Tower blinds are a great way to get a shot at deer, but need to be kept safe by not carrying a loaded rifle into and out of them. (Steve Knight/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Deer hunters should have two goals this and every season: be successful in taking a deer and making sure they and the hunters around them come home safe.

While the percentage of hunters within the population has dropped in recent years as the number of Texans has grown, there are still about a million deer hunters in the state.

The good news is that in recent years hunting has gotten safer and safer. There was just one hunting fatality in 2023, the fifth consecutive season with a single fatality in the state. Last year there was also a record low 10 non-fatal accidents. That is quite a turnaround from 1968 when a record high 37 fatalities and 68 non-fatal accidents were recorded.

The difference? Most would say hunter education that became mandatory, and as the saying goes the rest is history as fatal and non-fatal accidents have decreased dramatically.

Even with low number of accidents last year, it would be nice to see the numbers dip even more. It would especially be nice to see that one fatality streak to end by dropping to zero. It is not unrealistic because several times in recent years the fatal accident occurred not by a deer hunter misidentifying the target as so often happened in the past, but while unloading or mishandling a gun around a vehicle.

Similarly, there were two accidents last year involving duck hunters shot after leaving the blind without someone unloading their gun. One of those was a complete freak accident, caused by a dog stepping on the gun as the hunters were picking up decoys.

Whether deer or duck hunting it only makes sense to unload or at least clear the barrel as soon as the hunt is over.

Hunters are often climbing into and down from 10-foot tower blinds and even under the best conditions it makes no sense to be going up and down the steps with a loaded gun because you are probably more likely to fall than to get a shot.

Even in the blind, which can be crowded with more than one person in it, it is probably best to keep from chambering a shell until getting ready to take a shot and the barrel is safely pointed out of the blind.

If you do find yourself walking up to a vehicle with a loaded gun stop short, point the barrel down and unload it.

That has always been a point of emphasis with me because years ago I was loading up at camp before daylight once when a hunter accidentally discharged a rifle. With people standing nearby it was lucky the gun was pointed to the ground, but there was no reason for the gun to have been loaded at that time.

I know hunters will often slow-roll around the ranch during the day looking for doe, cull bucks or whatever. Too often it is done with the rifle loaded inside the truck. This creates a dangerous situation when quickly reaching for the gun and attempting to get it out the window for a shot.

If you do not keep the gun unloaded then at least leave the bolt open. At least that way the gun cannot go off accidentally.

It goes beyond that. I have had two friends who had loaded gun in a vehicle. One hit a bump and the gun went off. The other reached for the gun and accidently hit the trigger. Fortunately, they were alone at the time, so the only damage was a hole in the passenger side floorboard.

It was not that long ago that mistaking a person for game was a too common cause for hunting accidents. I think there are several reasons those are not as common including the change to quality hunting instead of shooting the first deer walking out, hunters hunting a location they know well and better optics. It also matters that Texas is a private property state and hunters should know where others on their lease are during the day.

If hunters reach for binoculars instead of using their scope to judge a potential target that eliminates any chance for that mistake.

It is a good idea at sunrise to look around and see what views you have from the blind. Where are the safe shots, or more importantly are the lanes that can lead to a dangerous stray shot over a horizon or toward where someone else may be hunting.

Deer hunters are not responsible for all the hunting accidents or even most of them. Dove hunting, at least in Texas, is a lot more dangerous. And of the two deer hunting accidents last year only one included a gun. The other happened when a young hunter walking with a loaded crossbow accidentally shot one of his hunting companions.

But deer hunting accidents are preventable usually by keeping the gun unloaded until it is time to shoot.

Contact Steve Knight at outdoor@tylerpaper.com