Jan. 9, 2026 2 p.m.: This story was updated.
Jan. 10, 2026 8 a.m.: Clarification: Access to the wilderness area of Cumberland Island is limited during managed hunts.
Georgia DNR game wardens and their National Park Service partners are investigating a fatal hunting incident that occurred during a managed hunt on Cumberland Island Thursday, Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon told The Current GA.
“A hunter was shot by another hunter while hog hunting,” McKinnon said Friday in an update. “The victim was transported off the island to a local hospital but did not survive. GA DNR Critical Incident Reconstruction Team (CIRT) Investigators will lead the investigation at the request of the National Park Service.”
More information will be released when the investigation is complete in a few weeks, McKinnon said. He was unable to release the victim’s name.
An injury was reported at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Cumberland Island National Seashore Management Support Specialist Cindy Brewer told The Current GA.
“National Park Service rangers, park staff, and responding local and state partners provided immediate assistance and transported the individual for medical care,” she wrote in an email. “All hunt activities were halted, and the area was closed as rangers investigate the incident.”
The managed hunt for hogs, an invasive species, was scheduled for Jan. 6-8, with hunters aged 14 and over who were allowed to use “modern weapons.” Those include rifles or handguns, centerfire only, .22 caliber or larger; shotguns 20 gauge or larger loaded with slugs, buckshot prohibited. The National Park Service limits the number of hunters allowed on these scheduled hunts and prevents non-hunters from visiting the wilderness area of the island during the hunt. Hunting takes place 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset on designated hunt days. A hunting license is required to participate.
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