2 opeing day deaths
Two Montana teens died in separate shooting accidents on the opening day of big game hunting.
Phillips County Sheriff's deputies responded to an accidental shooting 18 miles northwest of Malta on Saturday at 3:45 p.m.
According to a release, a 16-year-old Malta boy was hunting with two friends. They separated for a short time and when his companions went to look for him, they found him in a field, shot once.
Logan Wilson died at the scene.
Undersheriff Scott Moran said the investigation is ongoing, pending an autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner in Missoula.
Hours later in neighboring Blaine County, deputies responded to another hunting accident in which a 17-year-old Power boy was fatally shot in the face.
Undersheriff Pat Pyette said Monday that the boy was hunting with family and friends on Bureau of Land Management property in the Missouri River Breaks, about 70 miles south of Chinook.
The group was wrapping up hunting for the day at about 6 p.m. when the boy's 14-year-old sister was removing the bullets from her hunting rifle before loading it into their vehicle.
The gun discharged, killing her brother who was standing less than 5 feet away, Pyette said. Blaine County Coroner Marvin Edwards identified him as Augustus Chamakoon-Leigland.
Pyette said Mercy Flight helicopter initially was called, but was waived off when Blaine County ambulance responders found the boy dead at the scene.
Pyette said the incidents are a sad reminder of the many lessons taught in hunter safety education.
"Safety is paramount in every situation," he said. "You have to be sure you know where your muzzle is pointing at all times."
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bureau Chief of Communication and Education Ron Aashiem said since the law changed to require teenagers to take hunters safety classes, the state averages four hunting-related fatalities a year.
Before that in the 1950s and '60s, it was 20 each year.
Aashiem didn't have statistics on the ages of the 210 people who have died while hunting in the last 50 years, but said younger people tend to be more mindful of safety precautions.
Since 1960, 44 hunters died because of their own negligence and another 37 died because of their companions' negligence. Another 34 were reported missing and are presumed dead, and the same number died in vehicle crashes while hunting. Sixty-one hunters died from health problems such as heart attacks.
Between 6,500 and 7,000 people take hunters education classes every year.
Aashiem said the most important lessons to remember while handling firearms is to treat every gun like it's loaded, always point the weapon in a safe direction and never aim at something that you don't intend to shoot.
A sophomore at Malta High School, Wilson was an avid basketball player, spending his spare time practicing or conditioning himself for the season ahead. His lifelong dream was to play for the Montana Grizzlies and the NBA.
His family describes Wilson as a lovable prankster, who idolized his two brothers and had a wonderful sense of humor.
Wilson's full obituary appears on page 2M. His funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in the Malta High School gymnasium.
An obituary for Chamakoon-Leigland is expected in the coming days. His funeral arrangements are being handled by Croxford's Funeral Home.
Two Montana teens died in separate shooting accidents on the opening day of big game hunting.
Phillips County Sheriff's deputies responded to an accidental shooting 18 miles northwest of Malta on Saturday at 3:45 p.m.
According to a release, a 16-year-old Malta boy was hunting with two friends. They separated for a short time and when his companions went to look for him, they found him in a field, shot once.
Logan Wilson died at the scene.
Undersheriff Scott Moran said the investigation is ongoing, pending an autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner in Missoula.
Hours later in neighboring Blaine County, deputies responded to another hunting accident in which a 17-year-old Power boy was fatally shot in the face.
Undersheriff Pat Pyette said Monday that the boy was hunting with family and friends on Bureau of Land Management property in the Missouri River Breaks, about 70 miles south of Chinook.
The group was wrapping up hunting for the day at about 6 p.m. when the boy's 14-year-old sister was removing the bullets from her hunting rifle before loading it into their vehicle.
The gun discharged, killing her brother who was standing less than 5 feet away, Pyette said. Blaine County Coroner Marvin Edwards identified him as Augustus Chamakoon-Leigland.
Pyette said Mercy Flight helicopter initially was called, but was waived off when Blaine County ambulance responders found the boy dead at the scene.
Pyette said the incidents are a sad reminder of the many lessons taught in hunter safety education.
"Safety is paramount in every situation," he said. "You have to be sure you know where your muzzle is pointing at all times."
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bureau Chief of Communication and Education Ron Aashiem said since the law changed to require teenagers to take hunters safety classes, the state averages four hunting-related fatalities a year.
Before that in the 1950s and '60s, it was 20 each year.
Aashiem didn't have statistics on the ages of the 210 people who have died while hunting in the last 50 years, but said younger people tend to be more mindful of safety precautions.
Since 1960, 44 hunters died because of their own negligence and another 37 died because of their companions' negligence. Another 34 were reported missing and are presumed dead, and the same number died in vehicle crashes while hunting. Sixty-one hunters died from health problems such as heart attacks.
Between 6,500 and 7,000 people take hunters education classes every year.
Aashiem said the most important lessons to remember while handling firearms is to treat every gun like it's loaded, always point the weapon in a safe direction and never aim at something that you don't intend to shoot.
A sophomore at Malta High School, Wilson was an avid basketball player, spending his spare time practicing or conditioning himself for the season ahead. His lifelong dream was to play for the Montana Grizzlies and the NBA.
His family describes Wilson as a lovable prankster, who idolized his two brothers and had a wonderful sense of humor.
Wilson's full obituary appears on page 2M. His funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in the Malta High School gymnasium.
An obituary for Chamakoon-Leigland is expected in the coming days. His funeral arrangements are being handled by Croxford's Funeral Home.
