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Moffat County hunter shot in the arm

Joe Moylan

National Rifle Association firearm safety rules...

National Rifle Association firearm safety rules…

• Know your target and what is beyond.

• Know how to use the gun safely.

• Be sure the gun is safe to operate.

• Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.

• Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate.

• Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting.

• Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.

• Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions.

National Rifle Association firearm safety rules…

National Rifle Association firearm safety rules…

• Know your target and what is beyond.

• Know how to use the gun safely.



• Be sure the gun is safe to operate.

• Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.



• Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate.

• Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting.

• Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.

• Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions.

Big game hunting is a tradition for a lot of American families, but it also comes with certain inherent risks.

And with the Elk and Mule Deer rifle seasons well under way, Lt. KC Hume of the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office said now is not the time to forget the cardinal rule of hunting — be sure of your target and beyond.

On Saturday officers with the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management responded to an incident in which that rule was forgotten.

According to reports, three adult males from Bountiful, Utah, were hunting deer on public land in northern Moffat County.

The men were traveling by ATV when the herd they were after spooked, according to reports.

As the deer started running an unknown number of hunters opened fire, Hume said.

A bullet, meant for one of the deer, missed its target and struck one of the ATV riders in the arm.

The victim, 38, was transported by a private vehicle to The Memorial Hospital in Craig where he was examined and transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

The identity of the shooter is unknown, but officials interviewed several hunters who were in the area at the time of the incident, Hume said.

Sheriff’s Office deputies are currently following up with those contacts in partnership with officers from Parks and Wildlife and the BLM.

Though further details of the incident were unavailable Monday because the case is under investigation, Hume said he did not think the wound was life threatening.

Joe Moylan can be reached at 875-1794 or jmoylan@craigdailypress.com.


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