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2014 was the safest Michigan hunting season on record

Courtesy photo
/
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan started tracking how many hunters die each year 1970. Since then, there has never been a year when no one died while hunting.

But 2014 was a first. No fatalities and only ten injuries were reported.

There was a case where a 12-year old girl died on a hunting trip on Drummond Island. But state officials say it wasn't technically a hunting accident because the gun went off accidentally in the car, not while the family was hunting.

Hunting deaths in Michigan peaked in 1987 and have been, for the most part, declining. The records include all hunting seasons, including firearm deer, turkey, waterfowl and more.

Volunteer teachers with the state’s hunter education program are a big reason why, according to Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources.

Lindsey Smith is a Peabody Award-winning journalist currently leading the station's Amplify Team. She previously served as Michigan Public's Morning News Editor, Investigative Reporter and West Michigan Reporter.
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