Hoddles Creek’s Richard and Kodie Ireland’s Lusatia Park Rd house hit by deer hunter bullet

A Yarra Valley couple have had the fright of their lives after a bullet pierced their bedroom wall while they were sleeping.

Richard and Kodie Ireland with the bullet hole. Picture: Wayne Taylor

A Yarra Valley family have had a lucky near miss after a bullet from deer hunters blasted through their bedroom wall and into their bed.

Hoddles Creek couple Richard and Kodie Ireland were sleeping at their Lusatia Rd home when they heard a loud bang about 4.30am on Saturday, July 24.

Thinking it was the picture near their bed from the wall, they thought nothing of it and went back to sleep – not realising a bullet had missed their heads by inches.

Mrs Ireland said a few hours later she woke to let the dogs out and realised she had been cut by glass.

Upon further investigation the Ireland’s realised the hole in the wall looked like a gunshot and immediately contacted police.

She said her neighbour had also been woken by the loud noise and gone to investigate in case it was a car accident.

Mrs Ireland said her neighbour found a shell casing on the road outside the property and realised it was “spotlighters”.

She said while the property was more than 12ha and there were trucks parked out the front so the shooter should have known there was a house nearby.

Mrs Ireland said police believe the person shot through some tea trees, and the bullet has gone through the animal, through a bus parked in the couple’s driveway, through the bedroom wall, ricocheted off the opposite wall and landed on her husband’s side of the bed.

Sadly before authorities could euthanise the injured deer, that was still out the front of the house, it ran away.

She said it was very lucky the couple’s four children – aged 15, 12, five and three – were not at home at the time because they all slept in bunk beds – the height where the bullet pierced the house.

“It could have been so much worse,” Mrs Ireland said.

Mrs Ireland said “spotlighters” were common around the area.

“Our far paddocks get spotlighters regularly – it’s intrusive but we’re used to it,” she said.

“This has made me second guess letting the kids camp in the paddocks because these hunters only look for movement.”

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“It hits really close to home when the neighbour even hears the bang.”

Yarra Ranges detective Senior Constable Ross McDonald said police believe the shot was not a targeted attack on the family but misadventure.

“It’s lucky no one was hurt,” Sen-Constable McDonald said.

“It was reckless behaviour and we’re appealing to anyone for information or those who did it to come forward.”

Yarra Ranges Cr Jim Child, who also lives in the Upper Yarra on a farm, said this was serious.

“This young family have been shaken by this even and to be exposed to this.

“You can hunt for deer on private property but appreciate in these rural areas be aware there are people living there.”

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