Hunter crushed to death by bear that was shot out of tree by member of his hunting party
18 December 2024, 08:02 | Updated: 18 December 2024, 08:04
A hunter died after a fellow hunter shot a bear out of a tree and it landed on him.
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A group were tracking the animal in Lunenburg County, Virginia on December 9 - when it ran up a tree to escape them.
One member of the group opened fire, and the bear fell out of the tree, landed on a hunter - crushing and killing him.
He was rushed to hospital but died four days later from multiple injuries.
The victim was identified as Lester Harvey, 58, of Phenix Virginia.
Mr Harvey was a married father-of-five and worked as a self-employed contractor.
Josh Harvey, one of his sons, said in a Facebook post that his dad was “injured extremely badly” doing what he loved the most along with his good friends.
However it later emerged that shooting a bear in a tree is against the law.
According to the state’s Department of Wildlife Resources, it is illegal to “cripple, harm, or dislodge a bear from a tree for the intent of continuing a hunt, chase, or for the purpose of training dogs.”
The wildlife department said it is “not currently seeking any charges related to this incident.”
