Hunter realizes too late that the deer he thought he shot was a man, Louisiana cops say

A hunter not wearing safety gear ended up in a hospital after another hunter mistook him for a deer, according to Louisiana state wildlife officers.

It happened around 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, in the Zachary area, about a 15-mile drive north from Baton Rouge.

“Two people were unknowingly deer hunting at the same time on a small piece of private property,” the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries reported in a Dec. 26 news release.

“One of them thought they were shooting at a deer, but instead accidentally shot the other one with buckshot from a 20-gauge shotgun.”

The shooter immediately called for help, resulting in the wounded man being airlifted to a hospital with “non-fatal injuries,” state officials said.

“Agents have learned that neither hunter was wearing any hunter’s orange and did not possess deer tags,” state wildlife officials said. “Agents cited the shooter for hunting deer without possessing deer tags and not wearing hunter’s orange.”

Additional charges are possible, officials said.

Deer hunters in Louisiana are required to have tags in their possession and affix them to harvested deer, “regardless of age or license status,” the state says. Wearing fluorescent orange (or blaze pink) is also mandatory to ensure deer hunters are visible to each other, the state says.

This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 5:21 AM with the headline "Hunter realizes too late that the deer he thought he shot was a man, Louisiana cops say."