December 23, 2010
TALLAHASSEE — A deer hunter shot himself in the foot early this morning behind his home in east Leon County near Tallahassee.
Ronald Mills, 39, was standing out on a tree limb when he rested the muzzle of his rifle on top of his right boot and accidentally pulled the trigger, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland.
He was able to get down out of the tree on his own and drive himself to the Tallahassee Regional Medical Center for treatment, Kirkland said.
Between 8 and 10 hunting accidents are reported to the FWC each year, Kirkland said. This number has dropped dramatically since the 1970s and 80s when the commission saw 20 to 30 accidents a year. Kirkland attributes the decline to an increase in safety training requirements and a decrease in the overall number of licensed hunters.
Kirkland said he does not suspect that drugs or alcohol were involved in Mills’ accident.
“It appears he made a mistake – a bad mistake,” he said.