Hunter Knocked Unconscious By Falling, Dead Goose Shot By His Hunting Party

By Emily Sullivan / NPR

Published February 4, 2018 at 5:27 AM PST

This story was published more than 6 years ago.

Canadian geese are pictured on March 21, 2013 in Eltville, Germany. A dead Canada goose injured Robert Meilhammer in Easton, Md., when it was shot and fell from the sky.

Some might chalk it up to bad luck; others, to karma.

Robert Meilhammer, 51, of Crapo, Md., was struck in the head Thursday by a dead Canada goose that plunged from the sky after a fellow waterfowl hunter fired a blind shot on a flock overhead. Meilhammer was in the midst of a hunting party with three friends in Easton, Md.

The goose fell about 90 feet, knocking the hunter out instantly and causing head and facial injuries. When Meilhammer came to, he was coherent but "hazy," according to the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

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Natural Resources police officers and EMS responders transported Meilhammer via ambulance to the Easton Airport, where he was airlifted to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Talbot County EMS responders called his head injury "severe." The dead bird also knocked out two of Meilhammer's teeth.

Thousands of Canada geese in the United States migrate south each year, filling the sky with long, V-formations. Adult Canada geese weigh about 12 to 14 pounds, and can have a wing span reaching nearly 6 feet. The "honkers," as the bird are called for their noisy calls, are found in every contiguous U.S. state.

Meilhammer is in stable condition.