Carelessness with a gun leads to a tragic death on the opening weekend of the North Carolina Dove Season

Louisburg, N.C. — An 18-year-old man was killed Monday afternoon while hunting near Louisburg, according to Lt. John Reams of the state Wildlife Resources Commission.

Reams said an uncle and nephew were hunting near Rocky Ford when the uncle swung his gun to shoot a dove. The gun went off at the base of the nephew’s head, killing him instantly, Reams said.

An autopsy will be performed on the teen’s body at the Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill.

More details, including the identity of the victim, haven’t been released.

WRAL

While there is not a lot of details in the story there is little doubt that one if not more firearm handling rules were violated that lead to this death.
Dove hunting in the south is as much a social event as it is a hunt and if not careful this can lead to stories like this one. Often times there is individuals hunting that may rarely hunt except for the opening of Dove Season. People are apt to sit close together and not think about muzzle control and swing the gun dangerously towards another person. While there is not enough details for us to know for sure the discharge to the base of the head certainly suggests that a number of safety rules were violated.
No matter your age I strongly urge you to take a hunter safety class and when hunting with a group make sure you talk about safety before you begin the hunt. I hunted both geese and doves this past weekend and we made sure everyone was on the same page as far as where it was safe and not safe to shoot.

Think safety on your next hunt we want every one to be safe.

Thoughts and prayers are with the family of this young man and the uncle that tragically took his life.

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