Hunting is one of the most controversial "sports" on the planet and has been repeatedly slammed by animal rights activists.

But it's not just a dangerous pastime for the animals pursued, it can also put the hunters themselves in danger, regardless of how unlikely it may seem.

Now, a hunter has lost his life after being killed by an elk that he had previously wounded with a bow and arrow.

Related - This father and on gave a hunter a hard time for killing deer:

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The Hillsboro man passed away on Sunday morning in Tillamook County, Oregon Live reports, after being fatally gored by an elk that he had shot the day before.

Mark David, 66, had been hunting on private property on Saturday evening in Tillamook County when he hit the bull elk.

Oregon State Police later reported that he was unable to find the animal before darkness fell, and he went out the next morning to try and locate the elk with the property owner.

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David located the injured animal at around 9:15AM and attempted to put it out of its misery by shooting it with his bow and arrow.

However, this did not go to plan and the elk charged at David, goring him fatally with its antlers.

While the property owner did try to help David after the attack, he was unable to save the hunter after he was gored and David passed away.

The elk, pictured above, was killed after the incident and its meat was donated to the Tillamook County jail.

This story comes after a hunter was left hospitalized with horrific wounds after the buffalo he was trying to kill carried out one final attack before dying.

Sharing his story and graphic injuries to Facebook, 35-year-old Chris McSherry from Gove in Australia revealed that he was bow hunting in Port Bradshaw - just off the northeast coast of the Northern Territory - when he spotted the 1700lbs beast.

Per The Sun, the dad-of-five said that he thought he had killed the water buffalo after hitting it with several arrows. However, when he went to check out his prey, the giant gored him twice, in a final attack that sent McSherry flying.

Related - This isn't the first time a hunter has become the hunted:

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McSherry says he was left with a hole the size of a can of Coke above his right knee, as well as an eight-inch gash under his buttocks.

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Writing on Facebook, the hunter said: "Ok thought I would give an update on my situation for anyone interested.

"I was bow hunting on Saturday morning when I put a couple of arrows into a nice buff."

The father then says he followed the blood trail for "a few hundred meters" before he came across "the beast" stuck in a thick bush.

However, after his friend hit the buffalo with "a couple more bolts" from their crossbow (to "put the animal out of misery"), the buffalo charged at McSherry.

After suffering "some decent wounds", McSherry reveals that he was transported to Darwin hospital, where he has undergone two surgeries and may have to undergo further skin grafts.

A bear tragically killed a 66-year-old man in a rare attack and an onlooker shot it dead while it was "consuming" the victim.

As reported by ABC News, the attack occurred in Groom Creek near Prescott, which is situated around 100 miles north of Phoenix.

The victim has since been identified as 66-year-old Steven Jackson, of Tucson, who was reportedly building a cabin in the woods at the time of the incident.

According to Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes, Jackson was sitting in a chair outside of his campsite at around 08:00 AM on June 16 when the black bear attacked him, unprovoked.

According to reports, onlookers attempted to scare the animal by honking car horns and shouting, but it was to no avail as the bear dragged Jackson 75 yards away and "began consuming him".

A neighbor got a rifle and shot the bear dead, but by this time Jackson had sadly succumbed to the injuries that he had sustained in the attack.

Rhodes said that first responders were in "a bit of shock and disbelief" at the scene when they arrived, as an unprovoked attack from a black bear is "unique".

During the press conference, the Country Sheriff stated that there was no food left in the area to attract the bear, and nothing obvious that would gain its attention.

According to NBC News, the bear that attacked Jackson was between six and 10 years old, and a full autopsy will be carried out on the animal.

Black bear attacks are extremely rare. Credit: mlorenzphotography / Getty

Darren Tucker, a field supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said: "This attack appears to be predatory in nature. This situation is extremely unusual, not the norm. We have had zero reports of any kind of aggressive or threatening behavior from a bear anywhere around here."

Tucker revealed that the last fatal bear attack in the state was in 2011, and black bears attacking humans is "extremely rare", even with their high population levels in the area.

Rhodes is urging calm amongst the community, saying: "These are exceeding rare circumstances and we haven’t seen this before. We don’t want people to freak out, shoot bears, shoot animals."

"Our sincere sympathies go out to Mr. Jackson’s family," Rhodes continued. "I cannot express how deeply sad this situation is and can only say our prayers are with you."

While it is common to spot black bears in Arizona, there have only been 15 reported attacks since the late '80s, which makes this incident extremely rare.

The sheriff has reminded the community that it is illegal to shoot bears unless they pose an imminent threat to life, and that campers should always take the necessary precautions to avoid attracting them.

Our thoughts are with Jackson's loved ones at this time.

Featured image credit: jared lloyd / Getty

A video has gone viral on social media this week, which shows a deer hunter being confronted by a father and son.

According to The New York Post, the incident allegedly occurred after bowhunter Dominick Lobifaro was confronted by a man from Oakdale and his son.

The duo was apparently unhappy to see him scoping out a state-owned land for game, and can be seen lambasting him on camera.

When a number of other tearful children appeared to taunt the hunter for his sport, Lobifaro defending himself by stating: "I’m sorry that [the kids are] crying - you need to explain to them that it’s part of life. I’m not trying to do anything bad. And I’m going to eat [the deer]. Instead, you let somebody else kill it."

The father called Suffolk County police — then accused Lobifaro of having an 'issue' before verbally abusing him some more. The tense standoff ended only after Lobifaro called the state Department of Environmental Conservation and an officer responded, telling the man and his son that Lobifaro was well within his rights to hunt in the area.

Check out the video of father and son confronting the hunter in the video below:

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This isn't the first deer-hunting-related story we've covered this week. According to CNN, a 66-year-old man was found severely injured in the woods in Arkansas on the evening of Tuesday, October 22, after he was killed by a deer that he'd shot and which had played dead, before rearing up to pierce him with its antlers.

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When the man's nephew discovered him, he was still alive and lucid enough to attempt to call his wife. Unfortunately, he stopped breathing by the time paramedics arrived at the scene. They were unable to resuscitate him.

Speaking to CNN, Game and Fish Commission spokesman Dale Purdom stated that this is the first time he'd heard of a hunter being killed after approaching a stunned deer since they typically spring up and dash away after playing dead.

A Kansas man has died after he was shot by his dog in a tragic hunting accident on Saturday morning.

According to several press releases obtained by People, 30-year-old Joseph Austin Smith of Witchita was fatally shot when the canine discharged the firearm while the two were inside his pickup truck.

Per the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the accidental shooting took place in the area of 80th Street South and River Road, which is north of Geuda Springs, as stated by ABC affiliate KAKE.

Smith had been sitting in the front passenger seat of his truck when his dog "stepped on the rifle" in the back seat, police say. The bullet hit the victim in the front seat.

"Responding units arrived within minutes of the 911 call and started CPR," the sheriff's office said.

Smith worked as a plumber at Browns Plumbing Services in Wichita, the owner of the company said on Tuesday.

"Joe is absolutely the most unique individual I have had the pleasure of meeting. He was loved by all of us from all walks of life and loved the same," owner Chris Brown wrote in a GoFundMe set up to help the victim's family with funeral costs.

"He made us laugh every morning whether it was at him or because of him he always made sure to be a positive light at my company. No matter how bad or stressful my or our day was, Joe always had something to lift our spirits."

Brown continued: "I have been a plumber for a long time and met many many different guys but never have I met another Joe and I am confident there may not be another.

"If you were lucky enough to know, be a friend or family of Joe, you understand what a great loss this is to the world. We must all learn to navigate without him in it. Please consider donating if you can, as any amount will truly help.

"We are very grateful for any donation during this very difficult time. If you are not able to donate, it would mean the world to us for you to share this link, someone else may be able to.

"I know it would mean a lot to myself, the rest of our crew, family and friends if you also shared a memory or story of Joe and what he has meant to you. We will forever feel so blessed to have him in our lives for just a short time. We will never forget you, Joe."

Per data from the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than a hundred unintentional shootings in the United States since the start of 2023.

Over 1,600 unintentional shootings were reported last year, according to the non-profit organization's website. More than 2,400 gun deaths have been recorded in the country in 2023 thus far.

(Stock image of a man walking his dog.) Featured image credit: Craig Stennett / Alamy

*Warning: This article contains content some people may find upsetting*

A hunter was left hospitalized with horrific wounds after the buffalo he was trying to kill carried out one final attack before dying.

Sharing his story and graphic injuries to Facebook, 35-year-old Chris McSherry from Gove in Australia revealed that he was bow hunting in Port Bradshaw - just off the northeast coast of the Northern Territory - when he spotted the 1700lbs beast.

Per The Sun, the dad-of-five said that he thought he had killed the water buffalo after hitting it with several arrows. However, when he went to check out his prey, the giant gored him twice, in a final attack that sent McSherry flying.

Related - This isn't the first time a hunter has become the hunted:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/TEoUxJ3D-sKUnNGKf.mp4||TEoUxJ3D]]

McSherry says he was left with a hole the size of a can of Coke above his right knee, as well as an eight-inch gash under his buttocks.

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Writing on Facebook, the hunter said: "Ok thought I would give an update on my situation for anyone interested.

"I was bow hunting on Saturday morning when I put a couple of arrows into a nice buff."

The father then says he followed the blood trail for "a few hundred meters" before he came across "the beast" stuck in a thick bush.

However, after his friend hit the buffalo with "a couple more bolts" from their crossbow (to "put the animal out of misery"), the buffalo charged at McSherry.

After suffering "some decent wounds", McSherry reveals that he was transported to Darwin hospital, where he has undergone two surgeries and may have to undergo further skin grafts.

Pictures of Chris' injuries can be seen below (Warning - these are graphic and are not for the faint-hearted):

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Concluding his post, McSherry wrote: "Buff is dead I'm alive (this time)and hope to be back with my family and friends soon.

"Thanks for all the well wishes on other posts I appreciate the love and support and will live to HUNT another day."

In a further update, McSherry's partner, Elenie Bromot, wrote on Facebook:

"Just wanted to give everyone an update, Chris Mcsherry is doing fine and is having surgery as we speak, thank you to everyone that has offered support to me and the girls and Ty, I am very grateful means a lot, and thank you to everyone thats has gone to see if he is ok in Darwin hospital, i really appreciate you all as i can not be there with him xoxo hopefully is home soon, will keep you updated. [sic]"

Bromot accompanied her post with a picture of McSherry in the back of an ambulance.

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This certainly was a lucky escape for Chris!