Hunter using electronic caller killed after mistaken for coyote

A North Carolina hunter was shot and killed after his electronic coyote caller was so effective it caused him to be mistaken for the animal.

Michael Seth Marsh, 26, was fatally injured while hunting in a wooded area near Taylorsville on Monday night, police told the Taylorsville Times.

Marsh was wearing camouflage and armed with both a shotgun and a rifle as he hunted coyotes using an electronic coyote call to draw the animals close to him.

Investigators say another man hunting in the area, who did not know Marsh was there, heard the call and believed a coyote was nearby.

The hunter fired two shots at the "brown and gray movement" he saw near a tree, WBTV reports.

The Alexander County Sheriff told the outlet that after Marsh was shot he stood up and yelled "stop shooting, you hit me."

After realizing what he had done, the shooter called 911 and ran to assist Marsh, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, the Taylorsville Times reports.

Emergency medical personnel rushed Marsh to Wake Forest Baptist Health Wilkes Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

While authorities do believe the shooting was an accident, it will be up to the district attorney's office to determine if charges will be filed. Marsh had a hunting license but officials do not believe the shooter had one, WBTV reports.

The shooter's name has not been released.

Marsh, who was a married father of two, was the pastor at Russell Gap Baptist Church north of Taylorsville for the past year, the Taylorsville Times reports.

Officers with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are assisting the Alexander County Sheriff's Office in the investigation.