The 38-year-old was sitting inside a ground blind when a rifle round fired from nearby property struck him in the chest.
ESSEX TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 38-year-old bow hunter was shot in the chest while sitting inside a hard-sided ground blind after an errant rifle round traveled from nearby target shooting, authorities said, only days after Michigan’s archery deer season opened.
Clinton County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 5:50 p.m. Oct. 3 to an address on Lowe Road in Essex Township, northwest of St. Johns. Deputies and other emergency personnel found the hunter inside the blind with a single gunshot wound to his chest. He was taken by Clinton Area Ambulance to a hospital and was initially listed in critical condition. Officials later said he was improving, though an updated medical condition was not publicly available.
Preliminary findings from investigators indicated that multiple people were target shooting on a nearby property when one round left the shooting area and struck the hunter. Michigan Department of Natural Resources Lt. Richard Nickols told the Lansing State Journal that the hunter was hit by what was believed to be a .30-caliber rifle round. Nickols said the target shooters were about 320 yards from the ground blind. Authorities have not publicly identified the hunter or the people who were target shooting.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office initially described the shooting as an isolated incident. The department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the shot. Authorities had not announced charges as of the latest reports reviewed for this article, and investigators had not publicly identified which person fired the round that struck the hunter.
The shooting happened two days after Michigan’s regular archery deer season opened Oct. 1. The early archery season runs through Nov. 14, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The state’s regular firearm deer season does not begin until Nov. 15, although Michigan has separate firearm hunting periods for certain groups and seasons. The people who fired the round were described by investigators as target shooters rather than deer hunters.
Michigan rules do not require deer hunters using archery equipment during the archery season to wear hunter orange. Hunters using firearms for deer generally must wear approved hunter-orange clothing that is visible from all sides. The distinction became part of the safety discussion after the shooting because bow hunters may be concealed inside camouflage blinds while other shooting activity takes place on nearby property.
Brent Langenbacher, a longtime hunter and manager at Moose Creek Sports, told WILX that the incident was especially concerning because he hunts in Clinton County. He noted that camouflage blinds can be difficult to see and suggested hunters may choose to make them more visible. Michigan law does not require archery deer hunters to wear orange during the archery season, but state officials said nothing prevents a bow hunter from voluntarily using orange clothing or another visible marker.
Nickols also emphasized that people firing guns remain responsible for knowing where their rounds travel. Target shooters must account for what lies beyond their intended target because rifle bullets can continue traveling substantial distances if they miss or pass through a target. State officials said reckless shooting or property damage can potentially lead to criminal consequences depending on the circumstances, though authorities had not announced such a determination in this case.
The incident drew attention because the injured man was not using a firearm when he was struck. He was bow hunting from inside a hard-sided blind while another group was shooting on separate property, according to investigators. Authorities have not said whether the shooters knew a hunter was nearby before the round was fired or whether the blind was visible from the neighboring property.
Emergency agencies assisting with the response included Clinton Area Ambulance Service, Maple Rapids Fire Department, DeWitt Township Police Department, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Clinton County Central Dispatch. The investigation remained active as officials worked to determine the path of the round and the circumstances surrounding the target shooting.
The latest public update indicated that the injured hunter was improving after initially being hospitalized in critical condition. No additional medical update or final investigative finding had been released, and authorities had not announced whether anyone would face charges in connection with the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 13, 2026.