SUGAR GROVE, Pa. — A man was shot and killed by his own rifle in a hunting accident Thursday morning in Sugar Grove Township, Pa., in Warren County.

The identity of the hunter, who is not a resident of the county, was not released.

According to Dave Donachy, Pennsylvania Game Commission Game Warden, officials were working on contacting the man’s next of kin.

The death involved “a man climbing down from his tree stand with a loaded rifle,” Donachy said. “He attempted to hand the rifle off to a partner. The gun fell and discharged.”

The cause of death was a “single wound to the neck,” Pennsylvania Game Commission Northwest Region Information and Education Supervisor Chip Brunst said.

In the hope of avoiding similar tragic accidents, Brunst said, “always unload your gun when going up or down tree stands.”

Ideally, he suggested using a “haul rope” to move the unloaded firearm up and down.