NH Hunter Shoots At Deer, Hits Woman On Bike Instead

HOPKINTON, NH — A New Hampshire hunter who recently shot at a deer in Hopkinton hit a woman on a bicycle instead, officials said. The victim, a 27-year-old Hopkinton woman, was hit by bullet fragments, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. The incident happened Tuesday shortly after 4 p.m.

"The victim was ... riding her mountain bike on Hall Road on U.S. Army Corps of Engineering property in Elm Brook Park in Hopkinton, NH," Fish and Game said in a statement. "She was traveling east on Hall Road, which is an Army Corps access road in a heavily wooded area. As she came to an area of the road that is fairly open, she heard a single gunshot and shortly thereafter realized she had been struck by a bullet."

The woman was treated at Concord Hospital and released.

"The initial investigation of the shooting leads Conservation Officers to believe that the suspect was shooting at a deer and failed to see the victim on her mountain bike in the background," Fish and Game said. "The investigation is still ongoing and potential charges against the shooter are undetermined at this time."

New Hampshire's deer hunting season with firearms runs through December 3.

Fish and Game promotes these safety tips for hunters:

• "Control your firearm muzzle at all times.
• Always wear safety glasses.
• Know where your hunting partners are at all times.
• Shoot only within your zone of fire.
• Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
• Always keep your hunting dog under control.
• Wear hunter orange on your head, back and chest."

Photo: A deer stands in a yard in Concord, New Hampshire, June 5, 2016. (Credit: Jim Cole/Associated Press)