Tag: hunting accident

10-year-old hunter accidentally shoots man in buttocks

A Minnesota man was hospitalized with serious injuries Sunday after his 10-year-old hunting partner accidentally shot him in the buttocks.

A Minnesota man was hospitalized with serious injuries Sunday after his 10-year-old hunting partner accidentally shot him in the buttocks.

Valley News Live reported that the incident occurred in Hubbard County during opening weekend of the youth deer-hunting season.

The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Department, which responded to the incident, identified the man as Gary Peters.

Peters, 50, had accompanied the youth on a hunt earlier Sunday. Back at his truck, he instructed the youth to unload the bolt-action 270-caliber rifle.

While attempting to do so, the child apparently pulled the trigger, with the bullet passing through both of Peters’ buttocks.

Peters was transported to a nearby hospital and subsequently airlifted to a larger hospital in Fargo.

–Generic deer image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Hunter who shot at deer but hit occupant of a house gets prison

In an illegal-hunting incident, a man was struck in the foot by a bullet as he sat on the couch in his home with his wife and baby nearby.

A hunter in Ohio was sentenced to two years in prison after he shot at a deer and instead struck a man in the foot as he sat on the couch in his home with his wife and baby nearby.

In May, Kasen Smith pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, injuring a person while hunting, and hunting without permission and in violation of hunting ordinances, as reported by WKBN.

On Dec. 20, 2021, Smith was deer hunting without a license and without permission to hunt on land near Market Street and West Calla Road in Beaver Township. Shooting at a deer, the bullet flew across West Calla Road and struck a resident in his house.

Smith admitted to investigators that he fired in the direction of houses, but he thought he was at a safe distance well inside the woods, according to the police report.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Poachers of five elk sentenced; must publish apology in local paper

Smith was sentenced Tuesday by Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Durkin, who lessened the prison term after the county assistant prosecutor suggested he do so because of a family tragedy involving a vehicle on June 19, when Smith’s 18-month-old son died, according to The Vindicator.

From The Vindicator:

But in a brief discussion at the bench with the judge and [attorney Tom] Zena, [county assistant prosecutor Mike] Yacovone recommended a way to sentence Smith that would allow the judge to grant judicial release to Smith after one year served in prison instead of the 18 months that was anticipated earlier.

The change was to recommend a one-year sentence on discharging a firearm, in addition to the one-year gun specification, instead of three years on the discharging a firearm. That allowed Smith potentially to get out after one year…

“He’s probably already gone through the worst possible thing,” Yacovone said of Smith’s son’s death after the hearing.

Smith surrendered a Ruger American .450 Bushmaster Bolt-Action Rifle to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and paid $10,000 in restitution to the victim for his medical bills.

Bow hunter fatally gored by elk he shot

A bow hunter in Oregon was fatally gored Sunday morning by the elk he had shot the previous day while hunting on private land.

A bow hunter in Oregon was fatally gored Sunday morning by the elk he had shot the previous day while hunting on private land in Tillamook County.

Mark David, 66, from Hillsboro was archery hunting in an area of Trask Road E on Saturday when he shot a 5×5 bull elk. But he was not able to locate it before dark, and returned the next day with the landowner, according to Oregon State Police.

David located the elk around 9:15 a.m. and attempted to kill it with his bow, but the elk charged him and gored him in the neck with its antlers. The landowner attempted to help David, but he died from his injuries.

The elk was subsequently killed and the meat donated to the Tillamook County Jail following the investigation, the report stated. Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Tillamook Fire and Rescue and the Tillamook County Medical examiner assisted the Oregon State Police.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. 

Also on FTW Outdoors: Girl, 3, tangled in kite is violently swept 100 feet into the air

A painful opening weekend for Wisconsin deer hunters

Deer hunters look forward to opening day, but not everyone is suitably prepared when that day arrives, and some are downright unfortunate.

Deer hunters always look forward to opening day, but not everyone is suitably prepared when that day arrives, and some are downright unfortunate.

Wisconsin is a case in point, having inauspiciously marked the beginning of its firearm-hunting season on Saturday.

According to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources news release, a 38-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman accidentally shot themselves in the foot in separate instances; and a 19-year-old woman was shot in the hand by another hunter who was aiming at a running deer.

The injuries were not life-threatening.

On Sunday, a 31-year-old man was shot in a case that remains under investigation because the shooter has not been identified.

The DNR’s Bureau of Law Enforcement is hoping to interview hunters who were in certain Washburn County/Minong Township locations on Sunday.

The DNR stated: “Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, may confidentially relay their information by text, phone call or online to the WDNR Violation Tip Line:  1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367.”

Wisconsin is not the only state to have its opening weekend marred by accidental shootings.

Last week in Michigan, a man accidentally shot his brother after mistaking him for a deer. The brother was flown to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.

Also during opening weekend, two young boys were injured when a weapon discharged as their father was preparing for his hunt.

–White-tailed deer images are via Wikimedia Commons