1.4 Incident Causes

Careless handling is the cause of most hunting-related firearm incidents. All careless handling incidents could be prevented if shooters followed three simple rules:

1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded. Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction at all times.
2. Keep the gun’s safety on and the chamber empty until ready to fire.
3. Keep fingers away from the trigger until ready to fire.

There is no excuse for handling firearms carelessly, and there is no way to call back a bullet if you are guilty of careless handling!

The second major cause of hunting incidents involves poor hunter judgment.

In incidents where the victim is injured by a shooter swinging on game, the shooter is almost always using a shotgun. The shooter sees a fast-flying bird flush as in the Incident One example and focuses attention on the bird. The shooter often does not know the exact location of the other hunters! The shooter “tracks” the fast-flying bird with the muzzle of the shotgun and fires, striking his hunting partner. Almost all of these incidents could be prevented if all hunters followed three more simple rules:

• Wear hunter orange.
• Know your “zone-of-fire” and stick to it.
• Identify your target and what lies beyond it before firing

Be sure of the target and what is in front of it and beyond it.
If you cannot see what lies beyond the target, do not take the shot.

Almost all firearm incidents can be prevented! Don't be careless!

The third major cause of incidents involves the victim being out of sight of the shooter. Often these incidents happen because the shooter does not know how far a shotgun or rifle can shoot. Bullets and shot charges travel farther than most people think—some rifles can shoot a bullet five miles, and shotgun birdshot pellets can travel well over 200 yards! How can these types of incidents be prevented? Never shoot over a hill. If you do not have a safe backstop, do not take a shot. Never shoot into dense brush or any other area that it is difficult to see into. The only safe shot to take is one where you have fully identified your target and what lies beyond it. Remember: A bullet or shot charge can travel far beyond or through your target.

Another type of incident that should never happen is where the victim is mistaken for game. Do you or other students in class look like deer, elk, bear, or pheasant? Of course, the answer is no. Unfortunately, some hunters fail to correctly identify their targets or their shooting backstop while hunting. They hear a sound in the brush or they see sudden movement ... and they fire before they clearly identify their target. Some hunters are so anxious to shoot an animal that they suffer from “buck fever.” They get nervous, forget firearm safety rules, and sometimes shoot other hunters. These types of incidents are easy to prevent! Never fire at a sound or movement. Always use binoculars to identify your target and backstop. Never use your rifle scope as binoculars! Never wear the color of any game animal found in the area, and wear hunter orange to help identify yourself as a hunter!

Sometimes hunters carry loaded shotguns or rifles in their cars and trucks. Each year hunters shoot themselves or their friends when loaded firearms discharge inside a vehicle. This type of incident is called “a discharge of firearm in a motor vehicle.” These incidents are also easy to prevent. Never carry a loaded firearm in a car, truck, motor home, or boat. It is against the law to carry loaded shotguns or rifles in any motor-driven vehicle. Transport your guns unloaded and in cases. Why should anyone need a loaded rifle or shotgun inside a vehicle? Hunting is an activity that you enjoy in the great outdoors. It is not a contest among hunters to race down the road and shoot the first pheasant, deer, or elk that comes into view. The only time a firearm should be loaded is when the hunter is actually in the field hunting. Hunters who carry loaded shotguns or rifles in their vehicles are unsafe ... and they are breaking the law!

Incident One

The 27-year-old victim, the shooter, and the shooter’s father were quail hunting along a steep hillside. The victim—hunting only 20 yards to the left of the shooter—walked ahead of the shooter when a large covey of quail flushed in front of the shooter. The shooter fired, thinking the victim was farther back. The victim was struck by pellets in the shoulder and face. The shooter’s hunting privileges were revoked.

Incident Two

The 24-year-old shooter and the 24-year-old victim returned to their truck after hunting for deer. As the victim was standing outside the door on the passenger’s side, the shooter attempted to place a loaded rifle inside the vehicle. The gun discharged, striking and killing the victim. The shooter admitted that he and the victim had smoked marijuana earlier that morning. The shooter’s hunting privileges were revoked.

• Was the first incident preventable? If so, how?
• Was the second incident preventable? If so, how?
• Why were the shooters’ hunting privileges revoked?
• Which of the Firearm Safety Rules apply to these two incidents?
• What could you have done differently if you were hunting with the shooter in these situations?