Hunter killed when tree stand falls, police say

The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office is reporting that a 65-year-old Charleston man was killed yesterday afternoon in a hunting accident that had nothing to do with guns. According to a press release issued by the Sheriff's Office, Robert Sawyer was hunting with another man in the town of Schoharie when the tree stand that he was in "gave way, causing him to fall to the ground." Sawyer's hunting companion called 911, but when the police arrived, Sawyer was unresponsive.

Here's the text of the press release:

The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office is investigating an incident involving a male subject that was found unresponsive in a wooded area in the Town of Schoharie. 

At 5:40pm on November 20th 2010 the Schoharie County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from a hunter reporting that a subject he was hunting with was found unresponsive. Sheriff's patrol along with Central Bridge Fire and New York State Environmental Conservation responded to the scene and located a subject identified as Robert Sawyer age 65 of Charleston unresponsive. Preliminary investigation revealed that the tre stand that Sawyer was in gave way causing him to fall to the ground. Cause of death is still under investigation pending autopsy results.