A juvenile male sustained non-life threatening injuries last week after being shot in what authorities are calling a hunting accident.
At about 8 a.m. on March 30, the juvenile from Illinois was snow goose hunting in a layout blind in southern Davison County, according to Conservation Officer Brian Humphrey, of the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department.
Reports say the gun’s safety appeared to be off, the gun was bumped and a round was fired into the juvenile’s lower body. He was treated at a Parkston hospital. No information was currently available on his condition. There are no criminal charges pending.
The incident is still being investigated, Humphrey said. Authorities are not releasing the person’s name because he is a juvenile.
A hunter has died after being shot in the chest in the Kaimai Range.
Waikato Senior Sergeant Mike Henwood said police received a call about a hunter being shot about 10.15am. Henwood said the area was very remote and had no communication. The hunter was shot in forest near Wairakau Rd, about 15km south of Te Aroha.
It comes during the beginning of the roar, a favoured hunting period, for many parts of the country.
The roar is when stags are most vocal, calling to attract the attention of females and are less cautious than other times.
The roar lasts about four weeks, and stags are the most vocal in the middle two weeks.
Red deer roar from late March through April.
A fellow hunter called emergency services about 10.15am.
The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter was sent to the remote spot and a paramedic winched down to work on the man, who was about a two-hour hike from the carpark.
Police would conduct inquiries on behalf of the coroner.
New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association national president Bill O’Leary said the reality was a fatal hunting incident such as this happened once or twice a year.
On the opening day of turkey season earlier this month, longtime hunting buddies Hilton Hutto and Fred Wilson were staked out in blinds on Wilson’s property in Ponce de Leon.
The 80-acre lot is surrounded by a timber mill, with planted pines lining the property line. The area is isolated, making it a prime spot for hunting.
The two men were about 75 yards apart, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report that would follow, when Hutto saw a turkey walk in front of his friend.
Wilson recalls seeing Hutto line up the shot with his barrel facing directly at the turkey —and in turn, at him. He thought his friend was just getting his target ready so he could get the bird when it took a few steps away from Wilson.
“I guess he got all excited and didn’t realize he was shooting at me, too,” said Wilson, 65.
More than 20 pellets from the two shotgun shells drove into Wilson’s face, torso, arms and hands.
“The turkey got in the way, I didn’t think it was between us and I guess it was, and I shot, then he came out of his blind and said, ‘Hey, you shot me,'” said Hutto, 86.
Hunter Fred Wilson was accidentally shot by his friend Hilton “Buddy” Hutto during a recent turkey hunting trip. While Wilson is scheduled to have several of the twenty plus metal pellets called “shot” that are still lodged in his skin removed, others cannot be removed and will remain in his body. Gregg Pachkowski, Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com
Pensacola hunter accidentally shot twice by his friend
Wilson said he and Hutto immediately packed up and drove the roughly 80 minutes from Ponce de Leon to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, where both men live. Wilson said he could have gone to a hospital in Crestview but wanted to be treated at home.
There was blood running down Wilson’s face and pellets lodged in his hands, but Wilson said he gripped the wheel and sped down Interstate 10.
“The adrenaline was there, I knew I was shot and there was blood all down my face but the adrenaline was just going,” Wilson said, adding that he didn’t yet feel the pain of the shooting.
Hutto said he felt terrible about the accident, and sat in the passenger seat with Wilson as the two sped toward the hospital.
“I felt real bad about it, I’d just shot a good friend of mine, someone I’d been hunting with for years. It’s a no good feeling,” he said.
The incident happened March 17, and as of Thursday, Wilson was still meeting with doctors and scheduling surgeries to remove the pellets. Some can never be removed, he said.
“A couple of them they found had gone in and right out, and I’ve got two in my face that are going to be removed, the one in my right hand and index finger,” Wilson said. He said the pellets that need to stay are around his lungs.
FWC is still actively investigating the shooting, according to spokeswoman Rebekah Nelson. She said no further information about the incident could be released, but, she said, there were no turkey hunting accidents reported last season.
Wilson said there’s no animosity between him and Hutto, but he is now dealing with flashbacks of seeing the shells explode toward him.
“The only bad thing is I have nightmares about it, and sometimes I’ll be sitting down and I’ll see it all over again,” Wilson said. “The first time he shot I was looking right at him.”
The pair has plans to hunt together again soon, although Wilson laughs, saying he won’t be setting up anywhere close to Hutto. He’s in good spirits, despite the multiple surgeries and time consulting doctors, chalking it up to a mistake between friends.
“He didn’t kill me and he didn’t blind me, the big guy was watching out for me,” Wilson said.
Firearms safety warnings are being made by police as deerstalkers prepare to take to the bush for The Roar.
Late March and April, is the rutting season for the most common deer species in NZ.
Their pre-occupation with mating leads the stags to become vocal and makes them vulnerable to hunters. The extra activity in the outdoors, and the excitement this time of year brings for hunters, can make them vulnerable too.
The Roar is when most New Zealand hunting accidents happen.
There’s a significant increase in the number of hunting-related incidents and Search and Rescue operations at this time each year, with target misidentification being the biggest cause of fatalities, says Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson.
“As a starting point I suggest that the mindset of the hunter when they see what they think is a deer should be, ‘is this another hunter?’ rather than, ‘it is probably a deer’.
“The consequences of failing to fully identify a target beyond all doubt are immediate, tragic and catastrophic.”
It is crucial that you positively identify it is a deer, and that you are looking at the whole animal, not just a part of it, says John. If in any doubt don’t shoot.
“If you pull the trigger you will have to live with the consequences forever.”
There are also incidents every year during The Roar involving hunters who are injured, and sometimes lost. Most injuries come from a fall, a trip, or a stumble. Becoming lost or injured happens, but there are things to do which will mitigate this risk:
• Take care in the outdoors.
• A little preparation pre hunt will go a long way.
If you are fit then you are a lot more resilient if you do have a fall or suffer from an injury
Follow the Outdoor Safety Code. Police also recommend considering the use of technology to make things safer and more enjoyable. Beacons can be a lifesaving tool as it means emergency services will be aware that something has happened much faster if you do get injured or lost
A benefit for Rose Munro Jones will be held Saturday, March 31 at Watertown American Legion Post 17 headquarters.
Jones was shot in the foot during a hunting accident. The gun was on safe when it discharged.
She has undergone multiple surgeries, is now undergoing physical therapy and has been unable to work.
The benefit will start with a social hour at 5 p.m. followed by a supper at 6. A freewill donation is requested. A live auction will begin at 7 p.m. A bake sale will be held throughout the event.
47 year old man killed after investigating a barrel which was a lethal makeshift trap with firearm attached.
A makeshift trap with a gun attached
The fisherman and a friend had stopped their car 80 kilometres from their village of Magistralny in Irkutsk region.
One of the friends walked into the forest and evidently checked out a makeshift trap with a gun attached.
He looked inside the barrel where there was bait for bears, and disturbed the trap sufficiently for the gun to shoot. He died on the spot, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
His friend heard the shot and rushed to find the man.
The man loaded his friends body into the boot of his VAZ-2121 car and drove back to the village which is 470 kilometres northeast of the village.
The probe continues to find the owner of the gun, and builder of the trap
Pictures of the trap with the man’s blood were released by police. Investigators say neither man owned the gun which shot the man.
The probe continues to find the owner of the gun, and builder of the trap.
Posted March 07, 2018 at 04:42 PM | Updated March 07, 2018 at 04:52 PM
Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com
By David Figura l dfigura@NYup.com
The state Department of Environmental Conservation this week released its first-ever summary of treestand related accidents during the fall hunting season.
State Environmental Conservation officers looked into a total of 12 accidents – 6 that resulted in deaths of hunters.
(In above 2010 photo, deer hunter Chris Nutter of Cicero sits in one of the tree stands he used for hunting that year. Nutter has been a hunter safety instructor for years and preaches about safely using tree stands.)
DEC does not have data on tree stand injuries or deaths from previous years. The DEC also noted that figures cited below are from preliminary reports and may not have captured all tree stand incidents that occurred.
Noteworthy 2017 incidents investigated
*5 fatal accidents involved no full body harness
*1 fatal accident involved an unattached harness
*3 non-fatal accidents involved no full body harness
*3 non-fatal accidents involved an unattached body harness
Types of stands involved
*Climbing tree stand (2)
*Hang-on tree stand (4)
*Ladder stand (2)
*Home-made tree stand (4)
Cheryl Ogilvie
Summary of incidents investigated
*10/20 – Oswego County. Fatality. No harness. Hang-on tree stand. Hunter fell from stand when ratchet strap securing stand to tree broke. Stand condition poor.
* 10/27 – Monroe County. Fatality. No harness. Hang-on tree stand. Hunter was entering or exiting stand. Age 35.
*11/8 – Monroe County. No harness. Ladder Stand. While sitting in stand, one of the nylon straps for the suspended seat failed, causing the individual to list to one side and fall approximately 20 feet to the ground. Age 58.
*11/17 – Delaware County. No harness. Home-made tree stand. Victim was in stand when the entire stand broke away from the tree and collapsed. Age 68.
*11/17 – Schoharie County. Harness used. Hang-on tree stand. Victim lost his balance and fell from stand, possibly while trying to attach his safety harness. Age 53.
* 11/18 – Cayuga County. Fatality. No harness. Climbing stand. Hunter was climbing tree when top tree loop broke at 16 feet. Stand was old and rusted. Age 54.
* 11/20 – Washington County. Fatality. Harness used. Homemade tree stand. Hunter was attempting to attach his safety harness when the wooden platform collapsed. Age 73.
*11/25 – Broome County. Harness used. Ladder stand. Hunter was climbing down from his stand when he slipped and fell. He was wearing his harness while in the stand. Age 45.
*11/29 – Niagara. Fatality. No harness. Homemade tree stand. Hunter was found at base of stand. Coroner reported heart attack and fell from stand. Age 69.
*12/3 – Orleans County. Fatality. No harness. Homemade tree stand. Coroner reported heart attack and fell from stand. Age 80.
*12/3 – Cortland County. No harness. Climbing tree stand. Victim fell from 15-20 feet while climbing with his tree stand due to an unsecured safety latch pin and lack of an attached safety harness. Age 42.
*12/3 – Oneida County. Harness used. Victim fell out of his stand when the hanging strap holding the platform broke and he fell approximately 14 feet. Age 32.
A Monroeville man was accidentally shot by a minor while on a hunting trip, according to
On Jan. 27, Vineland Police responded to the 3400 block of East Oak Road for a report of a gunshot victim and found 18-year-old Clinton Nicholson with a wound to his right elbow. He was flown to Cooper Hospital where he underwent surgery and was released with a non-life-threatening injury.
Initially, the incident was reported as a hunting accident when the victim was duck hunting with two 15-year-old juveniles. A follow-up investigation found that one of the juveniles was handling the shotgun recklessly and caused the gun to discharge. The other juvenile then gave false information to police during the formal interview.
The 15-year-old juvenile in possession of the shotgun was charged with aggravated assault by recklessly causing bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon. The other juvenile was charged with hindering the apprehension or prosecution of another by providing false information to law enforcement officers.
ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. – Officials believe a body that washed up on Tyler’s Beach in Isle of Wight County on Sunday may be that of one of the two missing boaters that had disappeared in Surry County during a winter storm in January.
Law enforcement remained on the scene Sunday afternoon, WTKR reported.
The men, who were identified by family and friends as Kyle Englehart and Austin Savage, were reported missing after their 16-foot john boat never returned to the Jamestown Yacht Marina on Jan. 3.
A Virginia State Police helicopter discovered the hunters’ capsized boat on Jan. 4, but the hunters have not yet been located.
The Coast Guard, along with Virginia State Police, the James City County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, used a K9 Unit and a drone in the search, which was suspended on January 5.
RELATED STORY Virginia hunters missing on James River
“Austin and Kyle are very hands on and very experienced hunters and boaters,” Austin’s brother Nathan Savage said. “Something doesn’t add up because they’re so experienced.”
Englehart and Savage went out Wednesday night to repair a broken duck blind before the winter storm hit Virginia.
When they did not return, workers at the marina notified the Coast Guard. That was at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
Their empty boat was discovered three hours later, near Hogg Island, Coast Guard spokesperson Corinne Zilnicki said.
Austin Savage, 20, is from Hampton and worked maintenance at Varina High School.
Kyle, 29, graduated from Varina High School and lives in Charles City County where he worked as a farmer, according to friends and his social media accounts.
The night Englehart and Savage disappeared, a massive winter storm hit the Hampton Roads region of Virginia dumping snow and keeping temperatures in the teens.
COLINET, N.L. — A man in his early 60s was killed when a gun accidentally discharged during a rabbit hunting trip on Newfoundland’s east coast, police said Monday.
RCMP Const. Steven Hatch said officers were called to a remote dirt road near Colinet at about 1:35 p.m. Saturday for a report of an accidental shooting.
“We got a 911 call from one of the people in the hunting party that there was an accidental discharge of a firearm, striking another male in the upper body,” he said from Placentia. “Indications are that it was a hunting accident.”
He says police and paramedics responded, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 91.
Hatch said the man, from the Foxtrap area of Conception Bay South, was hunting rabbit with others and was on the dirt road when the shooting occurred.
Police are investigating with help from the medical examiner’s office.
Exposing the Big Game 