LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — It's a heart-wrenching start to what usually is an exciting time of year for the Adkins family.
"We wish that no family would have to go through this," said Kayla Adkins.
On Opening Day of Michigan's firearm deer season, Friday, November 15th, Gregg Adkins went hunting for the last time.
"They found him on the ground. He was supposed to come back at 5:10. He never came back to meet his hunting buddies," said Kayla.
57-year-old Gregg Adkins, from Lincoln Park, was hunting in Tuscola County and was found at the bottom of his tree stand.
Tragically, he is one of at least three Michigan deer hunters who have died within the first week of firearm deer season.
The Adkins family said that they still don't know exactly what Gregg died from, Doctors have told them it may have been a blood clot or a partial heart attack.
"He was physically active, he always went to the doctor," said Kayla, emphasizing how physically in shape her father was.
Authorities say the other two men, ages 65 and 83, were trying to haul away heavy animals and died of heart attacks.
7 News Detroit reached out to Dr. Chadi Alraies, a cardiologist at DMC Heart Hospital, for his advice to hunters.
He said that anyone going hunting should condition themselves by starting an exercise program, or at least walking for an hour, four to five days a week.
He also said that it is imperative that you meet with a doctor, and are aware of any medical predispositions that put you at risk.
"Especially if the hunters are smokers, this puts them at higher risk for heart disease," said Dr. Alraies. "Two, if they are overweight this is another risk factor, and third, which is the most common, or the most dangerous, is genetic predisposition, meaning the heart disease runs in the family."
A final tip from Dr. Alraies?
Always make sure someone knows where you're hunting and there is a way they can get in contact with you.
As the Adkins family waits for Gregg's autopsy results, they say that they are grateful he always had a hunting buddy.
Someone to look out for the man, who always looked out for others.
"He loved his family more than anything, and his grandkids more than anything," said Gregg's wife, Candace Adkins.
