PA: Man's death a warning to turkey hunters

May 9, 2010

Man's death a warning to turkey hunters

Glenn L. Neuschwender Sr. was teaching a friend about turkey hunting when he was shot by another hunter.

His death from the accidental shooting underscores safety lessons that hunters should remember from their teachers.

Neuschwender, 67, who moved to Pennsylvania from Long Island partly so he could hunt more, was walking with his friend through woods in a mountainous section of Windham Township in Bradford County. It was about 9 a.m. on May 1, the opening day of the spring gobbler season. Skies were clear, and the woods had very little underbrush, Game Commission supervisor Tim Conway said.

About 80 feet away, Carl E. Rogers was calling turkeys. He heard a noise, turned his head, saw a flash of red and fired once from a 12-gauge shotgun, said Conway, of the commission's office in Dallas.

The blast hit Neuschwender in the chest.

Bradford County's coroner ruled the death accidental, but Rogers probably will be charged after the commission finishes its investigation, Conway said.

Rogers is 77 and has been hunting for 65 years, but only took up spring turkey hunting three years ago.

...

During the fall turkey season, a hunter made that mistake in Luzerne County. He fired after seeing movement rather than waiting to verify what moved, the Game Commission said. The victim, a 14-year-old boy trapping with his father, survived.

...

In 1982, there were 181 hunting-related shootings, including 10 fatalities. That compares to 35 shootings and three deaths in 2008, the most recent year for which figures are available. Ten shootings occurred in turkey seasons in 2008 when there were 12 shootings in deer season and seven in small game season.

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