Man Shot in McMillan Marsh Hunting Incident

Incident is Under Investigation

OnFocus – On Friday morning at approximately 9:30am, there was a hunting incident at McMillan Marsh State Wildlife Area, near Abe Lincoln Avenue. A man was shot while participating in a large deer drive at the marsh. Another man participating in the drive was shooting at a running deer when his bullet struck the victim in the face and shoulder. The victim was transported to the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.

“One of the drivers was shooting at a deer and that bullet ended up striking one of the other hunters,” said DNR Recreation Warden Jake Holsclaw. “It sounds like everybody is going to recover.”

He added that statewide there have been hunting incidents, but this is the first one this season in the area.

“We don’t like to call them accidents,” added Holsclaw. “One thing to remember is as long as somebody observes all four rules of firearm safety, these things wouldn’t happen. If even one of those are broken, that’s where these incidents come from.”

The Four Primary Rules of Firearm Safety are:

1. Always treat every gun as if it were loaded.
2. Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always be sure of your target and beyond.

The DNR has mapped the scene and will diagram the scene for proper measurements to determine exactly what happened. DNR investigators were on scene as of 4:45pm and are expected to finish investigating this evening.

“We work through the scene and put all the puzzle pieces together,” said Holsclaw.

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