Targeting safety: Hunting in Minnesota has become safer

Some half-million hunters — all armed with rifles or shotguns — will head into Minnesota's woods beginning Saturday for the state's firearms deer opener.

In weeks to come, cherished hunting camp traditions will be renewed. Tens of thousands of whitetails will be shot.

And, remarkably, very few firearms-related hunting accidents likely will occur.

In fact, the odds are much greater that hunters will be hurt driving to deer camp than be injured while hunting.

"It's one of the safest activities you can participate in,'' said Jon Paurus, acting enforcement education program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

More people are hurt playing football, basketball, soccer or even riding bicycles or running than are injured hunting, according to statistics compiled by federal agencies and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry trade association.

"There's a perception among non-hunters that hunting is dangerous,'' said Bill Brassard of the NSSF. "But it's safe.''

Last year Minnesota had 17 firearms-related incidents, five of which involved deer hunters. Meanwhile, 30,653 people were injured in state traffic crashes in 2013, including 387 who were killed.

Nationally last year, 16.3 million hunters suffered an estimated 7,300 injuries, or one for every 2,233 hunters, according to NSSF figures. Meanwhile, 25.5 million basketball players suffered 570,000 injuries, or one for every 45 participants. And 35.6 million bike riders had 521,000 injuries, or one for every 68 riders.

The DNR only tracks firearms-related incidents and not accidents such as falls from tree stands. The latter, the DNR says, are the leading cause of injury to deer hunters, and an estimated one in three people who hunt from an elevated stands eventually will be hurt in falls.

That said, firearms incidents have fallen significantly in Minnesota in recent years.

In the 1960s, the state averaged 95 firearms-related hunting incidents and 14 deaths yearly. In 1965 alone, 20 hunters were killed and 139 were hurt. Since 2000, the state has averaged 22 firearms-related hunting incidents and two deaths yearly. Last year's one fatality occurred when two duck hunters stood in a canoe to shoot at a duck and both fell; one was struck with a shotgun blast.

(In 1996, a law was passed requiring small-game hunters to wear at least one article of clothing above the waist that is blaze orange, even outside of deer season.)

Wisconsin also has seen hunting incidents decline. (Wisconsin tracks archery-related hunting incidents as well firearms incidents.) From the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, Wisconsin regularly had more than 150 hunting incidents. But as in Minnesota, mandatory blaze orange requirements for deer hunters in 1980 and mandatory hunter education in 1985 have been credited with reducing those numbers. Last year Wisconsin had 27 incidents and one fatality.

In both Minnesota and Wisconsin, hunter numbers have been relatively stable in recent decades.

"We've seen a slow, steady decline in the number of hunting incidents over the years,'' said King, Wisconsin DNR hunter education administrator. Hunters also are more ethical now, King believes, which also has reduced incidents.

"The vast majority of our injuries are caused by failing to identify the target, or knowing what's beyond it,'' said King. "They're shooting at a running deer and hit someone in the distance. Or they think it's a squirrel or turkey and shoot, and it ends up being someone in camouflage up against a tree.''

"Two people I know were killed in fatal firearms accidents while hunting,'' Soring said. "One was a friend who was muzzleloader hunting. His gun slipped and discharged, hitting him. The other was my cousin, who was shot by a fellow hunter on a snowy day in the Ely-Babbitt area.''

Soring noted that most people hunt with friends and family.

"If your firearm accidentally goes off and hits someone, who will you end up shooting? No matter who it is, you would never want that on your conscience. Whether you are 11 or 111, the responsibility to treat that firearm safely is on you.''

Doug Smith • doug.smith@startribune.com