New York enjoyed one of its safest hunting seasons in 2024, DEC reports

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York’s 2024 hunting season was among the safest on record, with officials reporting a low number of shooting injuries and falls from tree stands. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) documented a total of 22 separate cases—11 hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSIs) and 11 elevated hunting incidents (EHIs).

DEC released detailed reports tracking last season's hunting injuries. You can read them at the bottom of this story. DEC officials credited good safety standards for the low accident count and said that all cases could have been prevented by following basic safety protocols.

Four of the HRSIs involved firearm accidents with two people. The other seven were self-inflicted, including one fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound that ended a long hunting career. Two cases involved people hunting illegally—one who shot from a vehicle, and another who didn't have the required education certificate or hunting license. The average age of the shooters was 43.

As in past years, tree stand falls represented a leading cause of hunting injuries in New York. The DEC recorded 11 EHIs, including two deaths. Nine of the falls happened because hunters didn't wear or properly attach safety harnesses.

In New York, all first-time hunters, bow hunters, and trappers have to complete a safety course and pass a final exam before they can buy a license. DEC officials said hunters should always take steps to minimize the potential dangers of hunting.

Those include inspecting gear, carrying a flashlight and whistle, wearing hunter orange, and always using fall-arrest systems. A fall-arrest system keeps a hunter connected from the time they leave the ground until they safely come down. For firearms, DEC advised practicing careful trigger discipline, keeping firearms pointed in a safe direction, and treating all guns like they are loaded.

DEC’s hunter education program, with over 1,500 volunteer instructors, teaches tree stand and firearm safety. Since the 1960s, the DEC said, hunting accidents have plummeted statewide, with 166 HRSIs recorded in 1966.

The DEC also released a report on the state’s youth deer hunting pilot program, which lets 12- and 13-year-olds hunt deer with an experienced adult in some counties. Young hunters in the program can equip rifles, crossbows, shotguns, or muzzleloading guns.

Since the program began in 2021, no hunting-related shooting incidents, license revocations, or violations have were reported among youth hunters. And in surveys of 284 participants, 89% of the kids had a positive experience in the program.

The program also helped the state collect more money from license sales and helped manage deer numbers. That's why DEC want lawmakers to make the pilot program permanent, extend it to every county, and let young hunters target black bears. They also recommended letting the young hunters use tree stands.

The DEC report did not include every accident or injury among hunters in 2024. It covered reported injuries caused by guns, bows, and crossbows, but not medical issues like heart attacks, for example.

Take a look at the HRSI report:

And the ESI report:

Here's the youth hunter pilot program report: