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!

[bogey1]

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

that crap really pisses me off. dont wear blue or red while turkey hunting because someone may mistake you for a turkey you gotta be kidding

if you mistake a human for a turkey, personally, IMHO you should have your guns taken away from you.

[Metz]

if you mistake a human for a turkey, personally, IMHO you should have your guns taken away from you.

Too many Kmart hunters out there, who never took hunter's ed and have no clue about safety rules. Or worse - don't give a damn.

I'm goin hunting next monday and shit like this really pisses me off.

[bnkrtstk]

Channel 6 ariel footage showed the deer laying next to a pixelated blur where the body lay. The also said it was found near the body.

[XD40coyote]

The reason for hunter orange requirements in certain seasons is to cut down on the idoits who shoot at anything that moves. Also any newer hunters MUST have passed the hunter ed class in order to even buy a hunting lisc. The one in MD consisted mostly of GUN SAFETY and IDing YOUR TARGET, so I imagine the PA one is the same way. If someone did all that and still shoots a person thinking they were a deer or turkey or whatever, they should be in jail for life, more or less for being a total moron.

This man may have indeed been "mistaken" for a 9 point buck, after he took his vest off. I even wear an orange vest to check traps during late muzzleloader and late shotgun here in MD ( I don't really trap during the primary shotgun season, and early muzzleloader is before trapping season opens).

Of course there are always poachers, no hunting lisc, shooting from their truck and other idiotic stuff (like killing a WCO to avoid going to jail). Could be one of these halfwit poachers shot him thinking he was a 9 pointer "dragging itself".

Really, things should be that hunter orange is not needed ever, but some people just have to be idiots and shoot at anything moving, despite the fact that a deer looks like a deer and a turkey looks like a turkey and a bear looks like a bear. Everyone should strive for a good clean shot, not the "if it's brown it's down". I could have been a moron yesterday and shot at a patch of visible deer fur, but I want a clean kill, so I passed on it since the deer was barely visible in the brush. If I can't get a good broadside chest shot, or a close up neck shot, forget it.

[Metz]

Also any newer hunters MUST have passed the hunter ed class in order to even buy a hunting lisc. The one in MD consisted mostly of GUN SAFETY and IDing YOUR TARGET, so I imagine the PA one is the same way.

It's a same class, basically. In the last few years game comissions of different states worked in kahoots to develop sort of universal hunters ed program for the nationwide reciprocity of safety/graduation certificates. So basically with my certificate, that I got 2 or 3 years ago I can get hunting license in every state.