Maine game wardens are investigating the death of a 57-year-old man who died after he accidentally shot himself while hunting.
Game wardens said Franklin County deputies received a call from Mark Henderson of Eustis just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 9. Henderson said he had accidentally shot himself in the lower part of his left leg.
Henderson had been bird hunting on a remote logging road near the northwest shore of Flagstaff Lake in Flagstaff Township.
Authorities found the man an hour later near his truck on the logging road. Warden Hladik administered CPR and loaded him his truck.
A state trooper drove the warden’s truck to meet an ambulance at the Big Eddy Road as Warden Hladik and another trooper continued to administer CPR to Henderson.
Emergency medical personnel administered care to Henderson for approximately 40 minutes before he died due to his injuries.
Game wardens say there have only been three fatal hunting accidents in the last decade in Maine.
There are nearly 215,000 licensed hunters in the state, and over the last ten years, Maine has averaged only six hunting incidents per year.
Game wardens say Henderson's death is the first hunting incident of 2019.
Currently, in Maine hunting for bear, deer, upland birds, waterfowl, turkey and other species are open.
Maine game wardens remind hunters to always treat every firearm as if it’s loaded, always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction, and always be sure of targets.
The department also remind hunters to ask first before accessing private land.
