A Valparaiso deer hunter died Sunday after falling from a tree stand in the area of Ind. 149 and C.R. 1050N, the Law Enforcement Division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.

Conservation Officer Gene Davis identified the hunter as Allen Loftis, 48.

Loftis went deer hunting in the afternoon but failed to return in the evening, Davis said. A concerned family member later found Loftis, unresponsive, at the foot of the tree in which he had erected his stand, approximately 20 feet off the ground.

Loftis’ firearm was still hanging in the tree, Davis said, and it would apear that he accidentally fell from the stand. An autopsy conducted this morning indicated that he died from blunt force trauma, a finding consistent with a fall from that height.

Davis encouraged hunters who use elevated stands to secure themselves with safety harnesses to protect themselves in the event of a fall. “Falling from a tree stand has been the leading cause of injury and death in reportable hunting accidents in Indiana for the last two years,” he said.

The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene at around 9:30 p.m.

Posted 11/19/2007