NY: Oriskany Falls man dies in hunting accident

November 18, 2009

Oriskany Falls man dies in hunting accident

AUGUSTA - State police Wednesday evening identified the hunter found dead in Augusta that afternoon as 43-year-old Terry Leunberger of Oliver Road in Oriskany Falls.

Trooper Jack Keller said Leunberger's body was found at about 1:15 p.m. underneath a tree stand near Route 26 in Augusta.

"It looks as if he apparently fell from that tree stand while he was bow hunting," Keller said.

A tree stand is a seat that's fastened up in a tree to give hunters a better view of the landscape and to let them stay out of the view of game. Many stands include a harness for the hunter.

Members of the Vernon Center Fire Department and the state police BCI assisted at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday to determine the exact cause of death, Keller said.

The hunting accident occurred in a wooded area off of Route 26, near Simmons Road. It's located in the southern part of Oneida County near the Madison County border.

State police got to the scene by driving into a field and then over a hill off of Route 26.

A friend and a relative of the victim were among several people standing alongside Route 26. They did not want to comment.

At about 3:15 p.m., a trooper said they were waiting for a coroner to arrive.

While firearms big-game hunting season in the Southern Tier, which includes the town of Augusta, is scheduled to start Saturday, bow season has been in effect since Oct. 17 and lasts until Friday.

Return to Hunting Accident Index

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