TAYLOR COUNTY, Iowa – Iowa DNR Conservation Officers are investigating a shooting involving a New Market man who was searching for an injured deer when he was shot by another hunter who had mistaken him for a deer.
The shooting happened December 10, 2017 around 9:15 a.m., north of New Market on private property. Justin Scroggie, 28, of New Market, was hunting with Brooks Lambert, 42, of Clarinda, while both were attempting to locate an injured deer in a tall, dense CRP field. Lambert mistakenly identified Scroggie as a deer in the dense vegetation and shot him from approximately 40 to 45 yards away, striking him in the left forearm.
Scroggie was airlifted to University of Nebraska Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. He was wearing a camouflaged hat.
This incident remains under investigation by the DNR.
The DNR reminds hunters to not shoot at any movement without always properly identifying the target.