A 50-year-old hunter, from the North of France, succumbed to his injuries, according to the French daily La Voix du Nord.
According to the initial investigation, the “experienced bow hunter” was taking part in a hunt near the town of Dainville-Bertheléville in the Moselle region when the rare, fatal accident occurred.
The animal, estimated to weigh between 150 and 200 kilos, seemed to have run into the victim. Rescue services were unable to save the 50-year-old businessman, who was unconscious on arrival.
Deer are generally not aggressive towards humans. According to Hervé Vuillaume, president of the Meuse hunting federation, “hunters are sometimes hit and injured, sometimes even several times a season. Here, the victim was in the animal’s line of flight, in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
As the breeding season was over, experts ruled out the hypothesis of a rutting animal and assume that the hunter simply did not see the deer coming.
An autopsy has yet to be carried out on the victim’s body to confirm the cause of death.
