Elk shoots hunter
Swedish hunter Sven-Erik Rådlund is lucky to be alive after coming within inches of being shot in the head by an elk, Expressen reports.
The curious incident occurred after one of Rådlund's hunting partners had shot and wounded a bull elk in a forest in Ytterdal in northern Sweden.
When two of the dogs accompanying the hunting party approached the injured beast, the hunter decided to hold his fire.
"They stood beside the bull and started barking. I didn't dare shoot because that could have caused the dogs to start fighting," he told Expressen.
But just as he was about to put a leash on one of the dogs, the elk lurched forward and attacked the hunter with his eleven-pronged antlers.
The elk knocked Rådlund to the ground and aimed its antlers at his face. Fortunately, the hunter managed to grab hold of the antlers and steer the animal's head away.
But he was not out of danger yet. In a strange reversal of the usual order, the elk's hind legs came into contact with the rifle trapped under Rådlund's body and a shot was fired.
"It went just past my head," he said.
The tussle with the hunter sucked the last of the energy out of the wounded elk. Both man and beast remained on the forest floor for around 45 minutes before the elk retired to a more private spot and lay down to die.
Sven-Erik Rådlund went to hospital the next day to be treated for chest injuries and a swollen lip. But his brief ordeal left no lasting scars, either physical or emotional.
"I'll be back out hunting again," he told Expressen.
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The curious incident occurred after one of Rådlund's hunting partners had shot and wounded a bull elk in a forest in Ytterdal in northern Sweden.
When two of the dogs accompanying the hunting party approached the injured beast, the hunter decided to hold his fire.
"They stood beside the bull and started barking. I didn't dare shoot because that could have caused the dogs to start fighting," he told Expressen.
But just as he was about to put a leash on one of the dogs, the elk lurched forward and attacked the hunter with his eleven-pronged antlers.
The elk knocked Rådlund to the ground and aimed its antlers at his face. Fortunately, the hunter managed to grab hold of the antlers and steer the animal's head away.
But he was not out of danger yet. In a strange reversal of the usual order, the elk's hind legs came into contact with the rifle trapped under Rådlund's body and a shot was fired.
"It went just past my head," he said.
The tussle with the hunter sucked the last of the energy out of the wounded elk. Both man and beast remained on the forest floor for around 45 minutes before the elk retired to a more private spot and lay down to die.
Sven-Erik Rådlund went to hospital the next day to be treated for chest injuries and a swollen lip. But his brief ordeal left no lasting scars, either physical or emotional.
"I'll be back out hunting again," he told Expressen.
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