Behavior and risk probabilities of deer stand falls among Wisconsin hunters

Abstract

Falls from elevated hunting platforms have replaced firearm accidents as the largest source of hunting-related injuries and deaths in the United States. Our study applied participation and behavior data from 2 statewide hunter surveys conducted in 2013, current license purchasing data, and an audit of medical records between 2009 and 2013 in the north-central region of Wisconsin to generate annual and cumulative risk probabilities of being injured in a fall. Although archery hunting of deer (Odocoileus sp.) attracts fewer participants than firearm season, risk exposure is 4.5 times greater because of season length. Overall, the average risk probability for serious injury was 1 out of 71 through 25 years of hunting participation. The most avid deer hunters-those who hunt during archery and firearm seasons over a lifetime-incur a 1-in-20 chance of being injured falling from a deer stand. Our results support agency decisions to require safety education for new hunters. However, increased efforts are needed to get existing hunters to purchase and consistently utilize body harnesses and climbing equipment while using deer stands. Ó 2016 The Wildlife Society.

Flawed analysis and unconvincing interpretation: a comment on Chapron and Treves 2016

“…In addition, they did not provide evidence that public attitudes of hunting and agency culling were similar. To the contrary, surveys done in both states have demonstrated that public acceptance of these types of killing is context-dependent and variable [ 12 , 13 ].…”

White‐Tailed Deer, Weather and Predation: a New Understanding of Winter Severity for Predicting Deer Mortality

“…Considering results from Walsh et al (2018) and our findings as a whole, intervals of highest predation risk occurred during times of greatest nutritional stress, predation rates and starvation rates were correlated, juvenile predation rates correlated with winter severity, and the markedly higher predation on juvenile deer relative to adult deer, suggested much of the predation observed in both studies was compensatory. This contradicts a common theory among deer hunters that wolves strongly limit deer abundance (Holsman et al 2014). Although we lack contemporaneous population estimates for all deer predators, variations in predator populations as extreme as variation reported by Walsh et al (2018) in juvenile predation rates (~10 times difference between the lowest and highest juvenile cumulative predation rates) are exceedingly unlikely.…”

Common Injuries Associated with Falls from Tree Stands in Iowa

“…Although the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has information on tree stand safety, 19 education on the use of safety harnesses to prevent falls from tree stands should be provided to all hunters. 20 Our study has several limitations, including its small sample size. First, the data were acquired through retrospective chart review, which introduces a risk of bias stemming from poor documentation or missing data.…”

“…Although the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has information on tree stand safety, 19 education on the use of safety harnesses to prevent falls from tree stands should be provided to all hunters. 20…”