A Tama man is recovering from injuries suffered in rural Poweshiek County during the opening day of pheasant hunting season Saturday. State conservation law enforcement officials report that 37-year-old James Harris was hunting about three to four miles north of Grinnell when the accident happened around 3:15.
Authorities say the group had shot a bird, which landed across a fence on adjoining property. Harris reportedly went to retrieve the bird, placed his gun on the ground and crossed the fence near the muzzle end. When he crossed the fence, hunting dogs stepped on the gun, which discharged and struck Harris in the left calf from a distance of about three feet.
Harris was treated at Grinnell Regional Medical Center and later transported by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.