Friends hunting coyotes separated, then one is shot and killed, Iowa authorities say
A man was shot and killed while hunting coyotes with friends in Iowa, authorities said.
The friends were separated by “several hundred yards” when Mark Arends, 53, was “struck by a single rifle shot” at about 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The Alden man was taken to an Iowa Falls hospital, where authorities said he was pronounced dead.
Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the Woodley Funeral Home and Crematory.
“Oh my goodness, Mark was one in a million,” one person said on Facebook. “My boys have the best memories from baseball because of him. Lifting the family up in our prayers!!”
“Sending thoughts and prayers!” another said. “Mark was seriously one of the most caring, family oriented guys I ever had the pleasure of meeting. If you met Mark or knew him he definitely left a special spot in your heart.”
“So incredibly sad for his family and the community,” someone else wrote. “Mark was an amazing friend to all.”
State wildlife authorities said the coyote hunters were on private land about two miles north of Alden in northern Hardin County.
The department has not said who fired the fatal shot, but an investigation into the shooting is ongoing. An autopsy will be conducted as part of the investigation, according to the release.
Hunters typically track coyotes at night because they are nocturnal animals, officials said.
“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,” Capt. Matt Bruner, with the Iowa DNR’s Law Enforcement Bureau, said in the release. “The same can be said about the importance of the hunting plan, especially at night, and following that plan when in the field.”
Alden is about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines.
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