Hobby hunter gets hit by lead shot on hare hunt

A hunter from Graubünden was hit by a shotgun pellet while hare hunting near San Bernardino on Friday. The pellet came from his companion's weapon. The man sustained minor injuries. The hare escaped unharmed.

The two hunting companions were hunting hares in the Funtanalba area. According to the Graubünden cantonal police, they were 35 metres apart on a forest road when a hare hopped out of the woods below them.

As the animal crossed the road, one of the hunters fired at the hare. A single pellet ricocheted off the concrete road and struck the second hunter at the temple, where it lodged.

The mildly injured man was driven by his companion to the emergency doctor in Roveredo, where he received outpatient treatment. The shooter then reported the incident to the cantonal police. The hare had not been hit. It fled and ran up the hillside. The shooter must answer to the public prosecutor's office.

The woodcock, the European hare, and the black grouse are listed on the Red List of threatened species. Nevertheless, they are hunted by hobby hunters in Switzerland.