South Dakota Hunting Incidents

In 2008, 30 hunting and shooting sports related incidents were reported in South Dakota. One incident, where a loaded firearm was being removed from a vehicle, proved to be fatal. While one hunting incident is one to many, it is especially tragic for a life to be taken while participating in hunting or related activities. The total number of incidents is slightly lower than the 20 year incident average of 31.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks compiles hunter safety statistics using the definitions outlined by the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA). The IHEA is the leading organization worldwide concerning hunter education and safety. The IHEA determines the criteria of how incidents are reported. These criteria include:

            A. Injury or death of a person resulting from the discharge of a firearm or bow while hunting
            B. Injury or death of a person while hunting, which did not involve the discharge of a firearm or bow.
            C. Injury or death of a person, other than while hunting, resulting from the discharge of a firearm or bow.

This report includes incidents reported within all three of the above criteria. Other incidents may have occurred but were not reported.

Below is an overview of the reported incidents. After this overview, a case by case report details each incident

19 incidents were related to upland game bird hunting
1 incident involved dove hunting
3 incidents related to deer hunting
1 incident related to turkey hunting
3 incidents were treestand falls
1 incident involved removing a loaded firearm from a vehicle
1 incident involved shooting clay targets
1 incident involved raccoon hunting

There were two fatalities reported that happened during the 2008 hunting season. One incident was firearm related while the other involved a heart attack.

Where residency could be determined, 18 incidents involved residents of the state while 12 involved non-residents. Where hunter education completion could be determined, the reports indicate that 15 incidents involved people who had taken hunter education while five incidents involved people who had not taken hunter education.

Each individual hunter shoulders the responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them. The four basic rules of hunter safety include:

Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
Keep the action unloaded and open if not actively hunting
Be sure of your target and what is beyond the target
Keep your finger outside and alongside the trigger guard until ready to shoot

County: Beadle
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of Shooter: 30
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: Victim was kneeling on the flank of a line of shooters. Shooter shot at a low flying bird striking the victim.

County: Brookings
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 56
Hunter Ed. Cert.: No
Explanation: The victim and the shooter were hunting together and were approximately 60-80 yards apart. The victim had climbed a small hill and was located above the shooter. A pheasant flushed between the two and the shooter shot at the bird and covered the victim.

County: Brookings
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game; victim was out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: 37
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: A group of five hunters were pheasant hunting in a slough/waterway. A pheasant flushed and due to fog and heavy cover the shooter did not see the victim in the background

County: Brown
Reason: Victim out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: A group of hunters were hunting a slough in the middle of a bean stubble field. Some of the party was walking and some were blocking. Pheasants flew between the two groups and the victim was struck by shot from one of the walkers.

County: Brule
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 53
Hunter ed. cert.: Yes
Explanation: Shooter thought victim was in a different location when he began shooting at a flushed bird

County: Edmunds
Reason: Victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Victim was hunting pheasant in a sunflower field. Victim was walking when he was struck by a blocker shooting at a flushed pheasant

County: Hand
Reason: Victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 66
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: The victim was a blocker in a group of hunters. Shooter felt he had cleared the blockers when he shot but pellets struck the victim.

County: Hand
Reason: Victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Victim was in a large party of hunters and was struck by numerous shot when shooters swung on a flushed pheasant.

County: Hand
Reason: Victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 52
Hunter ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: A pheasant flushed between two hunters and victim was struck by shot from the shooter

County: Hutchinson
Reason: Discharge of firearm in/on vehicle
Age of shooter: 16
Hunter ed. cert.: No
Explanation: The victim had a loaded shotgun in the front seat of a vehicle while road hunting pheasants. A dog in the vehicle stepped on the trigger and discharged the firearm.

County: Jerauld
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 18
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: Shooter was walking on the flank of a line of hunters. A pheasant flushed from cover and the shooter fired before the bird had cleared a line of blockers on his right

County: Kingsbury
Reason: victim out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Victim was blocking on the edge of a cornfield. A pheasant flushed and multiple members of the hunting party shot at the pheasant. Corn was too tall to see victim.

County: Lyman
Reason: Victim was out of sight of shooter
Age: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Party was hunting pheasants in heavy cover when victim was struck by shot. The shot was thought to be a ricochet

County: McPherson
Reason: Victim was out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: 60
Hunter Ed. Cert.: yes
Explanation: Victim was on the far side of a ridge away from the shooter. Shooter fired over the ridge without realizing the victim was there.

County: Mellette
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 69
Hunter Ed. Cert.: No
Pheasant flushed between two hunters and the victim was covered by the shooter

County: Miner
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: Unknown
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: The victim was blocking in a low area unseen by the approaching walkers. Several hunters shot at a flushed pheasant and hit the blocker in the background.

County: Spink
Reason: Victim was out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: 15
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: hunters were in a cornfield and the victim was blocking at the end of the field. The height of the corn obscured the vision of the shooter.

County: Spink
Reason: victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 49
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: No other information is available on this incident

County: Tripp
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game
Age of shooter: 61
Hunter ed. Cert.: No
Explanation: Victim and shooter were hunting opposite sides of a creek. A pheasant flushed between the two and shooter felt that the wind and distance would cause the shot to not strike the victim.

County: Tripp
Reason: Victim moved into line of fire
Age of shooter: 27
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Victim was raccoon hunting with a party of hunters. Shooter shot at a coon on the ground and struck the victim instead

County: Lake
Reason: Victim was covered by shooter who was swinging on game; victim was out of sight of shooter
Age of Shooter: 21
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: A group of six individuals were hunting dove in wheat stubble. Victim was standing by a large hay bale which partially obscured the vision of the shooter

County: Dewey
Reason: Removing/placing firearm in vehicle, Careless handling of firearm
Age of shooter: 51
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: Shooter and victim were riding in the same vehicle hunting deer. Shooter was exiting vehicle to pursue a deer. When the loaded firearm was being removed from the vehicle, the safety was disengaged and the firearm discharged, striking the victim. The incident proved to be fatal.

County: Hand
Reason: Faulty equipment
Age of shooter: 45
Hunter Ed. cert.: Yes
Explanation: While shooting at a deer, faulty ammunition resulted in the blowback of gunpowder into the shooters eye.

County: Hand
Reason: victim out of sight of shooter
Age of shooter: 15
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: A group of hunters were driving deer through a cornfield. Several individuals were posted at the end of the field to intercept game. Victim was one of the posters.

County: Kingsbury
Reason: Victim mistaken for game
Age of shooter: 30
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: The victim and shooter separated as they searched for a wounded deer. The shooter mistook the victim for the injured deer at a distance of about 180 yards.
Turkey

County: Custer
Reason: Victim covered by shooter who was swinging on game, victim out of sight of shooter
Age: 74
Hunter Ed. Cert.: No
Explanation: Shooter was hunting turkey in medium cover. Shooter fired at moving turkey, striking two victims in the background

County: Hughes
Reason: Fall while climbing into or out of position
Age: 54
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: Victim was climbing into the treestand and had just seated himself when equipment malfunctioned and the victim fell

County: Lawrence
Reason: Failure to use fall arrest system properly
Age: 49
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Unknown
Explanation: Victim was in the process of pulling up his bow to the treestand when he lost his balance and fell

County: Lawrence
Reason: Fall while climbing in and out of position, failure to use fall arrest system properly
Age: 56
Hunter Ed. cert.: Yes
Explanation: Victim was setting up treestand and was securing the stand to the tree when the branch he was holding broke

County: Clark
Reason: Careless handling of firearm
Age of shooter: 13
Hunter Ed. Cert.: Yes
Explanation: While shooting at clay targets, victim had firearm pointed down at his foot with his finger on the trigger and the hammer cocked. Firearm was discharged inadvertently.