Hunting Incidents Claim Two Missouri Men’s Lives in January

By Jim Low, Missouri Dept. of Conservation

First posted on 02-02-2009

Missouri is off to a somber start in terms of hunting incidents, and hunter-education officials are urgently requesting that hunters make safety their first and most important concern.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recorded six firearms-related hunting incidents in January. Two of the victims died. Investigations of some of the incidents are still underway, and details are incomplete. Enough is known, however, to underline the need for greater caution among hunters.

The first fatality occurred on Jan. 23 and resulted from horseplay between two cousins, age 13 and 17, who were hunting squirrels. The two had been pointing their firearms at each other’s feet, pretending to shoot. When the younger hunter raised his rifle and tried to re-engage the safety of his .22 cal. rifle. The rifle discharged, striking the victim in the neck.

The second fatality occurred Jan. 25. The 37-year-old victim was crossing a fence when he lost control of his .22 magnum rifle and it discharged, striking him in the chest.
Hunter Education Coordinator Tony Legg urged all hunters to take January’s tragic toll to heart and renew their commitment to safety.

“Hunting doesn’t have to be dangerous,” said Legg. “Everyone who takes a hunter education course is provided the information they need to know to prevent hunting incidents. But it takes a conscious effort to remember and apply those lessons.”

Legg said the incident with the two teenage hunters illustrates the importance of adult supervision of novice hunters.

“The lessons of safe hunting take time and repeated emphasis to become habits,” he said. “New hunters, regardless of age, need experienced mentors to watch over and protect them until safe gun handling becomes second nature. Even experienced hunters need others to point out potential safety problems. Telling family or friends that they are doing something unsafe can be uncomfortable, but it is an act of love. Responsible hunters have to take safety seriously and guard each other.”

Legg said the other fatality involved an equally careless action, crossing a fence with a loaded firearm in hand. He said lone hunters should always unload their rifles or shotguns and lay them flat on the ground with the muzzles pointed away while crossing a fence. When hunting with companions, hunters should unload firearms and pass them over the fence after one or more of the hunting party has crossed safely.

The Conservation Department recorded four nonfatal hunting incidents in January. The agency recorded only 15 firearms-related hunting incidents in all of 2008, and none was fatal. Missouri also had a fatality-free hunting season in 2002.

“Words can’t express how tragic both these deaths are,” said Legg. “Lives were lost in incidents that never should have happened. There is never any excuse for playing around with a firearm, especially not pointing it a person. In this case, someone paid with his life for a young hunter’s lack of respect for his firearm.”

-Jim Low-

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