USA: Red deer kills hobby hunter with its antlers

A hobby hunter has been gored by a red deer in the US state of Arkansas. The man had shot the animal shortly before – or at least he thought he had – as reported by, among others, Foxnews.

Wounded deer attacks hobby hunter

On Tuesday, 66-year-old Thomas Alexander was hunting in the woods near his home in Yellville in northern Arkansas, close to the Missouri border, and at around 6:30 pm shot a male deer. After observing that the animal was no longer moving, the hobby hunter approached to make sure he had killed the deer. As he drew near the stricken deer, it suddenly got up and attacked the hobby hunter. The antlered animal then ran off.

After the attack, the hobby hunter was still able to call his wife. She alerted the emergency services. But by the time Alexander arrived at hospital, doctors could only pronounce him dead.

Although Alexander's exact cause of death has yet to be determined, the hospital identified a number of puncture wounds most likely caused by the deer's antlers.

The wildlife and fisheries commission has now warned wildlife killers not to approach wounded animals too quickly. One must wait at least half an hour: «If the animal has not moved by then, you can assume it is dead», explained the commission's spokesman, Keith Stephens.

Game meat quickly becomes carrion

Yet just 8 minutes after a wild animal dies, the blood in its veins begins to clot. Essentially, then, after not even 10 minutes you are dealing with something known as carrion.

Thomas Alexander's son wrote on Facebook about his grief, saying his father had killed many deer in his lifetime and had been very experienced. He had always respected and complied with the hunting laws and had always taken safety seriously. His father's death had been a tragic, extremely improbable accident: «I don't blame the animal, and I know Dad wouldn't have either.»

What became of the wounded red deer is unknown. The animal has not been found to date.