Aurora, Texas men injured in hunting accidents

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HOWARD — A 20-year-old Brookings County man was wounded in a hunting accident Saturday evening.

Shea Oines, of Aurora, was hunting with family and friends about seven miles west of Howard around 6:30 p.m., when he was struck by a shotgun blast from one of the hunters.

Oines was treated at the scene by a Howard Ambulance crew, which gave him oxygen and stabilized him before transporting him around 8 p.m. to Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell.

He had 14 pellets in his chest, neck and face, but was alert and talking at the hospital before he was transferred to Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, by an ambulance crew from Brandon around 10 p.m.

Oines’ father, Ray, 54, of Brookings, said physicians will not remove the pellets because it would create additional, unnecessary trauma.

Shea Oines said he initially felt blinded by the blast and fell down. Two of the pellets were plucked out, some of the others may work themselves out, and the remainder will be left in because removing them would do more damage than good, doctors said.

Ray Oines said his son remained at the hospital overnight Sunday for observation. He had no information about when he would be released.

Wildlife Conservation Officer Andy Petersen said there was a second minor hunting accident around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, when a hunter, identified only as a “Texas hunter in his 40s” was accidentally struck in the lip by a shotgun pellet, while hunting with a party in northwest Davison County.

Petersen said the man went to Avera Urgent Care in Mitchell and had the pellet removed.

Petersen urged hunters to wear orange, and to be careful when swinging guns toward game. He said one hunter was ticketed over the weekend for hunting without a license in Davison County and two warnings were issued for failure to carry licenses.

Saturday was the opening day of the pheasant season.

Tags: outdoors, news, updates, hunting, accident, injury