HARDIN COUNTY, IOWA — An Iowa man who was coyote hunting after dark with a group of hunters was shot and killed on Sunday night. It happened around 8 p.m. on private property near the town of Alden, the Iowa DNR reports.
Mark Arends, 53, was hunting in a group with each of the hunters separated by several hundred yards when he was hit by a single rifle shot. Arends was taken to a hospital in Iowa Falls where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities haven’t released who fired the shot that killed Arends or the names of the fellow hunters in his group. The shooting remains under investigation. An autopsy will be performed by the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner.
The DNR says that coyote hunting is often done at night as the animals are nocturnal. Hunters are known to use night-vision technology while hunting. “We stress the importance of identifying your target before taking a shot, and that’s even more important when hunting at night and using thermal technology,” said Iowa DNR Captain Matt Bruner in a news release, “The same can be said about the importance of the hunting plan, especially at night, and following that plan when in the field.”
