Indiana Man Dies After Ricochet During Raccoon Hunt

A northern Indiana raccoon hunt resulted in tragedy late Saturday evening after a ricocheted spherical fatally wounded a 31-year-old man in Fulton County.

In response to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, emergency personnel had been dispatched simply earlier than 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 to a reported searching incident close to County Street 500 West, simply south of State Street 110.

Fulton County is positioned roughly 110 miles north of downtown Indianapolis and is essentially rural, made up of farmland, woodlots and small communities the place searching is a typical exercise throughout the fall and winter months

Authorities say a bunch of people had gathered within the rural space to hunt raccoons, a pursuit that sometimes takes place after darkish. Raccoon hunters typically use canines to find and tree the animals earlier than making an attempt a shot as soon as the raccoon climbs and holds within the branches.

Investigators mentioned one hunter tried to shoot a raccoon that was climbing a tree. When the shot was fired, the spherical struck the tree and ricocheted. The bullet then hit Andrew Boots, 31, of North Judson, within the stomach. Authorities haven’t indicated how far Boots was standing from the shooter on the time.

These on scene instantly referred to as for assist.

First responders from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Division, Indiana State Police, the Aubbeenaubbee Hearth Division and Parkview Emergency Medical Companies responded to the wooded space off County Street 500 West. Boots was handled on the scene earlier than being transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.

Regardless of medical efforts, he later died from his accidents.

The DNR mentioned its conservation officers are main the investigation, which stays ongoing. No extra particulars have been launched relating to the kind of firearm used or whether or not any expenses are being thought-about.

Many raccoon hunters generally carry .22 caliber rimfire rifles, notably .22 Lengthy Rifle, as a result of they’re light-weight, correct at average distances and produce comparatively low recoil. The .22 LR is without doubt one of the hottest small recreation cartridges within the nation and is commonly used when taking pictures upward into timber the place raccoons have been treed by canines.

In Indiana, raccoon season usually opens in mid-October and runs by Jan. 31 annually. Hunters are required to own a sound Indiana searching license and observe all state laws relating to authorized firearms, accredited strategies of take and searching hours.

The DNR has not launched additional details about the circumstances surrounding Saturday evening’s incident as conservation officers proceed to assessment proof and interview these concerned.

The investigation stays lively.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning outside journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Unbiased Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Outside Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith e-mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com