Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report a Carroll man was injured Saturday when he was hit by a shotgun slug while deer hunting. 47-year old Eric Winker was part of a hunting group and was helping to drive deer when a shotgun slug fired at a moving deer from another hunter in the party hit him in the abdomen. The group was hunting southwest of Lanesboro in Carroll County when the incident occurred at approximately 2:30-p.m.

Winker was transported to Steward Memorial Hospital in Lake City, transferred to Unity Point Health in Fort Dodge and then life-flighted to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. The incident is still under investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Deer hunters are reminded to make sure where other hunters in their party are at all times and to never fire in the direction where other members of the group are expected to be. According to DNR Recreational Safety Officer Jeff Barnes “Most of [the] incidents happen when shots are being fired at moving deer so it is essential to always be aware of your zone of fire.”