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Dennis Anderson: Hunting is pretty safe and getting safer
Nationwide, swimmers are 15 times more likely to die than sportsmen who are in the field pursuing game.
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Despite impressions you might receive from the media, hunting is a safe pastime, or sport, and getting safer.
According to the National Safety Council, people who bike and play baseball -- among many other mom-and-pop sports -- are far more likely to be injured than those who hunt.
And 15 times as many people -- roughly 1,500 compared with 100 -- are likely to die in the United States each year while swimming than they are while hunting.
Last year in Minnesota, four people accidentally died while hunting. Three were seeking deer, one sought waterfowl. Each incident involved a firearm; two were self-inflicted.
Four is too many. But, thanks to required hunter-education courses, the number is far lower than the 29 who died in the state while hunting in 1961, when such courses weren't compulsory.
Hunting accidents could be reduced further if sportsmen and women took extra care in particular situations. Always identify targets absolutely before shooting, for instance. And always handle guns safely, and be sure they are unloaded when not in the field.
Study the accompanying chart from the International Hunter Education Association detailing firearms hunting accidents nationally in 2002, and patterns will emerge. Deer, turkey and pheasant hunting suffer the most accidents, for example. And a hunter's companions swinging on game can present a real threat.
So pick your targets -- and your buddies -- carefully.
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