Hunter found dead in Quakertown

[VeeVee]

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/m...,7603484.story


Family of dead hunter in shock, he died of gunshot wound


The family of the Quakertown man shot and killed on the opening day of deer hunting season said Tuesday they were shocked by his death and searching for answers.

Police said Barry Groh, 52, was found dead of a gunshot wound while hunting on a rural property in Richland Township. His death has been labeled suspicious and investigators and state gaming agents are creating a topographical map to determine where other hunters may have been at the time of Groh's shooting.

Groh's sister-in-law, Melody Schueck, said the family is in shock and they believed Groh's death may have been a tragic accident.

"They couldn't have meant to do it. . .," Schueck said, her voice trailing off. "It wasn't on purpose."

Groh, of 209 Park Ave., died from a gunshot wound, authorities said Tuesday. Police Sgt. Richard Ficco said Tuesday afternoon an autopsy has been performed but he did not have the details.

Groh was hunting Monday near 1155 California Road when he shot a 195-pound nine-point buck about 10:15 a.m., police said, and he then put his gun down and dragged the buck about 300 feet.

He took off his orange vest and called his wife about 10:30 a.m. and asked for one of his sons to come help him, police said.

Police said he died sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 12:40 p.m., when members of a hunting party being held by the landowner of 1155 California Road found the man's body in Tohickon Creek in a wooded section of the township.

Monday was opening day in Pennsylvania of a two-week season of deer hunting by rifle.

Police are investigating along with the Bucks County District Attorney's office and the state game commission.

Ficco said Tuesday that investigators were still interviewing members of the hunting party on the property at the time of the shooting.

"The death is absolutely suspicious," Ficco said. "Maybe it goes from accidental to homicide, but you don't have the investigation decided from the get-go."

Melody Schueck said Barry's youngest son, Justin, had gone to help his father with the deer. But, by the time he arrived, police were already there.

"They wouldn't let him get near his father," said Melody's husband, David Schueck. "Thank God."

Groh's mother, 89-year-old Anna Groh, said she was devastated by the killing and kept hoping for details.

"He's dead and I'm mad," Groh said. "I don't understand why someone would just shoot a person like that. But, I guess I'm not supposed to understand. How can you?"

Family said Groh was an avid hunter who loved to be out on the first day of the season. Groh worked as a maintenance technician for Visteon in Lansdale.

On Tuesday afternoon, Melody Schueck held up a photo of a young Barry Groh and his wife, Theresa, smiling on their wedding day.

"It should have been 25 years in May," she said.

Anna Groh said a number of people were also hunting on the California Road property at the time of the shooting.

"How could all those people be around and no one can give the answers to what happened?," she said. "Just tell police what happened."

Groh's death was the second in the region during Monday's deer hunting.

Frederick Xander, 62, of Whitehall Township, died of natural causes while hunting from a tree stand in Heidelberg Township.

[indianjack]

Doesn't say if the deer he shot was still at the site.

[CenterTree]

This is insane! It is sad.

I wonder if the guy was "mistaken" for a deer by some moron or if some one tried to "steal" his deer. I mean in this crazy world anything is possible!

I can't ever imagine how someone can plead that they thought a human was a deer though. NO EXCUSE whatsoever.

The details of this will most likely be found out.

[CHEMICAL]

I wonder if the guy was "mistaken" for a deer by some moron or if some one tried to "steal" his deer. I mean in this crazy world anything is possible!

I'm wondering the same thing. Still, he should have never removed his vest. I'm sure that will be brought up by someone in the media at some point.

[CenterTree]

I'm wondering the same thing. Still, he should have never removed his vest. I'm sure that will be brought up by someone in the media at some point.

True, because I know that when I remove my vest I look EXACTLY like a 9 point!

[27hand]

I'm wondering the same thing. Still, he should have never removed his vest. I'm sure that will be brought up by someone in the media at some point.

I carry a very lightweight secondary vest I put on to clean or drag my deer so I am always orange. I used to hang my hunting jacket close by but decided to just keep one on.

This is upsetting EVERY time this happens.

27

[AxiTech]

Someone used the words "Kmart hunters". There is a lot of truth to this. I know for certain that there have been hunting licenses sold to individuals who haven't had the safety course and did not meet any of the other criteria either. This happened at the Warminster Kmart years ago, and if it happened there, you KNOW it happens elsewhere too. I even gave the kid at the register a hard time about it. His response? "So what, they lie all the time about having a license last year, or they tell us they are a veteran. Big deal!"

My wife and i were talking about this at dinner. She took the stance that if he took off his orange, it was his fault. I explained that the shooter is responsible for where his shot lands regardless of what others did or did not do correctly. Her not being a hunter kept her from initially seeing this. It took a bit of explaining, but I got through to her. Non-"gun" folks just don't have the mindset that we ,who were blessed to have firearms introduced to us early and correctly, all have. That is a shame.

Lastly, about 14 years ago, I was hunting up on Broad Mountain above Jim Thorpe, Pa. About noon, I heard a commotion in the woods about two hundred yards away. I looked through the scope and spotted a nice 8 point or better buck moving through the deep brush. No clear shot. But, he was headed for a clearing. I got the rifle up and steadied on a crook in a tree. Aimed at the clearing, and waited. I watched the deer diddy-bopping through the brush. Seriously, that is the best way I can describe it. He had this 'ghetto' walk going on. It was kind of comical. My wife's step-dad sees me looking and I point it out to him. He gets his much more powerful scope up on the deer. He looks at it for a good ten seconds and says, "DO NOT SHOOT AT THAT DEER!" I didn't. When it walked into the clearing, I saw what he saw and I couldn't with my lower power scope. The deer was being carried, front legs ove the shoulders, it's head being supported by the head of a guy who was wearing full camouflage. No orange at all!! His buddy was a hundred yards behind him carrying both rifles and the first guys coat.
I had come very close to shooting that guy, but figured I'd wait for a better shot in the clearing. I'm a free man today only because I waited. It happens just that easily!

[bogey1]

Lastly, about 14 years ago, I was hunting up on Broad Mountain above Jim Thorpe, Pa. About noon, I heard a commotion in the woods about two hundred yards away. I looked through the scope and spotted a nice 8 point or better buck moving through the deep brush. No clear shot. But, he was headed for a clearing. I got the rifle up and steadied on a crook in a tree. Aimed at the clearing, and waited. I watched the deer diddy-bopping through the brush. Seriously, that is the best way I can describe it. He had this 'ghetto' walk going on. It was kind of comical. My wife's step-dad sees me looking and I point it out to him. He gets his much more powerful scope up on the deer. He looks at it for a good ten seconds and says, "DO NOT SHOOT AT THAT DEER!" I didn't. When it walked into the clearing, I saw what he saw and I couldn't with my lower power scope. The deer was being carried, front legs ove the shoulders, it's head being supported by the head of a guy who was wearing full camouflage. No orange at all!! His buddy was a hundred yards behind him carrying both rifles and the first guys coat.
I had come very close to shooting that guy, but figured I'd wait for a better shot in the clearing. I'm a free man today only because I waited. It happens just that easily!

thats some scary shit. thank god you didnt pull the trigger.

i dont use a scope so i can only take 75-100 yrd shots.
before i settle in my spot, i look 360* to get an idea where the projectile might go if i miss.

[PocketProtector]

I carry a very lightweight secondary vest I put on to clean or drag my deer so I am always orange. I used to hang my hunting jacket close by but decided to just keep one on.

This is upsetting EVERY time this happens.

27

My guess is Groh was over heated from the drag, removed the vest so he could remove some layers, with the intention of putting it right back on. Who hasn't done that?

The perp broke one law by using the rifle so he gets no slack whatsoever. Then to bolt and not render aid, strike two. And of course strike three was the shot. They will catch him and he should spend a long time in a state prison.

There also was a hunter recently killed with a shot to the neck by his "buddy" who mistook him for a turkey. R U kidding?

[Ramtuff]

Ok, can someone school me here? It's rifle season, but it's illegal to hunt in Bucks county with a rifle? Is that all rifles, or just centerfire? What type of weapon would the killed hunter have been using? A muzzle loader?