Hunting Accidents a Reminder of Need for Safety

Two people were shot in two separate incidents Nov. 9, one fatal, and both hunting accidents that occured on the first day of deer hunting season.

Kenneth Brunelle, 31, of Marlborough, Mass., was hunting with his father and brother when he was fatally shot around 8 a.m. by a nearby hunter, who was not part of the Brunelle's party. He was pronounced dead at the scene off of Mt. Eustis Road in Lisbon.

According to authorities, Brunelle was not armed at the time of the shooting, and was not wearing blaze orange clothing. The shooter has not yet been identified.

Later that day, around 4 p.m., a 65-year-old Pittsfield man, Daniel Mullen, was wounded while deer hunting with five other hunters off Loudon Road in Pittsfield.

According Conservation Officer Lt. James Juneau of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, “Mullen was struck in the buttocks by a bullet believed to have been fired by a member of his own hunting party.”

The unrelated incidents are a timely and important reminder of the need to follow the state's hunter safety rules. Fatal accidents are uncommon in the state, Fish & Game said in Wednesday's news release. The incident in Lisbon was one of five fatal hunting accidents in New Hampshire in the last 15 years.

Fish & Game attributes its good record in large part to mandatory hunter education and the increasing use of blaze orange clothing by hunters.

Updates to both of these incidents will be posted at http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/newsroom.htm.

In the meantime, brush up on the 10 Commandments of Hunter Safety:

   1. Treat every firearm with the same respect due a loaded firearm.
   2. Control the direction of your firearm's muzzle.
   3. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
   4. Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.
   5. Unload firearms when not in use.
   6. Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.
   7. Never climb a fence or tree, or jump a ditch or log, with a loaded firearm.
   8. Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or water.
   9. Store firearms and ammunition separately.
  10. Avoid alcoholic beverages or other mood-altering drugs before or while shooting.

Keep yourself and your fellow hunters safe.

Related Topics: 10 Commandments of Hunting, Deer Season, Hunter Safety, and Hunting Accident