Seth Egelhoff, Chesterfield, Illinois hunter dies after shot in the face by member of own hunting party after shooting for bird-fowl in Bay Branch Wildlife Area as firearm safety themes are re-inforced. Tragedy is latest in ongoing accidental hunter shootings.
An Illinois man has died after being shot in the face by someone in his hunting party, an official with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced over the weekend.
Seth Egelhoff, 26, of Chesterfield, IL, was hunting waterfowl in the Bay Branch Wildlife Area, about 40 miles west of Des Moines, when he was seriously injured by a gunshot around 1 p.m. Saturday, the department stated.
A 911 call was made shortly after the incident, and responding medics tried to rush Egelhoff to a clearing where a helicopter could pick him up and airlift him to a hospital, the department said in a statement according to AP News.
Hunter victim remembered
But Egelhoff died as he was being brought to the pick-up location.
Police are investigating the shooting, but Conservation Officer Jeremy King said it appeared to be accidental, WGN-TV reported.
A GoFundMe set up for Egelhoff’s family described him as ‘a beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle, and friend to many.’
‘Seth Egelhoff was one of a kind and had a smile that could light up any room. Anyone that knew him, knows he would do anything for just about anyone and ask for nothing in return,’ it continued.
The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol are helping in the ongoing investigation.
Firearm incident latest casualty in ongoing hunting mishaps
Last month, an Iowa man died after being shot while hunting coyotes with friends. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said that 53-year-old Mark Arends was struck by a single rifle shot.
Meanwhile, last week, a man was accidentally shot while hunting in neighboring Minnesota. The man survived but officials said his hunting partner was checking to see if his firearm was unloaded, but accidentally fired a round into the victim’s leg.
Jamie Cook, a hunting education coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, urged hunters to take safety measures and remember the ‘Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety.’
‘Some of the big ones are always treating every firearm as if it were loaded and then keeping your muzzle pointed in a safe direction would be the second one. And then making sure of what is in front of and beyond your target,’ he told KCRG.
So far in 2023, there have been seven hunting incidents, including two fatalities, according to Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources.
‘We always stress the importance of a hunting plan that spells out the role each person plays in the hunt,’ the agency said in a statement to CNN.
The statement urges hunters ‘to observe the area in front of and behind the game, so if they miss, the shot will fall harmlessly to the ground.’
