For
more information, contact: Jonathan Harling or Brian Dowler, 803/637-3106.
Jan. 28, 2005
When the
National Wild Turkey Hunting Safety Task Force met this January, members
were reminded just how safe turkey hunting has become.
“When this Task Force first met in 1991, the incident rate for turkey
hunting was 8.1 injuries per 100,000 hunters. Today, that rate has fallen to
2.95 per 100,000 hunters, even though numbers of turkey hunters have
increased,” said Rob Keck, CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
“Turkey hunting is one of the safest outdoor activities whether you’re
talking about team sports, other types of hunting or outdoor hobbies such as
mountain biking.”
The National Wild Turkey Hunting Safety Task Force was hosted by the NWTF at
its headquarters Jan. 11-13, 2005. Their goal was to keep turkey hunting
safe and make it even safer.
“The National Wild Turkey Federation has a long-standing commitment to
hunter education. We’ve taken our responsibility to heart and organized all
three Task Force meetings, the first one in 1991, the 1997 meeting as well
as the most recent one,” said Keck. “This meeting was a great forum for
spirited discussion and well-thought-out decision making. The group didn’t
shy away from the tough issues.”
This task force featured 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.
“This collection of knowledge, experience and credibility positioned the
task force as the voice of turkey hunting safety,” said Eric Nuse, executive
vice president of IHEA. “The group set an aggressive goal to cut incident
rates in half by the next meeting of the Task Force. This country’s nearly
three million turkey hunters will benefit from the Task Force’s commitment
to make turkey hunting even safer.”
Members of the most recent Task Force learned that while turkey hunting has
become increasingly safe, those incidents that do occur share some common
variables.
For example, research shows the average age of someone involved in an
incident was 39 to 42 years old. In addition, fully half of those involved
in an incident had passed a hunter education course. The data also shows
that 68 percent of the incidents were because shooters failed to identify
their target and 66 percent of incidents occurred on private land.
“The data we reviewed made it clear where we needed to focus our efforts to
improve turkey hunting safety,” said Keck. “The key is education and
training. The Task Force agreed we need to tell hunters that the best way to
kill a bird, which is using a shotgun to place number 4 or smaller shot in
the head and neck at 40 yards or less, is also the safest way.”
At the Task Force meeting, NWTF officials unveiled a draft wild turkey
hunting safety curriculum to participants to get their feedback.
“When completed, this curriculum will be a great tool for hunter education
instructors as well as those who teach at JAKES, Boy Scouts, and other
events,” said Keck. “Using the latest technology, this curriculum will be a
fun and hands-on way to teach people to become better and safer hunters.”
The curriculum, which is expected to be available by spring 2005, will
supplement the more than a million pieces of hunting safety information
developed by the Task Force and produced and distributed by the NWTF since
1991.
For more information about the National Wild Turkey Hunting Safety Task
Force, contact the NWTF at 803-637-3106 or nwtf@nwtf.org.
Blaze Orange
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Reaffirm resolution from the 1997 Task Force to not recommend the mandated
use of hunter orange clothing for turkey hunters.
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Passed by majority vote
Youth Hunting
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The Task Force recommended the elimination of minimum age if accompanied by
and controlled by a licensed mentor.
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Unanimous consent
Shot Size
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The best and safest way to kill a turkey is using a shotgun with number 4 or
smaller shot to place a shot in the head and neck at 40 yards or less.
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Unanimous consent
Decoys
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The task force recommends the following safety tips when using decoys.
ß
A
decoy should never be visible while being transported. Never carry an
uncovered (identifiable) decoy any distance.
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Whenever possible, set up by a tree, stump or rock that is wider than your
shoulders and taller than your head. From your seated position, identify the
clearest line of vision to your front. Establish a "sight line" that allows
you a 100 yards of visibility. Then, set your decoy(s) approximately 20
yards from your position on the line.
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Should you see another hunter, especially if they are close to your line of
sight, call out to them in a loud, clear voice. Their presence has already
compromised your location and a soft call may only confuse them, rather than
alerting them to your presence.
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If you are calling over decoys and elect to move to a new location, check
carefully to ensure that no one is stalking your decoys before leaving your
setup.
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Unanimous consent
Rifles for Turkey Hunting
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Statistics show human fatality is more likely when a rifle is involved in a
turkey hunting related shooting incident.
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Unanimous consent.
Effect of Hunter Density on Hunter Safety
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Lower hunter densities appear to improve hunter safety, therefore the Task
Force encourages agencies to expand hunting opportunity through changes in
season length, hunting hours and access.
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These programs will help to improve safety by dispersing hunter pressure and
may encourage hunter recruitment and retention by improving quality of the
hunt.
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Unanimous consent
Other Recommendations
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Have trained personnel that consistently investigate hunting related
shooting incidents.
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Consistent incident data collection would allow better recommendations to
improve safety.
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Support the mandatory reporting of hunting related shooting incidents.
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More detailed and consistent reporting should include:
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exact distance, shot size, gauge, caliber, complete list of clothing,
presence of orange, involvement of decoys.
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Promotion of hunter safety awareness through the following:
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Outdoor media
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Public service announcements (video, TV, radio, Web sites, print)
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Press releases
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Be Safe stickers
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When transporting firearms, they should be unloaded and action open.
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While carrying a harvested bird over your shoulder, hunters need to use
extreme caution when transporting a harvested bird from the field.
Displaying a trophy over your shoulder must be tempered with local
considerations and conditions.
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The Task Force set a turkey hunting safety goal to reduce incident rates by
half from the national average of 2.95 incidents per 100,000 hunters.
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Reconvene the Task Force every five years.
About the NWTF:
In 1973 when the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded, there were an
estimated 1.3 million wild turkeys and 1.5 million turkey hunters. Thanks to
the work of wildlife agencies and the NWTF’s many volunteers and partners,
today there are 6.5 million wild turkeys and approximately 2.6 million
turkey hunters. Since 1985, more than $193 million NWTF and cooperator
dollars have been spent on over 29,000 projects benefiting wild turkeys
throughout North America.
The NWTF is a nonprofit organization with nearly 525,000 members in 50
states and 12 foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management
on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a
traditional North American sport.
For more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, call (803)
637-3106, check out our web site at www.nwtf.org or e-mail questions to
nwtf@nwtf.net.