Hunting Is Safe Recreation

LEWISTON -- Many people wrongly assume hunting is dangerous, but according to statistics from the National Safety Council, hunting is one of the safest forms of recreation in the United States. Statistics show that more people are injured playing ping-pong or shooting billiards than hunting each year. For every 100,000 participants, hunters reported seven injuries due to hunting incidents. If ammunition reloading accidents and other related events are taken out of the equation, the number of hunting incidents per 100,000 drops to less than two. By comparison, playing football caused 3,313 injuries, cycling caused 1,189, golf had 185 and bowling had 60 injuries per 100,000 participants. Therefore, over eight times as many people reported injuries while bowling than while hunting. Richard Oliver, hunter education coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, says that hunters can reduce the number of hunting incidents to zero if they follow three basic rules. "Keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times; keep your safety on until ready to shoot and identify your target before pulling the trigger," he said. "Most of Idaho's hunting incidents each year involved careless gun handling." Of the 11 reported hunting accidents reported in Idaho in 2001, careless gun handling was the cause of six. Idaho had one fatal hunting accident during 2001, the first since 1999.