Antler Points

Thousands of people each year experience firearm accidents. Hundreds of these occur during or when associated with hunting. We have to bring these numbers down! It is a little silly to try to describe why, so I'll not bother.

R* Deer managers take an unusual point of view on hunting firearm "safety." We think that there are few really mentally limited people out there carrying rifles or shotguns. They know that a gun will kill you; that a gun with mud in the end will blow up. They do not need more information. They do not need "educating." If they did, in most cases, a long list of really big surprises could be taught in 30 minutes and then gun accidents would decrease to almost zero. The big surprises...

• "Unloaded" guns shoot people!
• A plug of mud in a shotgun barrel will make it blow up!
• If you point a gun an another person it might go off!

Enough of the trivial. How much more? How stupid do writers think that deer hunters are?

There is more to the problem than information and education. In The Deer Group, managers struggle to grasp the full range of factors associated with this big, deadly problem. One way to approach human behavior with a gun is to study it as if it were gambling.

Gambling has three dimensions: the probability, the payoff, and the timing. Most reasonable people will gamble when the odds of a win are very high even if the payoff is low. When the odds are low (as in a state lottery), the payoff can be high (in the millions). In gun handling, the odds of a problem seem very low; the pleasure or payoff, even very small, seems very high. Perhaps it may be possible to communicate, discuss, and understand the gamble better than anyone has before.

The odds are great that if you shoot at the surface of a pond or lake, the bullet or pellets will "skip." They may go anywhere and for long distance. They may end up in trees along the bank ... or causing major property damage, injury or death. The "payoff" can be disastrous to the gunner. Shooting over water is not worth any risk; no matter how small the risk, the costs (the negative payoff) can be so great that it is beyond comprehension.

The odds of hitting something important behind the target are very great. There are chances that people, livestock, or houses may be behind a target. Checking the background is not a long shot. The odds of hitting something may be small but the likely loss can be very high.

The odds of hitting a small target at great distance are very small, even for a good shot. A miss is likely. A miss is even more likely if a shooter has been drinking alcohol or using drugs. The probability of a variety of difficulties with a shooter increases where alcohol is drunk. A miss represents a loose, uncontrolled bullet or shotgun pellet. The odds of a bad hit are small; if it occurs, it can be very bad.

The odds of tapping the trigger or jarring the firing mechanism of a rifle or shotgun when crossing a fence or climbing a tree are very high. Personal injury or death is not uncommon. Crossing or climbing is dangerous. "Extra care", a way to change the odds and the loss need to be brought into play at every fence.

The odds of shooting another hunter are great. Movement, noise, clothing can all attract attention when hunting. It is essential to know where hunting partners are at all times.

The odds are great that a person will pick up a gun and point it or try to fire it. If loaded, such action can be disastrous. Everyone must store all guns unloaded to reduce the odds of this "point-or-shoot" behavior with unknown guns as having awful effects.

The odds of pointing an unloaded gun at another person, pulling the trigger, and firing a shot are low. The more times this is done, the greater are the odds. The consequences-death or injury-are about as great as humans imagine.

The odds of a gun firing unexpectedly are great. The losses can be very great. Keeping the safety on is a way to reduce the odds, keep losses to zero.

The odds of a gun going off while it is being carried in the field are great. It needs to be carried in both hands, safety on, pointed up or away from people nearby to reduce probability of firing and loss.

The odds of a dropped loaded gun firing are great. When the chances of a gun falling are great (e.g., crossing a stream), it should be unloaded.

The odds of a gun with an obstructed barrel misfiring or exploding are great. The damage to the shooter or people nearby can be great. Guns should be checked carefully before they are loaded and after any fall or fence crossing.

The odds are low that a child will (1) find your ammo, and (2) put it in a gun, but the consequences can be very bad. The probability of 1 and 2 is their product (say 0.1 x 0.05 = 0.005 or 5 times in 1000). Even if the odds are very low, the payoff is unacceptable.

The odds are that old ammo or ammo of the wrong size will cause problems with the gun leading to accidents is very high. With a gun, there are very few accidents of low consequences. We're not discussing a pinched finger from a bolt, but blindness, loss of limbs, and disfigurement, loss of livestock and property, and, of course, death.

The odds of a fall, a jolt to the gun, or dropping the gun when jumping a ditch or stream are very great. Unload it. It will reduce the odds of problems. There will be a delay. Perhaps time is the other dimension of safety. On hunts, people seem to have so little time; it is "priceless." They trade high risk for time and hunting success.

The odds of a loaded gun in a house, car or camp falling or being triggered are very great. So close to people, the losses can be great. All guns taken "inside" should always be unloaded.

The odds of pleasure from owning, handing, or hunting with a gun can be very great. The odds of a problem are low but the consequences or costs can be very great ... even death of a family member or friend. Every gun should be treated to maximize benefits and minimize the risks.

The odds of a faulty gun discharging or blowing up are great. Drivers may delay getting their turn-signal repaired but not their brakes. This aspect of rational gun ownership and handling (that is, of keeping guns in good repair), is like car repair. Failure to repair is a bad gamble.

Half of the hunting accidents occur among people less than 20 years old. We believe that the very young do not know the consequences or outcomes. Among the older youngsters, we believe they misjudge the risks or discount them (as in auto speeding).

The third part of the gun and hunter safety problem is limited physical experience. I have seen time after time a student having just been taught "do not point a gun at anyone", when handed a rifle or a model of one, to point it at the instructor or classmate as he or she experimented with the bolt or safety. It takes time, coordination, and experimentation ... like riding a bike or catching a baseball to learn how to handle a gun. Telling someone how will not be sufficient.

Deer hunters have a big, bad hunting/gunning safety record, the worst of any hunters. Attitudes toward hunting in general are tied tightly to these awful lack-of-safety records.

In 1994, there were 4 fatal and 27 non-fatal deer-hunting two-party events. We shot each other!! This is just gross disregard for life, if not for the most simple rule of hunting-always know where your shot will end. I can begin to understand self-inflicted accidents, such as those while cleaning a gun. I can understand (almost) a casualty from a falling gun, but these fatalities and near-fatalities were the direct result of being purposely shot at. The person was the target and the shooter thought he or she was a deer. We have to stop this behavior in the woods! These deaths result from "jump shooting", not hunting. Speed of action or long-range chance shots do not assure a proper kill. They do not assure no cripples, no escapes, no excessive wounding, good meat returns, superior trophy, or ease of "bringing out" the animal. Quick shots are bad business.

There were (in 1994) 13 self-inflicted deer-hunter casualties. They were due to careless handling of the guns, careless unloading, careless fence crossing. These can be overcome with practice, with a "buddy-system" in which every one has at least one person to help the other to handle a gun safely. This is the equivalent of a "designated driver" system where every 2 people are responsible, in part, for the safety of only their "buddy."

The other stuff I don't understand. I don't know how to get people, at least 31 in 1994, to stop shooting people. Declaring a closed season on people won't work. There may be people poachers. The only options I see are: (1) eye-sight testing; (2) color-blindness testing (blaze orange); (3) promoting the "guess where" game [Imagine someone at any instant saying "I'll give you $1,000 if you point a walking stick at your nearest hunting partner. If more than 10 yards off, you pay $1,000!" The message: always be prepared to win!]

R* Deer managers are developing a modern safety program with new educational units, field events, competency testing, a field contest, software, and related programs in gun repair and ammo disposal. We want safe hunting, especially safe deer hunting and safe conditions for all who may enjoy the deer resource.

This Web site is maintained by R. H. Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.