An Arkansas hunter died Tuesday after a deer he had shot gored him with its antlers.
Thomas Alexander, 66, was hunting around 6:30 p.m. near Yellville, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, when he shot a buck.
As Alexander checked on the deer, it got up and injured him. Alexander called his wife, commission spokesman Keith Stephens said, and she called 911.
First responders found Alexander near where he had been hunting, suffering from several puncture wounds. He stopped breathing, and responders performed CPR while he was transported to Baxter Regional Medical Center.
He was pronounced deceased at the hospital, Stephens said, but it is unknown if his wounds caused his death or if he experienced another medical emergency, such as a heart attack. Stephens said an autopsy is not planned.
Attacks on hunters by injured deer doesn't happen often, Stephens said, but a hunter in Ashley County did survive one a few years ago.
"It's not unprecedented," Stephens said. "It's still unusual."
The commission recommends hunters wait a while after they shoot a deer before they collect it, to ensure it dies. Stephens said there isn’t a set amount of time to wait, but he said to watch a deer’s chest to see if it is breathing.
Stephens added the biggest safety concern is the animal's hooves, so hunters should approach from behind when checking on a deer.