IOWA – Three people have been injured in separate hunting accidents in Iowa over the past week.
Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says an 11-year-old was injured Sunday on private land in Johnson County when his 13-year-old brother accidentally shot him. The DNR says the brothers both shot at a deer in a field and when it ran between them the 13-year-old continued shooting and hit the other boy in the hip.
The boy was transported to University of Iowa Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Another accidental shooting happened Sunday in Taylor County. The DNR says 28-year-old Justin Scroggie and 42-year-old Brooks Lambert were hunting on private property, searching for an injured deer in an area of CRP. In the tall grass, Lambert, thought Scroggie was a deer and shot him from about 40 to 45 yards away.
Scroggie was hit in the left forearm. Officials say he was air-lifted to University of Nebraska Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The DNR says Scroggie was wearing a camouflaged hat at the time of the shooting.
On December 5th, a Villisca man was injured when a member of his hunting party accidentally shot him in the foot. Sixty-five-year-old John Fish was hunting about five miles southeast of Nodaway when a deer ran between him and a 15-year-old hunter, the teen shot at the doe but missed and hit Fish instead.
The DNR says Fish was sitting in an area of dense vegetation and brush. He was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, where he underwent surgery. His injuries were non-life threatening.
The Iowa DNR continues to investigate all three incidents and is reminding hunters to follow safety protocols:
- Don’t shoot at any movement without always properly identifying the target
- Always be cognizant of the whereabouts of other hunters, at all times
- Avoid target fixation and always ensure there is a safe backstop before taking a shot
