Hunter Safety Encouraged

— The annual pheasant hunt started in Nebraska and state officials are asking hunters to adhere to safety practices. Nebraska officials say there were a dozen hunting-related accidents involving a shotgun, rifle or handgun in 2009, including two in which people died. Hunting experts say such incidents are always preventable. Mike Streeter is the Nebraska hunter education coordinator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Streeter said the most common cause of a hunting accident in Nebraska is when shooters swing on flying game birds and fire without knowing what is beyond their target, striking hunting companions with shot. Hunting incidents resulting in injury or death are rare in Nebraska. The injury rate per 1,000 hunters commonly is lower than 0.01 percent. The commission says Nebraska has about 170,000 hunters each year, and the state has averaged about 12 incidents a year over the past decade. In such an incident, the age of the person firing the firearm is three times as likely to be in 10 to 19 years old as any other age group. In Nebraska's 2009 accidents, six of the shooters were 10 to 19 years old, four were 20 to 29 and two were 40 to 49. In seven incidents, the shooter shot himself or herself. Someone else was shot in five incidents. In two instances, a non-hunter was injured or killed. Three involved illegal activity. Six involved the discharge of a rifle, three a shotgun and three a handgun. Three of the incidents involved hunting nongame animals, three involved hunting furbearers, one involved hunting small game, three involved hunting upland birds and two involved hunting deer. The incidents that resulted in a death occurred in Wheeler County in June and Saunders County in December. Hunters who aren't visible are often the cause of the top hunting accidents. Hunters are encouraged to wear more blaze orange than the minimum required. The pheasant hunt started Saturday with hundreds of armed hunters in area fields. Hunting experts suggest hunters stay in contact with one another and stay in a straight line when pushing a field. Hunters also should have a plan before hunting, make sure to unload firearms when crossing obstacles and properly identify their targets Streeter said Nebraska hunters do an excellent job of ensuring safety each year. “Safe hunting is no accident,'' he said. “Follow the rules.”