YELLVILLE, Ark. — Officials in Arkansas say a hunter died after he was attacked by a deer that he’d shot and believed to be dead.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens says 66-year-old Thomas Alexander shot a buck with a muzzleloader while hunting Tuesday near Yellville, an area in the Ozark Mountains about 105 miles (170 kilometers) north of Little Rock.

Stephens tells Springfield, Missouri, television station KY3 the buck attacked Alexander when the hunter approached the animal to see if it was dead. He says Alexander, who suffered multiple puncture wounds, later died at a hospital.

Stephens says it’s not clear how long Alexander waited before checking on the deer, but that the agency recommends waiting at least 30 minutes before approaching.