Teen charged for wild hunter's tale

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) - An elaborate story of a duel between two outdoorsmen that ended with one shooting an arrow into the other was all a tale fabricated by a 14-year-old Edinburgh hunter, Department of Natural Resources officials say.

Indiana Conservation Officers and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 911 call saying that a young hunter had been stabbed by a fellow hunter, who retaliated by shooting the hunter with his bow.

The teen eventually told officers he was hunting in Area 15 of the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area when he was confronted by another hunter who told him to leave. The teen and the older hunter got into an argument before the teen left the area. Conservation officers say that’s when the teen called 911 and told a different version of the story.

The teen faces preliminary charges of false reporting.

Conservation officers are still looking for the second hunter. He is described as a white male, 40 to 50 years old, who stands approximately 6 feet tall with medium length grey hair, last seen dressed in camouflage.

He was observed driving a late model white extended cab pickup, possibly a Toyota Tundra. If you are this man, or know who this might be, Officers would like to talk to him to get his version of the events. Please call South Region Dispatch 812-837-9536, or the TIP line at 1-800- TIP-IDNR if you have any information on this case.