WOOLSTOCK, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a pheasant hunter in north-central Iowa was accidentally shot when a dog stepped on shotgun trigger guard and the gun fired.
The Iowa Natural Resources Department says the shooting occurred around 1:20 p.m. Wednesday at a public hunting area near Woolstock in southwestern Wright County. The department says four hunters and two dogs were looking for the game birds when one of the hunters placed a loaded 12-gauge shotgun on the ground. It went off when one of the dogs stepped on the trigger guard, and shotgun load sprayed another hunter. The department says several pellets lodged in the back of William Rancourt, of Lebanon, New Hampshire, but he was able to walk soon after being wounded.
He was taken to a hospital in Fort Dodge for treatment.
