HUNTSRC

Hunting Incident Investigation Services We Provide​

Hunting and Shooting Related Consultants, (HSRC) promises our clients a complete and professional review of their individual cases. Either from the start of an investigation or fromthe middle of one, our efforts will have you, our client, in mind.

We will evaluate each step of the investigation using the most recent investigative techniques. We will compare any previous efforts with the professional practices we have used and taught. Our investigation strategies, efforts, and the accurate documentation of your case will be our mission.​​

Our law enforcement backgrounds have been built on personal integrity allowing us to become internationally recognized for our expertise. This same integrity has become the foundation for our business and beneficial in our success. We will not deviate from our principles, which only in turn, benefit our clients!

In addition:
We are also available for lectures, conferences, and training in areas of hunter safety and shooting related incidents, data collection and more.

See also our book, "Blood On The Leaves, Real Hunting Accident Investigations - And Lessons InHunter Safety"

Our Team

Mike Van Durme

Captain Michael Van Durme, Ret.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police
I have been an avid hunter and outdoorsman my entire life with over thirty years of public service in the arena of environment and conservation. Now, I am able to direct my full attention toward an area of investigation with which I have direct and personal experience - hunting related shooting incidents and the safe and proper use of hunting equipment.
I have been shot twice by hunters: first in 1987 by a frog hunter with a .22 rifle and then in 1996 by a deer hunter with a 12 guage shotgun. In both cases, I saw the person before they shot me and was able to immediately arrest the shooter and appropriate criminal charges were filed. After my second shooting injury, it was made clear to me that being able to establish and document the ability of a shooter to see, or not to see, their victim is critical while at the same time difficult to quantify.
In 1999, after several years of research, I invented the Measurement of Visibility Device (MVD). The MVD is the only tool to aid an investigator in correctly documenting what shooters could or could not have seen at the time of a shooting. The MVD is now currently used by investigators across the country to document visibility in shooting incidents. This documentation has been vital in being able to proceed in both criminal and civil trials. As a result of both my own injuries and through the development of the MVD, investigating, analyzing and teaching others about Hunting Related Shooting Incidents (HRSIs) has become my passion.
During my lengthy law enforcement career, I took advantage of training opportunities which lead to certifications in a number of areas of value in my work with HRSIs. I became my agency’s lead instructor in both Criminal Procedure Law and Hunting Incident Investigations. I have been able to continue this instruction in areas of Interview and Interrogation, Written Statement Analysis, Evidence Collection and more. I have trained investigators and officials in numerous agencies across New York State as well as nationally through the Hunting Incident Investigation Academy, where I served for many years as the Director.
I have been a volunteer NY Hunter and Bowhunter Safety Instructor for 35 years and have taught the rules of safe hunting to thousands of students. Those same rules and lessons are the standard that we use when judging the actions of those involved in a hunting incident.
With years of successive promotions with NYSDEC, I have both held roles in conducting and  supervising field investigations, and also reviewed hundreds of HRSIs in conjunction with a variety of local, state and federal agencies. I have conducted research into how these incidents are investigated and share this valuable research through professional contacts and conferences. As a direct result of this research, I thoroughly reworked and rewrote all the forms, policies and procedures for HRSIs in New York State. The resulting manual has been incorporated and duplicated in other states based on its accuracy and efficiency.
27 years of police experience gave me opportunities to work all levels of cases from complaint through grand jury and trial. In addition to my extensive work with HRSI I have led investigations into wildlife violations including undercover operations and long-term international felonies. My work has given me experience in dealing with United States’ Attorney General, Attorneys General from New York State, New York State’s Organized Crime Task Force, District Attorneys and law enforcement officers. This work has resulted in numerous convictions and fines into the millions of dollars.
Being able to take both my personal and working experiences into the area of investigation of hunting related shootings allows me an opportunity to lend my expertise to determining causal responsibility and allow appropriate justice to be given.
Areas of Expertise include: Firearms including Air guns and Muzzleloaders, Hunter Safety, Crossbows, Archery, Reloading, Tree stands.

Keith Byers

B. Keith Byers, Sgt. Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, Retired

In 1981, at the age of 21, I went to work for the State of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources Game and Fish Division, Law Enforcement Section and was assigned to Jeff Davis County. I chose this career because I grew up hunting and fishing and this allowed me to be a part of that heritage and to have an influence on something that was a big part of my life.

Early in my career as a Wildlife Officer (Conservation Ranger) I found that I had the ability to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to solve a case. At every opportunity I took courses, read material, talked to other investigators, and searched for any information that would help me further my knowledge as an investigator. These efforts did not go unrecognized by my Department and I became an instructor of The Fundamentals of Investigation, Crime Scene Processing, Interviews and Interrogations, and became a P.O.S.T. Certified Instructor. In 1994 I was promoted to the rank of Corporal.

In 1997, I helped form a team of investigators that would investigate Hunting and Boating Incident/Accidents and the Critical Incident Reconstruction Team (C.I.R.T.) was born. The four C.I.R.T members went to the National Hunting Incident Academy in Warrensburg, Missouri in the summer of 1998 and it had a profound effect on me and on the way my Department looked at and investigated hunting incidents. The depth and quality of our investigations surprised not only our Department personnel but other law enforcement agencies as well.

Shortly after becoming the C.I.R.T. leader, I was promoted to Sergeant in charge of supervising a five county area. Since 2000 I have been an instructor at the National Hunting Incident Academy and specialized in evidence collection and preservation, scene mapping and case studies. I have continued my training with many topics including Homicide Investigations, Fingerprint Classification and much more.

In 2012 I was in charge of supervising a seven county area when I retired with 31 years of law enforcement experience. I was the C.I.R.T. leader for 15 years and supervised a 15 member team of highly trained investigators. . I have been qualified as an expert in Hunting Incident Scene Reconstruction in Juvenile, State Superior, and Federal Courts.

During my tenure as leader this team was responsible for investigating some of Georgia’s most horrific hunting and boating incidents including the investigation and reconstruction of three wildlife officer mistaken for game hunting incidents. Two involved serious injury to the officers and one involved the death of a U.S. Forest Service Officer. This case was one of the most tragic that I have ever investigated and I drew on my entire career of learning including: Blood Pattern Analysis, Anatomy, Ballistics and more. I worked with the U.S. Forest Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other C.I.R.T. members to do a reconstruction of the incident scene that would be used to indict five suspects in the U.S. Federal Court. All five suspects later entered into plea agreements.

Now I am partnered with Rod Slings and Mike Van Durme in Hunting and Shooting Related Consultants LLC, which allows me to continue the work that I am very passionate about, the study and investigation of shooting incidents to get to the truth of what actually took place. Too often proper investigations and reconstruction techniques are not used and this leaves many unanswered questions. This does not do justice to the victim, the shooter, and their families and friends. For the sake of all parties involved including hunter education personnel and the hunting and shooting industries, the truth must be found. This prevention through education helps in saving lives and also insures our hunting heritage is safe for future generations.

Rod Slings

Rod Slings, Supervisor, Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), Retired

After 35 years with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) as a Supervisor in the DNR’s Law Enforcement Bureau, and as an internationally recognized expert in the field of hunter safety and Hunting Related Shooting Incident Investigations, Rod is now enjoying his retirement. He was an original and long time staff member of the IHEA Hunting Incident Academy, including serving as the Director for several years.

Rod was the founder member of Hunting and Shooting Related Consultants, LLC with Mike Van Durme and Keith Byers and also co-authored "Blood On The Leaves, Real Hunting Accident Investigations - And Lessons In Hunter Safety" with them. Though retired Rod still does presentations and book promotions.

We all continue to follow Rod's signature line: “The incident scene will speak to you; you must listen for the sake of prevention.”