The death of an avid Bucks County hunter found shot to death on the first day of deer season was ruled a homicide Tuesday.
The Bucks County coroner's office said 52-year-old Barry Groh died of a single gunshot wound Monday while hunting outside Quakertown.
A longtime maintenance mechanic, Groh was an avid hunter for 40 years, family and friends told NBC Philadelphia. He always went out on the first day of the hunting season and he was always very careful, they said.
The coroner's office said the bullet entered Groh's upper arm then went into his chest, killing him. It was not self-inflicted making it a homicide, the coroner said.
Authorities say the Quakertown, Pa. man died just after calling his wife to get their son to help carry the nine-point buck he'd just killed. By the time the son arrived, other hunters had discovered Groh's body in a creek behind California Road, in Richland Township.
Groh's body was partially submerged in the creek when it was discovered shortly after noon.
Groh was wearing camouflage and his orange hunting vest was next to his body. His shotgun was found 15 feet away, leaning against a tree.
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Richland Township police Sgt. Richard Ficco says investigators are questioning other hunters who were on the property. Authorities were also checking those hunters' guns to see if the round that killed Groh matched any of the weapons.
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