Hunter Accidentally Killed During Deer Drive

During a “deer drive” in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, 26-year-old Floyd Wengerd was accidentally shot and killed by a member of his hunting party. Twenty four hunters were divided into two teams; Wengerd was a member of the team driving deer toward the “standers,” when a buck jumped up and ran back through the line of drivers. Two hunters fired, and Wengerd, who was in the direct line of fire, was struck in the right hip. Snowy weather and dangerous terrain delayed first responders’s ability to reach Wengerd, who was still conscious when they arrived, but died later at the hospital.

The deputy president of the fire company described the rescue effort. “The victim was way on top I would say a mile up, and there were no roads to him…He had everything against him right there…If the winter weather wasn’t going on, it would have increased his chances.” Close to 50 emergency personnel assisted in the rescue which took about an hour, and was described by the deputy president as one of the most dangerous operations in his long career.

Source:

Alexa Southard, Yasmine Cowan, “Hunter, Now Identified, May Have Survived Shooting if Winter Conditions Weren’t Present,” local21news.com (December 3, 2025).