If you hunted in the 2015 season, congrats. New York state hunters had one of the safest seasons on record in 2015.

According to OutdoorNews, there were only 23 hunting-related shooting incidents and no fatalities.

“The number of hunters is declining, but the... incident rate (incidents per 100,000 hunters) is falling much faster,” Dente said in his report. “Since the 1960s, the number of hunters has declined by about 20 percent, while the incident rate has declined almost 80 percent. The current five-year average is four incidents per 100,000 hunters, compared to 19 per 100,000 hunters in the 1960s.”

The 23 hunting-related shooting incidents in 2015 is up from 22 in 2014 and 10 in 2013.  The statistics includes only hunting-related shooting incidents involving firearms, bows or crossbows. Keep in mind that injuries and fatalities from activities such as treestand falls, ATV mishaps or hunter health-related incidents are not included in the report.

Of last year’s 23 incidents, 10 involved self-inflicted injuries and 13 were “two-party” incidents where one individual was injured by another. So when did these accidents happen?

Thirteen of the incidents occurred during deer seasons, while eight occurred during small-game or non-game seasons. Waterfowl hunting and spring gobbler hunting accounted for one incident each. Rifles were involved in 10 of the incidents, shotguns in nine, muzzleloaders in two and crossbows and handguns one each.

Also, it looks like these incidents DID NOT HAPPEN in Central New York. Three of the incidents were recorded in Jefferson County, while two occurred in Chautauqua County.


BONUS VIDEO- The Call of the Deer For Feeding Time

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