Hunter knocked out by dead goose member of his party just shot out of the sky

While out hunting with friends, 51-year-old Robert Meilhammer was knocked unconscious after being struck on the head by the body of a Canada goose shot out of the sky by a member of his hunting party.

Meilhammer had been out hunting for waterfowl near Miles River in Easton, Maryland on Thursday (1 February) with three friends who shot blindly into a flock of geese overhead. The shot struck one bird which then fell 90 feet onto Meilhammer.

He was knocked out instantly and suffered head and facial injuries.

"When he came to, he was able to say who he was but was hazy about other details," reads a statement from Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

"Talbot County Sheriff's Office and emergency medical personnel responded to the incident, in which Meilhammer suffered a "severe" head injury. Two of his teeth were also knocked out.

"He was taken by ambulance to Easton Airport and airlifted to a hospital in Baltimore."

A fully-grown Canada goose can have a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres and weigh roughly 8kg. The birds migrate south from their North American homes every year, flying in familiar V-formations.