A hunting tradition that’s meant to be coordinated, controlled, and safe turned deadly on a Pennsylvania mountain, and now a 20-year-old hunter is facing a criminal charge.
In a CBS 21 report from Yasmine Cowan, the focus is on a tactic known as a “deer drive,” where some hunters move through cover to push deer out toward other hunters positioned ahead, often called “standers,” who wait for a clear shot.
But in Tuscarora State Forest in Juniata County, Cowan reports the plan “did not go according to plan” on December 2, 2025. Instead, a 26-year-old man named Floyd Wengerd was shot during the hunt, and court documents later led authorities to charge Anthony Peachey, 20, in connection with the fatal shot.
What’s left behind is a case that hits two sensitive nerves at once: firearm safety in the woods, and whether a high-energy group tactic like a deer drive can be run responsibly when conditions are rough and people are spread out.
A Morning Hunt Turns Into An Emergency
The picture that comes through in the report is fast and grim.
Cowan says Wengerd was hunting with a large party – nearly 20 people – when he was struck by gunfire around 8:20 a.m. The report describes Wengerd being rushed to an ambulance in a UTV, an off-road vehicle used in places where a truck can’t easily go.
He later died.
The way Cowan tells it, that timeline is part of what makes the story land hard. This wasn’t an all-day hunt that slowly unraveled. It was a morning in the woods that turned into an emergency response, then a death investigation, then a criminal charge that surfaced months later as the court process moved forward.
And because it happened during a group hunt, the immediate reaction from many people wasn’t just sadness. It was questions – sharp ones – about how it could happen at all.
One of those questions came from Drew Barker, who Cowan includes as a voice reflecting what many were thinking. Barker asked out loud whether the gun was loaded in the vehicle, and whether this was intentional or an accident.
Those are the kinds of questions that show up whenever a fatal shooting happens in a hunting setting, because the public often has to sort through two competing truths: most hunters don’t want anyone hurt, and yet accidents still happen when people get careless, rushed, or confused.
What A “Deer Drive” Is Supposed To Do
Cowan frames the deer drive as a tactic with a clear purpose: push deer out of hiding so other hunters can get a better shot.
That sounds simple on paper, but it’s exactly the kind of method that demands strict discipline. Everyone has to know where everyone else is. Lines of movement have to be agreed on. Safe directions of fire have to be repeated until they’re boring.
The report leans into that reality through an interview with a local gun shop owner and avid hunter identified as Ben. He tells the station deer drives are “not an uncommon hunting practice,” but he adds an important qualifier: it takes “the right group of people” who stay conscious of where everybody is.
That comment matters because it pushes back on the idea that the tactic itself is automatically reckless. In Ben’s view, the risk depends on the people running it and the way they run it.
He also describes what the planning is supposed to look like – almost like a choreographed play. In Cowan’s report, Ben explains there’s “a lot of intentionality” involved: hunters are stationed in specific places, standers are placed, and the group decides which direction they’ll come from. He describes it like something “set in stone,” not something you improvise halfway through.
That’s the ideal.
And when the ideal breaks down – when positions aren’t clear, or visibility changes, or someone fires without confirming what’s beyond the target – the whole concept can collapse fast.
The Names And The Charge
Cowan reports that the person charged is Anthony Peachey, a 20-year-old from McAlisterville. The man who died is Floyd Wengerd, 26, also from McAlisterville.
The report describes the charge as a misdemeanor, but the details still carry weight because it involves a human death during firearm use.
According to the information Cowan reports from the affidavit, Peachey told investigators it was him who “mistakenly” shot his hunting mate while executing the deer drive.
That statement – “it was me” – is the kind of sentence that can change a case immediately. It suggests the investigation wasn’t built on rumor. It was built on admissions, witness interviews, and what authorities say they could reconstruct about where the shot came from.
Cowan also reports that Peachey said he tried to hit a branch, and that he believed a branch fell after he fired.
That detail matters because it paints the shooting as something other than a direct intentional shot at a person. But it also raises another problem: firing at something you can’t fully identify, or firing to “hit a branch,” is still firing a rifle in a forest where people are positioned at different elevations and distances.
And that’s where the case pivots toward negligence.
Visibility, Winter Weather, And Split-Second Decisions
The report makes a point of noting the conditions.
Cowan says the shooting happened “just hours after a winter storm moved in.” Anyone who hunts in rough weather knows what that can mean: shifting light, low contrast, wet surfaces, fog or flurries, and branches that obscure more than they reveal.
It’s also the kind of day where people feel pressured to “make it happen” because deer movement changes, conditions close in, and the window feels shorter.
One of the key lines Cowan includes from the affidavit gets right to visibility: Peachey allegedly told investigators that visibility was much better at the time of the shooting, and he’s quoted saying, “I couldn’t even see the guy above me.”
That sentence is chilling for a simple reason. It’s basically an admission that, in that moment, he did not have a clear understanding of where someone else was positioned.
Even people who have never hunted can understand the basic rule: you don’t shoot if you don’t know what’s beyond your target. In the woods, “beyond” might include another hunter, a trail, a road, a cabin, or a house tucked just out of sight.
In hunting culture, that rule is treated like scripture, because it keeps people alive.
And in Cowan’s reporting, the allegation is that this rule – knowing what’s beyond the deer, and knowing where others are – failed.
The Injury And The Run To Help
The details about the wound are described plainly.
The report says Wengerd was struck near the upper right hip area. He was moved quickly, rushed to an ambulance, and later died.
The cause of death is described as hypovolemic shock, which essentially means the body lost too much blood to sustain life after the gunshot wound.
That explanation matters because it reminds people that not every fatal gunshot is to the head or chest. A major injury to vessels in the hip or pelvic region can be catastrophic, especially far from a trauma center.
This is one of those realities hunting safety instructors bring up often, and it’s exactly why “accidental” doesn’t mean “minor.” One wrong shot can produce a wound that gives you minutes, not hours.
The Game Warden’s View: “Careless And Negligent”
Cowan’s report doesn’t just quote hunters. It also gives the enforcement view.
She reports that the game warden described Peachey’s firing as “careless and negligent.” The warden also said the shot was fired with “full intent to hurt the victim,” wording that can be confusing if you’re thinking “accident.”
The best way to interpret how that’s presented in the report is this: the intent might not be “I want to shoot my friend,” but rather “I intended to fire the rifle,” and by doing so without knowing where people were, he created the risk that resulted in a death.
That distinction is important because hunting cases often turn on whether someone acted with criminal negligence rather than malice.
And Cowan’s reporting makes clear investigators believe the conduct crossed the legal line, even if the charge is a misdemeanor.
Why The Hunting Community Reacts So Strongly To This Tactic
A deer drive is controversial in some hunting circles, and the report touches that nerve.
To some hunters, drives are a practical way to move deer in thick terrain, especially in big woods. To others, they are risky if the group is inexperienced, if the plan isn’t disciplined, or if people don’t maintain safe angles.
Ben’s comments reflect the more nuanced middle ground: the tactic is common, but it requires a group that is extremely clear about positions and directions.
And that’s the uncomfortable truth about group hunting in general: the bigger the group, the more “unknowns” you introduce. Someone forgets where someone was posted. Someone moves early. Someone thinks the line shifted. Someone shoots at movement instead of shape.
Most of the time nothing happens, which is why people get comfortable.
Then one time, it does.
The Part That Should Make Every Hunter Pause
There are a lot of stories like this where people rush to pick a side: blame the tactic, blame the shooter, blame the weather, blame the culture. But the most important point is simpler than all of that.
When you’re hunting with other people in the woods, your responsibility is not just to be careful. It’s to be predictable.
Predictable means everyone knows where you are. Predictable means nobody is freelancing. Predictable means the plan is repeated and followed, even if it costs you a shot. Predictable means you don’t fire because you’re “pretty sure,” you fire because you’re certain.
The report makes it sound like certainty wasn’t there.
And if a hunter really couldn’t see someone above him, then the last thing that should happen is a rifle shot in that direction, no matter what the target might be.
That’s not a moral opinion. That’s basic survival.
The Other Hard Truth: “It Wasn’t On Purpose” Isn’t A Defense To Gravity
A lot of people hear “accidental shooting” and assume it means “no harm intended, so no crime.”
But hunting safety rules exist because physics doesn’t care what you meant.
A bullet doesn’t turn gentle because you didn’t intend the outcome. A rifle round doesn’t stop because you were tired, cold, or rushing.
That’s why negligence in gun handling matters. It’s why courts treat certain “mistakes” as crimes. Some mistakes are so preventable, and so dangerous, that society draws a line and says: you don’t get to call that “just an accident.”
Cowan’s report is basically about that line – where investigators think it was crossed, and where a young hunter now has to answer for it in court.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
