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Six hunters were injured in the area while pheasant hunting this weekend, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
"It's very upsetting," said Dan Hoenke, regional warden supervisor for the NDGF.
Four hunters were shot and wounded Saturday, which was the opening morning for pheasant hunting season in North Dakota, he said. The others were shot Sunday.
None of the injuries were severe and all victims have been released from the hospital, he added.
A 16-year-old male was struck in Billings County Sunday while pheasant and rabbit hunting, said Jerad Bluem, district game warden. The teen, a Stark County resident, was near Fryburg
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"Someone was unloading a .22 pistol before they got into the vehicle and shot somebody else in the arm," Bluem said.
A 22-year-old Stark County pheasant hunter received injuries to his face, arm and chest north of Belfield Sunday afternoon, Bluem said.
Two out-of-state men were injured Saturday morning on the Stark/Hettinger county line, Hoenke said. The men were with separate hunting parties but were injured at the same time about 15 miles apart, he added.
A Minnesota man was shot near Elgin while hunting Saturday morning as well, he said.
"An individual just had one stray BB that ended up hitting him in the chin," Hoenke said.
Another 16-year-old Stark County male was injured in Hettinger County near New England Saturday afternoon, Bluem said.
"It was a small game pheasant hunting accident where a shooter was swinging on a bird," he added.
The victim had injuries to his face and chest, Bluem said.
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Names of those involved in the accidents were not released.
Bluem is surprised at the number of hunters injured this weekend.
"It's very unusual," Bluem said.
There seem to be more hunters in the area this year compared to last year, he said.
Wearing blaze orange is not required for upland bird hunting, but it is recommended, Jon Hanson, hunter education program coordinator for the NDGF said. It is unclear whether any of the injured hunters were wearing orange.
"Know where everybody's at," he added. "Generally, more then half of the incidents we have are shotgun related."
The average age of injured hunters over the last three years is 34, Hanson said.
"We've had one fatality with a shotgun pheasant hunting in the last three years," Hanson said.
