A man was killed and his uncle charged with criminally negligent homicide after the two went deer hunting in Summer Hill Friday morning.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said Ricky A. Huffman, 33, of 11 Lorraine Dr., Cortland, was illegally hunting on family property with his uncle, Michael A. Hall, Sr. ,49 of 1306 Salt Road, Moravia, at about 7:15 the morning before shotgun season opened for deer in the southern half of New York state.

Police said that shortly after the two entered a wooded area and separated, Hall fired a 20-gauge shotgun at what he thought was a deer, hitting Huffman in the abdomen.

Huffman was wearing camouflage clothing and an orange knit hat, and no deer were present at the location when the shot was fired, police said.

Emergency Medical Services and Cayuga County Sheriff's deputies responding to a 911 call found Huffman in the woods approximately one mile south of Filmore Road.

Hall was arrested and charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide, a Class E felony.

He was arraigned in the Town of Throop court and remanded to Cayuga County jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.

Further charges are pending from the Conservation Police.

The sheriff's office stressed how important it is that deer hunters make sure of their target and wear blaze orange, not camouflage.

Shotgun season for deer hunting in southern New York opens today.