Published: October 29, 2009 10:15 pm      

Be safe

Hunting accidents are the most preventable

Hunting continues to be one of the oldest and most revered of our traditions and, with all due respects to its detractors, it should be.

Unfortunately, it is the case that some hunters will injure or even kill a target they had no intention of harvesting — another human being.

According to the International Hunter Education Association, about 1,000 people in the United States and Canada are accidentally shot by hunters each year. Slightly less than 100 are killed. Although most are hunters, some are not.

Recently, a West Virginia turkey hunter was shot and killed in Hampshire County by another hunter who actually was hunting from the same camp. One shot at a turkey and missed, and his bullet struck the other.

Hunting accidents are the most preventable of all accidents. They occur only because someone was careless.

We occasionally hear of hunters taking “sound shots”; that is to say, they heard something and shot at the sound. If there is any other hunting practice that’s worse, we can’t imagine it.

Good hunters never point a weapon at something they don’t intend to shoot, even if they know it isn’t loaded.

They never shoot unless they have clearly identified their target and know where the bullet will strike if it misses. It is for this reason that good hunters may even pass up more shots than they take.

If you hunt, don’t have someone’s death on your conscience for the rest of your life, and don’t deprive family and friends of a loved one because of your haste to take an unsafe shot.