CO: Hunter aims for coyote, but shoots his hunting partner instead

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/nation-world/national/article284745621.html#storylink=cpy

01/26/2024

A 70-year-old man from Iowa was wounded while hunting coyotes in southeastern Colorado — after one of his hunting partners shot him with a shotgun, officials said. The three hunters spotted a coyote about 50 feet away while hunting in Baca County on Thursday, Jan. 25, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. One of them shot at it but missed, then he swung his shotgun around and shot at it again — but hit his hunting partner instead, officials said. TOP VIDEOS Top Videos 01:22 01:30 Creech legal team created video forIdaho clemency hearing “This is a classic example of failure to maintain ‘zone of fire’ awareness,” said Todd Marriott, the agency’s area wildlife manager based in Lamar. “Hunters must always know where their target is and where the rest of their party is at all times.” The 70-year-old was taken to a local hospital and was then flown to one in Colorado Springs for a closer look at his pellet wounds, officials said. Luckily, he was not seriously injured and was released from the hospital in “good spirits.” These types of hunting accidents are rare, officials said. The 48-year-old shooter, who is also from Iowa, was cited with “careless hunting,” a misdemeanor with a fine between $100 and $1,000, officials said. The charge also carries a suspension of 20 hunting-license points, and he’ll have to appear in court.