6 November 2023
ELLIS COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — A 70-year-old was rushed to the hospital Sunday after being shot in the face while hunting.
It happened near 300th Avenue and Catherine Road northeast of Hays. The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office said the area is used for an enrolled walk-in hunting program, but no program was taking place at the time.
A witness told deputies that he and the 70-year-old victim were hunting when someone shot a rifle multiple times at a deer decoy placed in a pasture near a waterway.
One of the bullets hit the victim in the face. The sheriff’s office said the injury is not life-threatening.
Deputies investigated and arrested an Ellis County man on suspicion of aggravated battery with a weapon and some hunting-related violations.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is assisting the sheriff’s office with the case.