Hunting accidents continue to decline

Hunter Orange and Hunter Safety Requirements has helped…

 

There were ten hunting accidents in 2023 and none of them were fatal. In 2022, it was estimated that 516,336 hunters spent 6.5 million days in the field. I could not find the figures for 2023. But let us say it was about the same or even a little less. Those 10 reported hunting incidents for that number of hunters spending that number of days hunting, and to only have 10 is very good! Plus, none were fatal!

Here is the breakdown of the ten hunting accidents in 2023 in Michigan with the hope that this article might save someone some grief.
There were three hunting incidents in January that all happened on hunting preserves. One happened when a pheasant flushed, and four hunters shot at the bird. One hunter was hit by pellets from one of the other hunters.

The second accident happened when a hunter rested a loaded shotgun on the ground with the barrel pointing up. A hunting dog jumped on the victim, and the paw of the dog struck the trigger, causing the shotgun to fire, hitting the victim.

Incident number three happened when a hunter was resting his shotgun barrel on his foot. While adjusting the gun, he hit the trigger and shot himself in the foot.

Number four happened in March when a hunter was squirrel hunting. The hunter had a small compact .22 rifle. The hunter got excited and, without thinking, had his finger over the barrel when he shot.

Incident number five happened when a spring turkey hunter stalked another hunter’s turkey decoy. The hunter shot at the tom decoy, striking the victim who was sitting behind the decoys on the edge of the woods. I cannot seem to figure out how this ever happened!

Accident number six happened during rifle deer season. The hunter was shooting at a deer when his shotgun exploded.

Number seven happened when a hunter was shot in the leg by someone target shooting on the adjacent property.

Incident number eight happened when a hunter shot herself in the foot while standing during a deer drive.

Accident number nine also happened during a deer drive. A hunter was shot in the leg when several hunters shot at a running deer during the drive.

Lastly, number ten occurred when a hunter accidentally discharged his gun near his face while picking it up to shoot a deer.

Fortunately, none of these accidents were fatal, but they could have been. All of these incidents were preventable and should never have happened.

When you break down each of these, you can easily see how preventable and unfortunate they were. Four of these hunters shot themselves. One had their finger on the trigger as they raised their firearm to shoot. Another hunter had a firearm malfunction. Three were shot by other hunters while shooting at game, and the fourth was from someone target shooting and not knowing where their rounds were going.

Now, when you read how these incidents happened you are probably thinking this could never happen to me. I would think if you asked these hunters they would probably say the same thing.

The Department of Natural Resources has been keeping records of hunting incidents since 1940.

• In 1940, there were 718,334 hunting licenses sold and that year, there were 21 deaths and 49 injuries.

• In 1971, there were 1,071,887 hunting licenses sold and there were 4 deaths and 128 injuries.

• In 1977, there were 1,241 120 hunting licenses sold, and there were 5 deaths and 102 injured.

• In 1971 hunter safety training was mandatory for the first time for hunters between the age of 12-16.

• In 1977, hunter orange (blaze orange) became mandatory, and in 1988, hunter safety training was mandatory for all first hunters born after January 1st, 1960.

• Since 2000, there have been nine years where there was only one fatal hunting incident, and there have been 10 years where there have been no fatal hunting incidents.

As you can see by the numbers, in 1943, before the hunter’s orange and hunter safety class requirements, there were 60 hunters wounded or killed during deer season and 102 wounded or killed during small game season, with only 65,087 deer harvested!

Those are amazing numbers to see. If we had those numbers now, there might not be a hunting season in Michigan. Lt. Wanless from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes the reason for the drop off in hunting accidents over the years is because of mandatory hunter safety courses and mandatory hunter orange requirements.

When I started as a Conservation Officer in 1980, it had only been three years since the hunter orange law came into effect. It took some hunters a lot of convincing to follow the law. But as they did the number of hunting accidents has dropped.

In Monroe and southern Wayne counties, there were a lot of farm fields then. You could see a hunter wearing hunter’s orange for a very long distance. If they were wearing camo, you could drive by them at a short distance, and if they were in the woods, you might not see them. It is a highly effective tool to prevent injuries and even deaths. But there are still some people who will not wear it. Conservation Officers normally issue tickets for that violation because of the safety factors involved.

Just in case you do not know the requirements under the hunter orange law, you must wear a hat, jacket, or vest of highly visible hunter (blaze) orange that can be seen on all sides. Read the DNR’s hunting and trapping guide for more information on when you must wear hunter orange.

I also believe that more parents are taking their kids out into the woods at an earlier age, spending more time with them and teaching them about gun safety. I did that with my grandson and my son well before he was able to hunt. I think this has also helped in bringing the number of hunting accidents down.

Firearm safety is everyone’s responsibility. My father, who was a WW II and Korean War veteran, taught all six of his kids gun safety, including my three sisters, who did not hunt. He wanted his kids to be familiar with firearms, not afraid of them and to respect them.

At my deer camp when I had my two brothers, brother-in-law, son, grandson, and nephew there hunting, I always had a little safety talk with everyone. Even my brother and son, who are/were State Troopers, listened in. It is always good to have safety rules fresh in your mind. Besides my son and brother, everyone else has little experience with firearms. I have seen a lot of hunting accidents during my career, and I am not about to have one at my camp. I told everyone before they returned to the clearing outside the camp to unload their firearm and to make it safe. And, as they are leaving the clearing to return to their blind, to reload at that time.

To some people, this may seem silly, but not to me. Accidental discharges happen all the time, and they can happen to anyone, even someone who carries a firearm every day in the course of their job.
I have known a few police officers who carry their weapons every day and are highly trained and still have accidentally shot themselves.

If you see a member of your hunting party doing something that you think is unsafe you should bring it up to them. I cannot tell you how many times I came across someone hunting and noting their inability to handle their firearm safely. I would ask them to hand me their firearm, and I unloaded them for my safety as well as theirs while we talked.

Once you pull the trigger, there is no taking the bullet back. Make sure you know what your target is before pulling the trigger. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot at your intended target. Always consider your firearm to be loaded, even when you know it is not. Treat it as though it is.

Another safety issue is loaded firearms in a motor vehicle. Before you let someone in your vehicle, make sure it is unloaded. You would be surprised how many unloaded firearms have killed people!

Let’s hope that in 2024, we do not have any hunting accidents and certainly no fatal ones.

The author is Jeff Pendergraff, a retired Captain from the Law Enforcement Division of the MDNR.