'He Got Me Good': Aussie Bow Hunter Feels Sharp End of Stingray

A bow hunter in Queensland, Australia, met his match recently, when a stingray he had just shot with an arrow stabbed him in the hand with its barb.

Peter Griffiths was on a hunting trip with his friend and first-time bowhunter Suzanne Martin in Bowen when he was struck in the hand by one of their prey.

Footage by Griffiths and Martin shows the pair in a mangrove as he gives her tips and advice while hunting for stingrays to eat. They use bows to catch several stingrays, and cut off their barbs to ensure their safety. But one of the creatures manages to sting Pete’s hand.

Speaking to Storyful, Griffiths said he was hospitalized after the incident and described the pain as “insane.”

Griffiths said the sting was the result of his own mistake. “Where I went wrong was I grabbed its tail to stop it from stabbing me, as I was just saying, ‘Whatever you do, don’t do this’,” he said.

“It pulled its tail through my hand, then thrust it back, going into the center of my hand with two barbs. Soon as I got the knife out, I cut off the barbs. then stabbed it in the head. If you try to stab it in the head first, they will stab you in the arm. Better to remove the barbs first,” he added.

Griffiths posted the video to Facebook and wrote: “It’s no wonder Steve Irwin was taken out by one of these. The pain is insane and there’s no way I’d want to go through this again.”

Griffiths is still healing from the incident, but is expected to make a full recovery, he said.

The nonprofit St John Ambulance Western Australia recommends that anyone who suffers from a stingray sting seek immediate medical assistance. Those affected should stop any severe bleeding before placing the stung part in hot water while leaving any embedded stingray spines in place. Credit: Peter Griffiths via Storyful