Hunting firearm injuries, North Carolina

To determine the percentage of unintentional firearm-related injuries associated with hunting and to identify risk factors, we conducted a retrospective, descriptive survey of all hunting firearm injuries identified by two North Carolina surveillance systems. Almost one-third of unintentional shooting deaths are hunting-related, and young hunters appear to be at greatest risk of injury. Safety instruction and wearing highly visible clothing should be encouraged; controlled studies should test the effectiveness of these preventive measures.