McGee Road just south of Starr, dispatchers said.

The hunter was using an ATN thermal night vision scope when she saw an outline of something “on all fours in the grass,” Boseman said.

She took a single shot, thinking it was a hog, Boseman said.

Investigators said the scope on the woman’s firearm has recording capabilities. They said the fatal shot was recorded on an SD card.

WYFF-TV
File photo of an ATN scope

Investigators said they have seen the recording. They said an outline of something on all fours is seen in the recording.

Investigators said Young was shot in the face.

All the hunters had permission to be on the private hunting grounds, according to Boseman.

The incident is being investigated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, as well as the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators have not released the name of the woman, or filed any charges in the case.

[Oh no–Not another one!] Massachusetts hunter dies in apparent fall from tree stand in Maine woods

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Massachusetts hunter dies in apparent fall from tree stand in Maine woods

Thomas Pelletier, 62, was found by a hunting partner Thursday in a remote area northeast of Old Town.

BY STAFF WRITER

A Massachusetts man died Thursday after falling from a tree stand while bear hunting about 40 miles northeast of Old Town, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Thomas Pelletier, 62, of Wareham, Massachusetts, had been hunting in a remote area north of Duck Lake.

The Warden Service said Pelletier was discovered around 7:45 p.m. by his hunting companion, 56-year-old Richard Rooks, also of Wareham, who had been hunting in a different area. Rooks found Pelletier unresponsive after an apparent fall and tried to revive him before seeking help.

Pelletier was pronounced dead by wardens and first responders from Lincoln Fire and Rescue, according to the Warden Service. The incident is still under investigation by wardens, who worked throughout the night with the Medical Examiner’s Office to document the incident and remove Pelletier from the woods.

Wardens say that falls from tree stands account for hundreds of injuries, including some deaths, annually in the U.S. and that hunters should carefully follow instructions for setting up stands and using full-body harnesses.

Man accidentally shot in head during possible hunting expedition at Parawa

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http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/law-order/man-accidentally-shot-in-head-during-suspected-hunting-expedition-at-parawa/news-story/94420c1d178070990ac40404d078a341

A MAN is fighting for his life after he was accidentally shot during a possible hunting expedition south of Adelaide.

Authorities were called to Springs Rd, Parawa, almost 40km west of Victor Harbor. at 3.45pm on Sunday amid reports a man had received a “serious wound to the head”.

Detectives are investigating how the man came to suffer “life-threatening” gunshot wounds but the man had been at an area of native forest popular with deer hunters.

A man is taken to Victor Harbor hospital after he was shot and injured during a suspected hunting accident on a property near Parawa, south of Adelaide.

Police believe the incident is not suspicious and are treating the shooting as an “accident”. >snip>

Man indicted after shooting, killing friend during hunting trip

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-leeshawn-sutton-arrest-hunting-friend-dead20170524-story.html

by Christal Hayes Contact ReporterOrlando Sentinel

A man was indicted after shooting and killing his friend during a hunting trip last year, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Leeshawn Sutton, 58, turned himself in to the Volusia County Jail on Wednesday, a day after a grand jury indicted him on a manslaughter charge and hunting violation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Sutton and his friend Bruce Best, 65, were hunting in a swampy section of Oak Hill, north of Maytown Road, on Jan. 20, 2016, when the accident happened.

Sutton opened fire and hit Best with a 12-gauge shotgun, officials said.

The Sheriff’s Office needed a helicopter to help direct deputies on the ground to the two men. When they arrived, Best was dead.

Sutton was booked on one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of violation of game rules and regulations.

South African big game hunter crushed by elephant

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/22/theunis-botha-south-african-big-game-hunter-crushed-elephant/335673001/

USA TODAY NETWORK , USA TODAY NetworkPublished 7:29 a.m. ET May 22, 2017 | Updated 13 hours ago
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A South African big game hunter was crushed to death by an elephant on a Zimbabwe game reserve, according to South African outlet News 24. 

Theunis Botha, 51, was leading a hunt when his group stumbled upon a breeding group of elephants at a game reserve near Hwange National Park Several on Friday afternoon, Zimparks spokesman Simukai Nyasha told The Telegraph.  The group of elephants charged at the group and the hunters shot at them, News 24 reported.

News 24 reported that Botha was crushed after one of the members of the group shot an elephant after she lifted Botha with her trunk. The elephant collapsed and fell on top of Botha, crushing him.

Theunis had five children and ran Theunis Botha Big Game Safaris. According to the website, Theunis “perfected leopard and lion hunting safaris with hounds in Africa.” He also pioneered European-style “Monteira hunts” in South Africa.

“Monteira hunts” include the use of packs of hounds to herd deer, boar or or other animals towards hunters who then shoot the animals.

According to News 24, Theunis often traveled to the U.S. to build business with wealthy Americans who were interested in a big game hunt in South Africa.

The news outlet reported that Theunis’ wife, Carika, will travel to Zimbabwe to identify her husband’s body on Monday.

Hunting accident pits father against son

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http://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2017/05/hunting-accident-pits-father-against-son/

Bob CollinsBob Collins May 8, 2017, 

The Minnesota Court of Appeals today reinstated a hunter’s lawsuit against the owner of property on which he was hunting, whom he says is responsible for his falling from a tree while trying to climb into a deer stand in Pine County.

The hunter’s father owns the property.

A district court found for Corey Ouradnik’s father, Robert, of Forest Lake, who says he reinforced boards nailed into trees that were used to climb into deer stands. But he says he ran out of six-inch screws before getting to the board that gave way when his son was 16 feet off the ground.

The lower court said Robert was shielded from liability under Minnesota’srecreational-use statute, which limits a property owner’s liability for hunters who use the land with permission. It said Robert couldn’t have foreseen the incident.

Robert only let close family members use the land for hunting and the Court of Appeals needed to answer whether the state’s recreational-use statute shields owners of land that isn’t open to public hunting.

The goal of the statute is to encourage private landowners to allow the public to hunt, by absolving them of some liability.

But the Legislature never defined what “public” is.

“Based on the plain meaning of “public,” we conclude that the term is unambiguous and means community, which is more than a few family members,” Court of Appeals Judge Diane Bratvold wrote today on behalf of the three-judge panel.

So the Court of Appeals ruled (see ruling) that in order to receive protection from the statute, Robert Ouradnik would have had to open up his land to the public, not just his son and close family members.

The district court concluded that the legislature’s intent to promote use of private lands for recreational purposes will be undermined if a landowner must give permission to the general public before liability limitations apply. Similarly, Robert contends that a “prudent landowner will not hold land open to the general public without restrictions.”

Robert also argues that the policy behind the recreational-use statute is to “encourage landowners to allow others to use their lands for [] potentially risky activities” with the liability limitation as a “trade off” for the owner.

We reject these contentions for two reasons. First, the legislature identified its policy goal when it adopted section 604A.20, and that policy makes no mention of “risky activities.” In fact, the recreational uses identified in the statute include many activities that are not usually considered risky, such as picnicking, firewood gathering, and nature study.

Second, even if we assume that owners will not offer their lands to the public for recreational use, we cannot ignore the legislature’s express policy statement in interpreting the recreational-use statute, nor can we disregard the plain meaning of the word “public.” It is for the legislature to decide how well a statute achieves its stated objective, and, to modify it accordingly.

The Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district court for a new trial.

Hunting-store owner accused of shooting at turkey hunters east of Greeley

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Hunting-store owner accused of shooting at turkey hunters east of Greeley

By Tommy Simmons, Greeley Tribune

Jim Arnold, 38, the owner of Waterfowl Haven Outfitters in Greeley, faces two counts of felony menacing after Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers say he fired a gun at two hunters and yelled racial slurs at them.

Arnold owns property on the South Platte River just east of Kersey. A few years ago, the report states, Kevin Dunnigan bought property next to Arnold’s. Dunnigan often let Arnold use the property for hunting as well as business, since Arnold also worked as a hunting guide.

Problems began when the Dunnigans began to hunt turkey on the property themselves, along with a few friends, the report says.

The report states Arnold would “harass” the Dunnigans and their friends from time to time, and the situation was tense enough for Dunnigan’s son, Taylor, to expect trouble when he was out hunting with a friend. But things escalated on April 22 when two family friends of the Dunnigans were using the property to hunt turkeys, the report states. Arnold “came out and harassed them by screaming…and shooting his guns,” the report states.

Arnold reappeared the next day, when Taylor was on his family’s property hunting with a friend. They had set up a hunting blind — a camouflaged tent with holes through which to shoot — in the bottom of a riverbed and were waiting for turkeys. Taylor later told officers he was about 70-80 yards from the border of Arnold’s property.

The two were in the tent when they saw Arnold’s 2000 Ford Excursion appear on the property line, the report stated. The driver’s side window was rolled down, and Arnold was looking at them through binoculars, according to the report.

The two recorded a video of what happened next, which served as evidence for police. In the video, Arnold, in front of his truck, fired a round into the air, flushing a group of turkeys from nearby trees. He then reloaded his shotgun.

The report states Arnold fired multiple shots at the small tent where Taylor and his friend remained huddled. Taylor later told officers the shots were hitting bushes between 5 and 20 yards from the tent, and said he was afraid for his life.

Man That Claimed Woman Was Killed In Deer Hunting Accident Charged With Murder

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http://www.northescambia.com/2017/05/man-that-claimed-woman-was-killed-in-deer-hunting-accident-charged-with-murder

May 10, 2017

A Flomaton man who told authorities he was trying to shoot a deer when he shot and killed a woman last December has been indicted for murder by a grand jury.

Shannon Bell, age 31 of Upper Creek Road, was taken into custody following the indictment by the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office for the death of 36-year old Donna L. Martin.

About 6:30 Friday night, authorities received a call about a gunshot victim near the Pollard Boat Landing. The caller was experiencing problems with his phone connection, but was eventually able to relay that he wanted medical units to meet him at the intersection of Foshee Road and Highway 31. First responders arrived to find Martin suffering from a gunshot wound to her side. She was transported to D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton where she was later pronounced deceased.

Bell claimed that he was trying to shoot a deer at night and a struggle ensued over the gun. The gun went off killing Martin.

The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Alabama Game & Fish Division. At the time, Bell was arrested for manslaughter and a night hunting violation. But after further investigation, the charge was upgrade to murder. Bell remains in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center with bond set at $150,000.