Elderly hunter dies in accident

By DEUCE NIVEN

    Elderly and still active as a hunter, Vernon Gurganus died when his rifle discharged as he pulled it from his truck during an afternoon outing into the woods on Monday, Columbus County Assistant Coroner William Hannah said.
    Gurganus, 79, was just a few miles from his Butler Town Road home, in a hunting area on Lebanon Church Road, and had driven his truck to the woods, Hannah said.
    “It appears that he tilted the seat forward, reached in, and pulled the gun out from behind it,” Hannah said. “There were tools behind the seat, and something caught on the trigger, and it fired.”
    Gurganus, who was alone, was stuck in the chest, Hannah said. Hannah did not know who discovered his body.
    “He had called his wife right after lunch,” Hannah said. “He was going to the woods to hunt.”
    An obituary for Vernon Gurganus can be found here.