A number of readers have written to say that hunting accidents are quite common, but a look at recent statistics shows that, in the state of Texas at least, they are not that frequent an occurrence. A report by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says there were 29 hunting accidents, four of them fatal, in Texas in 2004. Ten of the 29 were self-inflicted, so there were just 19 reported incidents in all of Texas in which a hunter accidentally shot someone else. According to the Department, there were 1,091,178 hunting licenses sold in Texas in 2004.

Measured another way, the report says there were 2.7 hunting accidents per 100,000 licenses in 2004. To give some perspective on that number, there were 12.6 accidents per 100,000 licenses in 1966, 6.0 in 1976, 5.8 in 1986, and 3.1 in 1996 — a steady decline over the years. A press release accompanying the Texas report describes the typical accident as very much like the one involving Vice President Dick Cheney:

The primary reason for Texas hunting accidents remains swinging on game outside a safe zone of fire. This happens when a person points a firearm at another hunter while following a moving target, such as a flying game bird. Hunter education teaches people to set up safe zones of fire where a gun can be safely pointed whether the target is moving or stationary.

“Some statistics seem to defy stereotypical expectations,” the release continues:

Most accidents do not happen under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Most of the people involved had more than 10 years of hunting experience. Most were in light to open cover with clear visibility in good weather.