March 29, 2024

Injuries reported in shotgun deer season opening

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As Iowa’s shotgun deer season opened Saturday, a handful of Iowa hunters sustained injuries over the weekend, says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A 29-year-old man from Nora Springs was hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in a foot while hunting deer in northern Iowa.

The Iowa DNR says Jeffrey Esser, of rural Mason City, was wounded around 4 p.m. Sunday while hunting in heavy brush southeast of Nora Springs in Floyd County.

The department says Esser’s 12-gauge shotgun accidentally fired, hitting him in the right foot. He was taken to North Iowa Mercy Medical Center in Mason City.

In addition, a Cedar Rapids man was injured and a Halbur woman was hit by a bullet in separate hunting incidents.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says 46-year-old Steven Thompson was hunting about two miles east of Victor in Iowa County on Sunday afternoon when his shotgun accidentally fired, striking one of his big toes. He was treated in Marengo and then taken to University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

In an unrelated incident, 32-year-old Stacy Wiltfang, of Halbur, was hunting north of Arion in Crawford County on Sunday afternoon. The department says that while Wiltfang was sitting, a rifle bullet struck and penetrated one of her boots but did not penetrate her foot.

She was treated at Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison.

Both incidents are being investigated.

The department says that so far this year it has received a total of 11 reports of personal injury hunting-related incidents.