USA: Deer kills hobby hunter with antlers

A hobby hunter was gored by a deer in the US state of Arkansas. The man had shot the animal shortly beforehand — or so he thought, reports, among others, Foxnews.

Wounded deer attacks hobby hunter

66-year-old Thomas Alexander was hunting in the woods near his hometown of Yellville in northern Arkansas, close to the Missouri border, on Tuesday, and shot at a male deer at around 6:30 p.m. After observing that the animal had stopped moving, the hobby hunter approached to confirm that he had killed the deer. As he drew closer to the stricken deer, it suddenly stood up and attacked him. The antlered animal then fled.

After the attack, the hobby hunter was still able to call his wife, who alerted the emergency services. By the time Alexander arrived at the hospital, however, doctors could only confirm his death.

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

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

Game meat quickly becomes carrion

Yet as little as 8 minutes after a wild animal dies, the blood in its veins begins to coagulate. In essence, within less than 10 minutes you are already dealing with what is commonly 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 followed the hunting laws, and had always taken safety seriously. His father’s death had been a tragic, extremely unlikely accident: «I don’t blame the animal and I know Dad wouldn’t have either.»

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