Duck hunter injured by his own shotgun

PORTLAND – A Tillamook man sustained a leg injury when his 12-gauge shotgun accidentally discharged during a duck-hunting trip on Tillamook Bay.

The Oregon State Police said the man’s dog is the prime suspect.

Sgt. Todd Hoodenpyl said 23-year-old Matthew Markum and his younger brother were using an aluminum boat to go from land to their decoys Saturday morning. When the men left the boat, a shotgun blast put a hole in the side of the boat before striking Markum’s leg.

Hoodenpyl said the yellow Labrador had been on the boat and may have touched the gun.

An ambulance took the injured hunter to a local hospital. He was later transferred to Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Hospital.

The extent of Markum’s injury has not been released.