Hunter dies after bear shot in tree falls on him

A man has died after a bear he shot fell out of the tree it was in and landed on him.

A father-of-five from Virginia suffered an unimaginable death when a hunting trip went badly wrong, in what sounds like a punchline to a bad joke, but actually happened.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has shared the results of an investigation in the wake of the man's death.

Their report suggests that the man's shocking death happened when he was part of a group of hunters who had chased a bear into a tree.

The man who died has been identified as 58-year-old Lester C. Harvey Jr. of Phenix, Virginia.

According to the report, the group had gather around a tree, looking up at the bear they had chased into it.

The group then decided to step back, and it was at that point the hunters shot the bear, officials claim.

Harvey Jr was reportedly standing some 10 feet from the bottom of the tree.

Despite having retreated away from the tree to what he clearly thought was a safe distance, it wasn't to be as the bear landed on him after being shot.

In the wake of the bear falling on him, one of Harvey Jr's fellow hunters attempted to provide first aid until local emergency services arrived.

Following the incident, the hunter had been described as being in a 'serious but stable condition' after being transported to a hospital, however, he died several days later due to the injuries he sustained.

An obituary written about the man described him as a self-employed contractor and avid outdoorsman who 'was a friend to all and never met a stranger'.

Harvey Jr leaves behind his wife, three sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren.

According to 6news Richmond, an official from the Virginia department of Wildlife Resources said: "The Department is not currently seeking any charges related to this incident."

A comment left on a Facebook post reportedly belonging to the hunter, one of his sons was with him when the deadly accident happened.

His son wrote: "Dad was doing what he loved most, bear hunting with me and some of his good friends when he was injured."

“I love you dad," he added. "We had some great times…I am so thankful for all the memories we made and all you taught me I wouldn’t be the man I am now if it wasn’t for you."

A daughter of his wrote: “My dad was the hardest worker I know. He was either working or hunting. The ONLY time he missed work was to hunt…I'm broken in ways I didn't even know I could break. Please pray for us."

People on social media were less than sympathetic.

"Instant karma," wrote one.

"Nobody eats bear. This was completely avoidable", said another.

"Poetic justice," said one on X, formerly Twitter.

"I no longer understand the idea of shooting animals for fun. That hurts my heart," added one commenter.