January 17, 2010
North Dakota reports 7 hunting incidents in 2009
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reported seven hunting incidents in 2009, half of what has occurred annually over the past decade, and three of the seven were not hunting-related shooting incidents, according to Jon Hanson, hunter education coordinator.
Of the four hunting-related shooting incidents, three involved shotguns and one involved a rifle. None were fatalities. The other three incidents involved two handgun victims and one fatal heart attack victim.
North Dakota has averaged 14 hunting incidents since 2000. In 2008, 10 were reported. The average age of people involved in 2009 hunting-related incidents remains on average, with the shooter age 34 and victim 42.