Press Releases

Contact:
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
284 State Street
41 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Media representatives can receive press releases via e-mail.

April 30, 2012

Turkey Hunting Incident

Windham, Maine - At 9:45 AM, a man from Standish was seriously injured as a result of a turkey hunting incident while hunting with his son. Joseph Kennedy, age 61, from Deerfield Circle in Standish was hunting off from Anderson Road in Windham with his son Kevin Kennedy, age 29, from Elmwood Avenue in Westbrook.

The father and son were hunting turkeys together this morning and decided to separate and stock two different flocks of turkeys off from the Anderson Road. After hearing a gunshot, Kevin Kennedy assumed his father had shot at a turkey so he began walking in the direction of the shot. While walking, Kevin observed two turkeys and fired three shots at one of the turkeys. When Kevin fired, the shot trajectory was unknowingly directly towards his father who was in a nearby wooded area. One of the pellets lodged into his father’s eye. Joseph Kennedy sustained a bird shot pellet to his left eye and was transported to Portland for eye surgery. Ironically, Joseph Kennedy had been blind in his left eye since birth.

Several Maine Game Wardens responded to investigate the incident. The Wardens included Sergeant Jason Luce, Sergeant Dave Chabot and his K9 Ruby (evidence detection) Pilot Dan Dufault (aerial survey photos), Eric Blanchard (forensic mapping of the scene), Wardens Seth Powers, Neal Wykes, and the primary investigator, Warden Peter Herring. The incident remains under investigation.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Press Releases