I just got a copy of the Maryland 2012 hunting accident report.
No fatalities. Out of twenty-four events, Sixteen of the events involved falling out of tree stands. (WHICH is why Loyalist Dave don't get into no tree stand. :wink: )
Two events were with bows, one guy shot himself in his foot, one fellow got cut by a broadhead.
Five involved modern guns, one fellow shot himself, two fellows shot other hunters, a landowner was hit by shot pellets, and a home was struck with a rifle round (the last two may not have been "hunters").
Only one event in twenty-four involved a muzzleloader.
A 19 year old Cecil County [Maryland] deer hunter shot himself in the left foot. Upon investigation it was determined the victim was in the act of recovering wounded game; he had stopped to rest, and placed the muzzle of a .50 caliber muzzleloader on his left foot, the gun discharged causing a self-inflicted injury to the left foot. The victim stated he did not know how the gun went off. The victim suffered a wound to the left toe.
The report does not say if this was an inline or a traditional arm. My wild arsed guess is that he didn't wait, but quickly reloaded, and went after the deer. He saw the game move off, he cocked his rifle, and kept after it, trying to jump shoot it, got tired and careless, and now we can call him Gimpy.
So for 2012, the safest hunters in Maryland are those using muzzleloaders and regular or compound bows.
LD
No fatalities. Out of twenty-four events, Sixteen of the events involved falling out of tree stands. (WHICH is why Loyalist Dave don't get into no tree stand. :wink: )
Two events were with bows, one guy shot himself in his foot, one fellow got cut by a broadhead.
Five involved modern guns, one fellow shot himself, two fellows shot other hunters, a landowner was hit by shot pellets, and a home was struck with a rifle round (the last two may not have been "hunters").
Only one event in twenty-four involved a muzzleloader.
A 19 year old Cecil County [Maryland] deer hunter shot himself in the left foot. Upon investigation it was determined the victim was in the act of recovering wounded game; he had stopped to rest, and placed the muzzle of a .50 caliber muzzleloader on his left foot, the gun discharged causing a self-inflicted injury to the left foot. The victim stated he did not know how the gun went off. The victim suffered a wound to the left toe.
The report does not say if this was an inline or a traditional arm. My wild arsed guess is that he didn't wait, but quickly reloaded, and went after the deer. He saw the game move off, he cocked his rifle, and kept after it, trying to jump shoot it, got tired and careless, and now we can call him Gimpy.
So for 2012, the safest hunters in Maryland are those using muzzleloaders and regular or compound bows.
LD
Sure felt like I'd been stabbed! ) 
" The whole ER started laughing at him :grin: He didn't say a word to me the rest of the day.
