hunting incidents report - 2012 season

Hunting Incidents, Yearly Comparison

2011 Hunting Incident Report in .pdf format

In 2012, 21 hunting and shooting sports related incidents were reported in South Dakota to the HuntSAFE Office. Three hunting incidents resulted in fatalities. The total number of hunting and shooting sports related incidents decreased by about -62% from the previous year and were also lower than the 10 year average of 37. Overall, 2012 had the lowest number of hunting and shooting sports related incidents that were reported since 1997 when incident numbers were at 18.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks compiles hunter safety statistics each year using the definitions outlined by the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA). The IHEA determines the criteria of how incidents are reported. These criteria are:

• Type A. Injury or death of a person resulting from the discharge of a firearm or bow during hunting.
• Type B. Injury or death of any person while hunting, which did not involve the discharge of a firearm or bow.
• Type C. Injury or death of any person, other than while hunting, resulting from the discharge of a firearm or bow.

This report includes incidents reported within all three of the above criteria. Other incidents may have occurred but were not reported to the Department.

Below is an overview of the reported incidents. After this overview, each incident is described on a case-by-case basis.

• 18 incidents were related to pheasant hunting
• 3 incidents were related to Big Game (deer) hunting
• 3 fatalities - one treestand fall, one heart attack and one careless handling of firearm

In cases where a shooter could be determined, 8 were non-residents, 4 were residents and the remaining cases a shooter was not identified.

Where hunter education completion could be determined, the data indicates 7 people involved as shooters had received hunter education while 2 had not.

Each individual hunter shoulders the responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them. The four basic rules of hunter safety are:

• Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
• Keep the action unloaded and open if not actively hunting
• Be sure of your target and what is beyond your target
• Keep your finger outside and alongside the trigger guard until ready to shoot
  

2012 Case-by-Case Summary of Hunting Incidents

Pheasant Hunting Incidents

• Type: A
  County: Sully
  Date of Incident: 09/29/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert:
  Brief Description: Victim was blocker at the end of the field. At the end of the push a bunch of pheasants flushed and the victim stepped out and turned to shoot at the pheasants behind him. Shot pellets fired from a walker in the hunting party struck victim in face, shoulder and arm.

• Type: A
  County: Duel
  Date of Incident: 10/16/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: Unknown
  Brief Description: Victim walked to end of the field to block for large group of hunters (11). As the group walked towards him, a pheasant flushed in front of the large group and several hunters shot at it while it was flying away in direction of victim. Victim was struck in head by shot pellets.

• Type: A
  County: Campbell
  Date of Incident: 10/20/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game     
  Age of shooter: 75
  Hunter Ed. cert: No        
  Brief Description: As victim was standing waiting for hunting party to come around a hill, the shooter came over a different rise approaching the victim. As the shooter crested the rise his dog flushed a rooster and the shooter swung on the bird covering the victim and fired. Several pellets struck the victim in the head, chest, legs and hands.

• Type: A
  County: Miner
  Date of Incident: 10/20/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: 14
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Shooter swung on a low flying bird and fired striking victim with pellets in chest, arm and face

• Type: A
  County: Walworth
  Date of Incident: 10/21/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: 56
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Victim was to the shooters left as the group walked a road right of way for pheasants. As the group approached the end of a patch of taller grass in the ditch the rooster flushed and the shooter swung on the pheasant and fired. Victim was hit with shot pellets at approximately 20 yards and struck in the legs, groin, stomach, back, hand, arm and face.

• Type: A
  County: Davison
  Date of Incident: 10/21/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game     
  Age of shooter: 45
  Hunter Ed. cert: No        
  Brief Description: Shooter was blocking. Victim was walking toward shooter, saw bird flying low, and saw that the shooter was going to fire. Victim dropped to his knees, heard the shot and was struck in the face with shot pellet.

• Type: A
  County: McPherson
  Date of Incident: 10/21/2012
  Reason: Victim out of sight of shooter
  Age of shooter: unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: unknown
  Brief Description: Victim was on the other side of a hill. Victim and shooter were part of the same hunting party, but could not see each other at the time shots were fired. Victim received shot pellets to face.

• Type: A
  County: Walworth
  Date of Incident: 10/26/2012
  Reason: Victim out of sight of shooter
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: Unknown          
  Brief Description: Victim was blocking at end of field and shooters just started walking the field. Shooters were approximately 80 yds from victim when victim was struck with shot pellets to face.

• Type: A
  County: Tripp
  Date of Incident: 10/27/2012
  Reason: Victim out of sight of shooter; ricochet
  Age of shooter: 58
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Shooter was firing on a pheasant and couldn't see victim at the time of the shot. Victim was struck by a pellet in the face which was believed to be a ricochet from the shooters shot.

• Type: A
  County: Day
  Date of Incident: 10/27/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: 42
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description:  10 hunters were hunting the slough to the east of a residence. A pheasant got up and one hunter swung on the pheasant and fired striking two victims in the hands and face. One victim was a 2.5 year old riding with the group.

• Type: A
  County: McPherson
  Date of Incident: 10/28/2012     
  Reason: Victim out of sight of shooter; victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game   
  Age of shooter: 48
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Victim was out of sight of shooter who was swinging on low flying pheasant. Shooter fired striking victim in hands and face with shot pellets.

• Type: A
  County: Tripp
  Date of Incident: 10/28/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: Unknown
  Brief Description: Victim was blocking for a group of hunters. A pheasant flushed and multiple shots were fired and victim was struck in face by pellets from an unknown shooter.

• Type: A
  County: Spink
  Date of Incident: 10/29/2012
  Reason: Ricochet
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: unknown
  Brief Description: Victim was hunting with 7 other hunters and a pheasant flushed in front of the group. The group that was walking shot at the pheasant and the victim felt pellets strike face. Victim believed it was a ricochet as pheasant was out in front of the group and blockers did not shoot.

• Type: A
  County: Walworth
  Date of Incident: 11/04/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: unknown
  Brief Description: Victim and unknown shooter were members of a large hunting party on a preserve when a rooster flushed flying low. The unknown shooter swung on the bird covering the victim and fired. Victim was struck by numerous pellets, most not penetrating clothing. Pellets did penetrate the skin in face and hands and ear.

• Type: A
  County: Walworth
  Date of Incident: 11/07/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: 51
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Victim and shooter were walking for pheasant when rooster flushed flying low. Shooter swung on bird covering victim and fired. Victim was struck by several pellets in head, eye, arm and hand.

• Type: A
  County: Hand
  Date of Incident: 11/25/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
  Age of shooter: 68
  Hunter Ed. cert: unknown          
  Brief Description: Victim was hunting with 9 other people and walking a tree belt when pheasants flushed from tree belt and a blocker at the end of the treebelt fired at birds striking victim in face.

• Type: A
  County: Spink
  Date of Incident: 12/01/2012
  Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game; victim out of sight of shooter
  Age of shooter: Unknown shooter
  Hunter Ed. cert: Unknown          
  Brief Description: Victim was blocking at the end of a slough when saw walking hunters getting close. Victim ducked down and was hit in the face by pellets from an unknown shooter

• Type: B
  County: Faulk
  Date of Incident: 12/10/2012
  Reason: Victim suffered heart attack
  Age of shooter: none
  Hunter Ed. cert: none   
  Brief Description: Pheasant hunter suffered a fatal heart attack.

Big Game (deer)

• Type: A
  County: Lincoln
  Date of Incident: 1/10/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of a firearm
  Age of shooter: 58
  Hunter Ed. cert: unknown
  Brief Description: Shooter/Victim was found dead in passenger seat of vehicle. Upon further investigation by Lincoln County Investigators it was determined that shooter/victim was trying to retrieve his muzzleloader with the muzzle pointed in an upward position to shoot at a deer out of his vehicle window when the gun fired striking shooter/victim in head. Shooter/Victim did have active disabled hunter permit to shoot from the vehicle and off of the road.

• Type: B
  County: Turner
  Date of Incident: 10/13/2012
  Reason: Failure to use safety belt
  Age of shooter: 49
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes       
  Brief Description: Victim was hunting deer from tree stand and fell approximately 22 or 23 feet. Victim suffered fatal injuries from fall as a result of not wearing a safety harness.

• Type: A
  County: Butte
  Date of Incident: 11/12/2012
  Reason: Careless handling of firearm; removing/placing firearm in vehicle
  Age of shooter: 50
  Hunter Ed. cert: Yes
  Brief Description: After a morning deer hunt the victim and hunting partner got into their vehicle to warm up. Victim said he forgot to take the live round out of the rifle chamber before he got into the vehicle. Victim seated himself in passenger seat with his bolt action .270 rifle placed along his side with muzzle pointed to the floor. While seated the victim repositioned his rifle moving the muzzle across his right foot. Victim believes he held the firearm around the rifle grip and had his finger on the trigger. When he began to move the rifle over his foot the firearm went off sending round through victim's foot through the floor board of the pickup and through the vehicles right front tire.