November 23, 2005
CONTACT: Officer Chris Jones (904) 237-3785
The general gun hunting season started less than two weeks ago, and
already investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) North Central Region are investigating three hunting
accidents.
The most recent accidents both happened Nov. 22, at around the same
time of day, 4:30 p.m., but on different coasts -- one in Duval
County, the other in Levy County. The first accident of the general
gun deer hunting season was on Nov. 19 in Hamilton County. All three
involved hunters pursuing deer with dogs. Luckily for the victims, all
of the accidents were not life-threatening.
In Duval County, two boys, ages 10 and 14, were hunting with dogs
in the West Fiftone Hunt Club near Baldwin. The 14-year-old shot at a
deer with his shotgun and a stray pellet struck the 10-year-old boy
who was standing along the same road about 100-150 yards away. The
pellet hit the boy in the upper chest, penetrated his clothing and
broke the skin. He was life-flighted to Shands Hospital in
Jacksonville, but luckily his thick clothing prevented the pellet from
penetrating his chest cavity.
Farther southwest in Levy County, on the same day, another hunter
using dogs to hunt deer in the Gulf Hammock Wildlife Management Area
suffered another pellet injury. The man was hunting with a group of
dog-hunters from the Gulf Hammock Hunters Association when one of the
hunters shot at a deer and a stray pellet struck the victim in the
ankle. The man sought medical treatment, but his wound was minor.
Saturday, a hunter was struck by buckshot at the Hickory Island
Hunt Club in Hamilton County. The accident happened around 2 p.m.,
while about a dozen hunters were pursuing a deer using dogs. The deer
ran across a road between the shooter and another hunter who was
standing by his truck. The victim and his truck were both hit by
pellets. Both hunters were wearing bright orange hats as required by
the club’s rules for safety and high visibility. The victim was
transported by another hunter to Trinity Hospital in Jasper and later
transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville where he was treated and
released. Both the victim and shooter were back hunting at the club
the next day.
All three hunting accidents are under investigation by the FWC.
“This is a good time to remind hunters of two of the most important
safe hunting rules,” FWC spokesperson Officer Chris Jones said. “Those
are, number one, know your target and, number two, know what’s beyond
your target before pulling the trigger. All three of these accidents
could likely have been avoided if those involved had followed the
basic rules.”
For information on taking an FWC hunter safety course, visit
MyFWC.com/huntered/.
