AR Hunter Thomas Alexander ID’d As Victim Attacked & Killed By Deer ‘Played Dead?’

YELLVILLE, AR. (THECOUNT) — Arkansas hunter, Thomas Alexander, of Yellville, AR, has been identified as the man killed after he was attacked by a deer, he thought he had shot dead.

According to Yellville officials, Alexander, 66, apparently thought he had shot the animal, approached it, when it suddenly turned the tables and delivered a vicious attack.

The fatal attack occurred near Yellville, an area roughly 102 miles east of Fayetteville, on Tuesday at about 6:30 p.m., officials said.

Alexander shot the buck using a muzzleloader, an official with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, told reporters.

“He apparently went over to the buck and it got up and attacked him,” the official said.

Alexander was reportedly able to contact his wife who summoned help. He was in the process of being transported to an area hospital when he stopped breathing and passed away from injuries suffered in the grisly man-versus-beast attack.

Alexander was pronounced dead at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Stephens said. It wasn’t clear whether Alexander died from the deer attack, or due to other medical problems, like a heart attack, but hospital officials said he did have puncture wounds when he was admitted. The spokesperson said he doesn’t believe an autopsy will be conducted to find out how the hunter died, reported FOX5.

The official said he knew of one other similar case about four years ago during which “somebody was struck by a buck’s antlers.” That person survived.

Hunters should always make sure to wait at least 30 minutes after shooting a deer before approaching it, as “it may not be dead,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission official noted. Alexander “may have done that, [but] we just don’t know.”

Geo quick facts: Yellville is a city and county seat in Marion County, Arkansas, United States. Yellville is located in the Ozark Mountains along the banks of Crooked Creek, and neighbors the small town of Summit to the north. The population was 1,204 at the 2010 Census – Wikipedia.