A Saturday morning hunt near Oldtown took a serious turn when a hunter was shot in the head and rushed out of the woods by helicopter, according to county dispatchers.
The man, described as roughly 30 years old, was flown by medevac to a Baltimore‑area hospital after the incident. The shooting was reported just before 9 a.m. near a rural intersection outside town, authorities said.
The Cumberland Times‑News reported that the Allegany County Joint Communications Center received word that the man had suffered a gunshot wound to the head near the intersection of Daily Road and Green Ridge Road. Officials did not say whether the shooting was accidental or intentional, and investigators had not released any information about suspects or charges.
Hunting Area And Enforcement
Green Ridge and the surrounding roads near Oldtown are part of a long‑established public hunting area. Maryland Natural Resources Police regularly patrol the forest during hunting seasons, keeping an eye on both safety and compliance.
A roundup earlier this year from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources detailed multiple enforcement actions in Green Ridge and across Allegany County. The report underscored how popular the area is with hunters and how active the agency is when it comes to enforcement.
Medevac And Trauma Care
When serious injuries happen in remote pockets of western Maryland, Maryland State Police aviation crews are often called in to airlift patients to Baltimore’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. The terrain and distance can make ground transport impractical, so helicopters become the lifeline.
The Washington Post has previously documented state police helicopter rescues of injured hunters, describing how these flights function as a routine part of the region’s trauma‑response system when emergencies unfold far from major hospitals.
What’s Next
As of Saturday, Allegany County officials had not released additional details about what led up to the shooting. Investigators remained on scene collecting evidence and reconstructing the moments before the gun went off.
Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact local law enforcement, according to The Cumberland Times‑News.
