2000 Big game hunting season one of safest

2000 Big game hunting season one of safest

July 19, 2001

BY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

DENVER — Colorado’s 2000 hunting seasons had only four firearm-related accidents, making it one of the safest hunting years in the state’s history.

"While our goal is to report zero accidents, these results are very good considering that more than 500,000 hunting licenses were sold in the state last year," said Patt Dorsey, hunting education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife. "Hunting has progressively gotten safer over the years to the point that it’s statistically safer than many popular sports such as football, baseball and bicycling."

According to Dorsey, the reduction in hunting accidents is due to a combination of factors, including mandatory hunter education courses, requirements that big game hunters wear blaze orange and prohibitions against carrying loaded firearms in vehicles.

"Hunters deserve the credit here. We’ve provided the framework for them to become educated about how to hunt safely," she said. "But it’s through their actions in the field and their adherence to safety regulations that the accident rates have dropped."

From 1961 to 1969, Colorado had an average of nine hunting fatalities and 24 non-fatal accidents per year. In the 1990s, the hunting fatality rate dropped to 1.3 and the non-fatal rate dropped to 11 per year. The Division of Wildlife considers a hunting fatality or accident as an incident that involves the use of a firearm or bow while hunting.

Last year’s incidents included one fatal and three non-fatal accidents. The fatal accident involved a 42-year-old elk hunter from Illinois who tripped while hunting in Garfield County, causing his firearm to discharge. The non-fatal accidents involved small game and waterfowl hunters.

Each year, Division of Wildlife personnel and certified volunteer hunter educators train approximately 18,000 people about safe hunting. "Our volunteer instructors are great!" Dorsey said. "The amount of personal time they spend teaching shows how much they care about people and wildlife."

The state’s hunter education course covers firearm safety, outdoor survival skills, wildlife management, hunter ethics and more. Colorado requires all people born on or after Jan. 1, 1949, to pass a hunter education class before they can purchase a license and hunt.

For more information about hunter education classes call the Division of Wildlife office nearest you or visit the agency’s web site at http://www.wildlife.state.co.us