Recreational hunter mistakes companion for squirrel
A hunting trip in the US state of Iowa ended in tragedy last weekend. A 17-year-old student lost his life after being accidentally shot by a member of his own hunting group.
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Carson Ryan from Washington was out on Saturday afternoon with several companions in a wooded area near Brighton to hunt squirrels.
At around 3 p.m., the fateful accident occurred: another recreational hunter apparently mistook the teenager for a squirrel and fired a shot that struck Ryan in the back of the head.
The seriously injured youth was immediately taken to the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center. Despite intensive medical treatment, he succumbed to his injuries there later that same day.
The authorities confirmed the incident in a statement published on Monday. “This is a tragic accident that is currently being thoroughly investigated,” it said. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working closely with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to clarify the exact circumstances of the incident.
Accidents during recreational hunting repeatedly spark debate about safety rules and precautionary measures in the handling of firearms. In the United States, recreational hunting is a widespread and bloody pastime that is traditionally also practiced by young people.
For the family and friends of Carson Ryan, the incident has come as a shock. The 17-year-old was known for his love of nature and his athletic spirit. His death has caused deep grief throughout the community.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In our dossiers on the criticism of recreational hunting gather fact-checks, analyses and background reports. What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
