Hobby hunter shoots treasure hunter instead of fox in Czech Republic

A hobby hunter born in 1961 accidentally shot and seriously injured a 44-year-old treasure hunter in the Czech Republic while hunting.

The 44-year-old man had been moving through the dark forest with a metal detector when the shot fired by the trigger-happy hunter struck him directly in the chest. Although the hobby hunter fired only once, the victim was hit by more than forty so-called fine shot pellets from his shotgun.

The shooter apparently quickly became aware of his mistake and went in search of his victim. When he could not find the injured man, he reported himself to the police.

“My comrade managed to crawl to the village, and there someone called an ambulance for him,” a friend of the injured man reported. The man struck by the unfortunate shot is currently being treated in hospital and still has the bullet from the hunting rifle lodged in his chest.

No danger to life

The emergency services confirmed that the man had been taken to hospital by helicopter. There is no danger to his life. The hobby hunter was questioned by police and subjected to a breathalyser test, which came back negative.

The incident occurred on the night before Sunday near the border with Bavaria, directly east of Bayreuth as the crow flies.

The Tachov police are handling the incident, having initiated criminal proceedings on suspicion of negligent bodily harm and, of course, also confiscating the weapon of the hobby hunter, the police spokesperson concluded.