Oregon hunter, 66, gored to death by bull elk he had shot and injured with an arrow the previous day
TILLAMOOK, OREGON: An archery hunter was killed by an enraged elk on Sunday, August 30, when he went in search of the animal. Mark David of Hillsboro had reportedly injured the bull elk on Saturday, August 29, with a bow and arrow while hunting on private property near Trask Road East in Tillamook, Oregon.
But the 66-year-old could not kill the 5-by-5 animal that day and also failed to find it before nightfall. So, he decided to search the injured bull the next morning, according to Oregon State Police. David and the property owner went out at around 9:15 am on Sunday in search of the animal. After locating the elk, the victim tried to kill it again but the injured animal attacked him and gored him in the neck with his antlers. “The landowner attempted to help David but he sustained fatal injuries and died,” Oregon State Police said. The police added that after an investigation, the elk was killed and its meat was donated to the Tillamook County Jail.
In another incident, an Arkansas hunter was killed after a deer that he shot and thought was dead, allegedly got back up and attacked him. The incident happened on October 22, 2019, at around 6.30 pm during a hunt in Yellville near Fayetteville.
The victim identified as Thomas Alexander was an experienced hunter, who had lived in the Yellville, Arkansas, area for several years. According to Keith Stephens, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the 66-year-old was using a muzzleloader when he shot the buck. “He apparently went over to the buck and it got up and attacked him," Stephens added. Alexander reportedly called his wife and rushed to the nearby hospital at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home at approximately 8 pm, where he was declared dead.
Hospital authorities shared that Alexander had puncture wounds, but it was not sure if he died of the animal attack, or he had other medical conditions. “It’s my understanding there’s not going to be an autopsy, so we may never know what actually happened," Stephens said.
The spokesperson stated: “I’ve worked for the Game and Fish Commission for 20 years, and it’s one of the stranger things that’s happened. I don’t know how long he left it there, but he went up to check it to make sure it was dead. And evidently it wasn’t. It got back up, and he had several puncture wounds on his body.”
He also recalled another similar incident that happened in Ashley County. “There was somebody that did get stuck by a buck’s antlers, and this was about four years ago. And it was pretty significant, but they did survive.” The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission also warned other hunters about the timing. “When you get up there, be really careful around it because it may not be dead. But if you let them lay there for a while and they don't move, and he may have done that. We just don't know," Stephens added.