ESPN  

Over the last 14 years, the number of shooting related turkey-hunting incidents has dropped dramatically nationwide, making it one of the safest outdoor activities.

"Hunter safety is a hot topic that's recently received attention from local and national media," said Rob Keck, CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation. "Not everyone has heard the good news about how safe turkey hunting has become. Turkey hunting is actually one of the safest outdoor activities whether you're talking about team sports, other types of hunting or outdoor hobbies such as mountain biking."

According to a report published by American Sports Data Inc., football has the highest rate of injury of any sport with 18.8 per 100,000 participants, ice hockey has 15.9 injuries per 100,000 participants and volleyball has 3.1 injuries per 100,000.

The number of turkey-hunting incidents nationwide, by comparison, has dropped dramatically from 8.1 incidents per 100,000 hunters in 1991 to 2.95 incidents per 100,000 hunters in 2005.

This data was presented in January during the third meeting of the National Hunter Safety Task Force at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield, S.C. Attending the meeting were specialists from a broad range of backgrounds including wildlife agency administrators, hunter education coordinators and instructors, International Hunter Education Association representatives, hunting/shooting industry experts, biologists, educators, wildlife law enforcement officers and NWTF volunteers and staff.

According to data collected from the IHEA Web site, the average age of those involved in a turkey hunting shooting-related incident are 39-42 years old. In addition, the data showed 68 percent of the incidents were because shooters failed to identify their target and 66 percent of incidents occurred on private land. Another report recently released shows youth hunters, when hunting with a mentor, have the lowest numbers of incidents.

While turkey-hunting incidents in the United States have decreased overall, one state, Pennsylvania, has not seen a reduction despite the mandatory use of blaze orange. Pennsylvania is the only state to require the use of blaze orange during spring turkey season.

"Although Pennsylvania's incident rates initially dropped when the blaze-orange requirement was first introduced for fall turkey hunting in 1992 and again when the topic was brought up in 2003, incidents increased thereafter," said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF senior vice president of conservation programs. "The initial decrease in incidents could be attributed more to media reports and public awareness than to blaze orange requirements."

According to data reported to the International Hunter Education Association by Pennsylvania, 27 spring turkey-hunting incidents were reported from 2002-04, of which one was fatal. During the same time period, 21 incidents were reported during the fall seasons without any fatalities. Failure to identify the target is reported as the main reason incidents occur.

"There were those in Pennsylvania who were in favor of the blaze orange requirement, which went into effect for the fall season in 1992 and for the spring season in 1993," Kennamer said. "The problem with the use of blaze orange is it puts the responsibility on the victim instead of the shooter. Also, under some conditions, blaze orange looks red, which is the color of a male turkey's head."

During the Pennsylvania fall turkey season, turkey hunters must wear at least 250 square inches - the size of a hunting vest - of fluorescent orange, which must be visible when moving. While at a stationary calling location, the orange may be removed provided the hunter places at least 100 square inches - the size of a hat - of fluorescent orange, visible in all directions, within 15 feet of the calling location. In the spring, turkey hunters must wear at least 100 square inches of fluorescent orange when moving.

Missouri and Texas — which also have large numbers of turkey hunters and no blaze orange requirements — had fewer turkey hunting incidents in 2001 than Pennsylvania. While Pennsylvania reported 20 turkey-hunting incidents, Missouri had 13 and Texas had only three.

"The orange is like a band aid to the real problem," said Greg Caldwell, NWTF member and former Pennsylvania state chapter president. "Teaching hunters how to hunt safely and properly will solve the problem."

The NWTF has committed to promoting hunter safety and awareness by designing a new turkey hunter safety curriculum. With this curriculum, hunters will gain valuable knowledge about safe and successful turkey hunting. The curriculum is a great addition to any hunter safety educator's toolbox.

Material from the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Visit the web site at www.nwtf.com