An Iowa Man died Saturday when a fellow hunter during a bird hunting excursion accidentally shot him in the face, officials said.
Seth Egelhoff, 26, from Chesterfield, Illinois, was accidentally shot in the face at the Bays Branch Wildlife Area in Guthrie County, according to KETV. Egelhoff passed away while being transported to the hospital, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘All Hands On Deck’: Hunters Capture Massive Alligator Weighing Over 500 Pounds)
A hunter has died after being shot in the face by someone in his hunting party, an official with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said, marking the second hunter to be fatally shot in the state since last month. https://t.co/BuURKYcKw6
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 13, 2023
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources released a statement on Saturday confirming the death of Egelhoff, stating it was a fellow hunter in his party who shot him in the face, according to CBS News. Someone in the party called 911 following the incident and first responders retrieved Egelhoff via medical helicopter, but the man died on the way to the hospital, says the outlet.
Jamie Cook, the Hunter Education Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources spoke with KCRG following the incident.
“You let somebody know where you’re going, when you expect to be back. If you’re hunting with a group of people, part of that is knowing where those other people are gonna be stationed in the woods or in the field wherever you may be hunting so that everyone knows where you are and when you can be expected to return,” Cook said.
While the incident appears to be a tragic accident, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident further.