VA: Two Thursday hunting incidents investigated
Two Thursday hunting incidents investigated
By Dave Thompson
Published: November 21, 2008
One man was killed and another man was injured in separate hunting
accidents Thursday in Central Virginia, according to officials with the
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The fatality is the second hunting-related death in the area in as
many weeks.
James Michael
DeBrular, 56, of Fairfax, died in southern Campbell County when his
shotgun accidentally discharged, according to Sgt. Chris Thomas, with
DGIF.
Thomas said
DeBrular was hunting by himself in a homemade deer stand, on property
he owned off Honeysuckle Lane, near Red House.
Thomas said the initial investigation indicated that
DeBrular dropped his 20-gauge shotgun, which discharged, shooting him
in the head.
Campbell County authorities, along with
DGIF personnel and Lynchburg fire and rescue units, responded to the
scene around 6 p.m. Thomas said DeBrular was pronounced dead at the
scene.
DeBrular’s nephew, Douglas Foote, said his uncle was always
safety-conscious when hunting.
“He’s very savvy as far as safety and all that,” said Foote, who
lives in North Carolina. “It brings up lots of questions.”
In Amherst County, at about 12:45 p.m., an
Elkton man was shot by a rifle from a hunter in his own party.
Thomas said
Corvin William DeHart, III, was part of a party of 12 deer hunters in
the area of Riverville Road, off of U.S. 60, southeast of Amherst.
DeHart was driving an ATV across from where others in the group were
hunting, and took a shot intended for a deer in his bicep.
He was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital with injuries that Thomas
said were not life-threatening.
Chip Street, a conservation police officer with
DGIF, is investigating both incidents.
Thursday’s accidents follow the death of a hunter in
Gretna last week.
On Nov. 11, Wayne Philip Logan, 57, was killed when his firearm
discharged as he climbed through underbrush while rabbit hunting off
Terry Road.
In the fiscal year ending in June 2007,
DGIF reported 47 firearms-related hunting incidents statewide, four
of which were fatal.
DGIF spokeswoman Julia Dixon said the two fatal incidents lately did
not appear to signify a trend among hunters this season.
When tree stands started becoming popular, Dixon said, falls from
them became more common, so the department addressed that issue in
safety training.
“We do look for trends with hunting accidents, to try to get those
safety messages out,” Dixon said.
“We’re concerned with every fatality, and you just hate to see them,”
she said, but added “those two (recent fatalities) were just terrible
unfortunate incidents.”
