November 20, 2007

A 45-year-old Orlando man is recovering at Shands Hospital in Gainesville after being shot by a companion Monday in a hunting accident.

Raymond McPherson was hit in the right buttock as he walked out of the woods around 6 p.m. on private property in Nassau County. The shooter, Robert T. Duszynski III, 22, also of Orlando, told Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers he heard movement and fired one time at what he thought was a deer.

FWC Lt. David Lee said Duszynski was using a .30-.30 rifle.

McPherson was airlifted to Shands. His injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.

Lee said Duszynski was charged with failure to obtain a Florida hunting license and failure to complete a hunter safety course. Other charges are pending.

Any hunter who hunts in Florida and is born on or after June 1, 1975 is required to complete a hunter safety course.

Bill Cline, the FWC’s section leader for Hunter Safety and Public Shooting Ranges, said, “Sometimes the best shot is no shot at all. Hunting is a much safer activity than it’s ever been, but the issue here is identifying your target, and knowing what is beyond your target.”

Although deer hunters in Florida are not required by law to wear hunter orange clothing on private property, Cline said it is highly recommended.

Both men were wearing camouflage clothing, but neither was wearing hunter orange. Additionally, Cline noted that hunters hunting from tree stands should always wear a safety vest.

One hunter died last season in a firearms-related hunting accident in Florida, but two hunters died after falling from tree stands, Cline said.