JUNIATA COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Game Commission encouraged hunters to remain diligent after a 26-year-old man died Tuesday in a deer hunt.
The man, who has not been identified, was part of a hunting group with 23 other people who were using a tactic known as a “deer drive.”
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A legal hunting method, it involves a group of hunters known as “drivers” who push game out of hiding spots toward armed hunters. It’s meant to bring the game to the hunters rather than hunters looking for their game.
“They can be very effective, especially on days like today, where it’s snowing pretty heavily,” said Lt. Amy Nabozny with the Game Commission. “So, deer are going to be bedded down pretty hard at that time. They’re not going to be moving around.”
But Tuesday’s hunt went horribly wrong. After a buck jumped up and broke through a line of drivers, someone fired and hit the man fatally in his hip.
Deer firearm season started this past Saturday. Nabozny urged hunters to follow safety procedures for the rest of the season.
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“No deer is worth, you know, somebody getting killed over,” Nabozny said. “So, just always be sure of your target.”
Hunters can brush up their knowledge of safe hunting practices by clicking here. All first-time hunters and trappers must also complete a basic course before they can purchase a Pennsylvania hunting or trapping license.
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