Apparent hunting accident kills man
By LISE FISHER Sun staff writer
December 28. 2005 6:01AM
A Colorado man died Monday after he was shot in what Columbia
County deputies believe was a hunting-related accident.
Robert Taylor, 50, was killed as he was preparing to hunt deer with
his family in a rural area in the northern half of the county,
deputies reported.
A rifle was being removed from someone's vehicle when the weapon
discharged and a bullet struck Taylor, according to the Columbia
County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. on
private property off White Springs Road. Taylor was with a group of
men who were preparing to go hunting.
Additional information about the shooting, such as where Taylor was
shot, was not made public because the case remains under
investigation, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Laurie Windham
Tuesday.
But Columbia County Sheriff Bill Gootee said the shooting appears
to have been "a terrible accident."
An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, Windham said.
Taylor had previously lived in Lake City before moving to Colorado,
Windham said. But deputies said he had been in the process of moving
back to Columbia County.
Taylor owned and operated a concrete business, according to
relatives.
Many hunting accidents occur during this time of year, which is the
state's most popular hunting season. Called the "general gun" season,
it runs from November through January.
There have been approximately six hunting-related accidents this
hunting season, said Karen Parker with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission.
But this shooting would be the area's first hunting-related
fatality of the season, Parker said.
A teenager also died in the Panhandle earlier this year after he
was accidentally shot by a member of his hunting party, Parker said.
Although Tuesday's incident didn't occur while people were in the
woods hunting, it indicates the need for hunters to always take
precautions.
"Regardless of the years of experience or the knowledge of weapons,
you must use extreme caution anytime a firearm is involved. You never
let your guard down," Gootee said.
Lise Fisher can be reached at (352) 374-5092 or
fisherl@gvillesun.com.
