Hunting accidents, brought back into the public debate in recent weeks, recorded a decline over the season with 7 deaths, including six hunters, according to figures announced by the Secretary of State for Biodiversity.
In all, there were 80 hunting accidents over the 2020-2021 season, including seven fatalities, with six hunters, according to these figures compiled by the French Biodiversity Office (OFB).
Read also Serial accidents: should we better supervise hunting?
In total, they caused "83 victims", dead or injured, "the vast majority of hunters (86%)".
In detail, big game hunting records 59% of accidents.
Finally, “auto-accidents” represent 29% of the total and three of the seven fatal accidents.
The figures are down from the 2019-2020 season, which recorded 141 accidents in total, including 11 fatalities, with one non-hunter fatality.
"A hunting accident is always one accident too many"
If these latest figures cover a season partly disrupted by confinements, they are part of an overall downward trend for twenty years.
There were thus 39 fatal accidents for the 1999-2000 season.
No excess of optimism, however.
“Our efforts to reduce them must continue.
A hunting accident is always one accident too many, ”notes the French Office in a press release.
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The main causes of these accidents are non-compliance with the 30 ° firing angle (intended to avoid hitting another participant on the side during stationary hunts), firing without identifying the game but also “self-shooting”. accidents ”, in particular by improper handling of the weapon.
"The shots in the direction of roads or homes which are the cause of accidents, but also incidents (no physical victims) are still too numerous", also underlines the OFB.
Towards better supervision of hunting?
According to the press release from the Secretary of State, since the start of the current hunting season there have been 42 accidents, including three fatalities. The announcement of these figures comes as spectacular cases have put this question back into public debate, such as the recent death of a motorist hit in his car by a bullet from a hunter near Rennes. In December 2020, a young man who was chopping wood in his garden in the Lot was killed by a hunter's bullet.
To fight against these accidents, the environmental candidate for the presidential election Yannick Jadot proposes in particular to ban hunting during the weekend and the school holidays.
The Senate for its part announced at the beginning of November the creation of a mission on hunting safety, after "strong support" to a petition on its site calling for measures.
To "ensure better information for users and residents", the Secretary of State announces in its press release the online posting of a calendar of hunting in national forests.