SYRACUSE, Ind. -- Court documents from Kosciusko County reveal a 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting a deer hunter on private property.

The suspect, Ethan Woodson, has been charged with Criminal Recklessness Committed with a Deadly Weapon, a Level 6 Felony, and Use of Private Land without Consent Knowing or Intentional Violation, a Misdemeanor.

Woodson already had his initial hearing and is due in court for a pre-trial conference on Feb. 25.

Official documents state Kosciusko County dispatch received a call on Nov. 22, 2025, regarding a hunter being struck by a bullet while hunting deer near Syracuse.

An Indiana Conservation Officer responded and found the victim leaning against a tree complaining of leg pain.

The victim told the officer the land he was hunting on was privately owned by him. The victim said he was in an elevated hunting platform approximately 25 feet from the ground and was wearing a fluorescent orange hat.

The victim went on to state he suddenly heard gunfire and projectiles hitting trees in his vicinity.

The victim said that's when he left the platform and walked approximately eight yards away from the platform when he heard more gunshots and was struck in the left leg.

The victim then shouted he was shot and walked to the boundary of his property when he saw two men, one of whom was identified as Woodson.

The victim said he then scolded Woodson and the other man for shooting into his property.

The projectile with which the victim was shot was determined to be from a .22 caliber long rifle.

The officer then spoke to Woodson and the other man. Woodson was allegedly shooting behind the house at a metal drum from the back porch and driveway for about an hour before the victim confronted the two men.

Woodson told the officer he was using a Taurus .22.

Woodson then provided authorities with an unspent cartridge for the .22 caliber firearm, which matched the projectile in question according to investigators.

The responding officer noted Woodson and the other man were shooting at a target around 39 yards from the back porch without an adequate backstop and the projectile struck the victim approximately 210 yards away.