New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced another year of safe hunting. Hunting remains one of the most popular forms of wildlife-related recreation in the state with nearly 600,000 New Yorkers participating annually, helping achieve State wildlife management objectives and safely enjoying time outdoors. 

“The historic low number of incidents observed in 2025 demonstrates that hunting is safe and is getting safer thanks to the efforts of DEC’s Hunter Education Program, volunteer instructors, and the vigilance of New York’s hunters,” said Commissioner Lefton. “In addition to being safe, hunting is ecologically important, helping manage wildlife populations, promoting conservation-related behaviors, and providing a local, affordable food source. I am proud of our team’s efforts to grow New York’s hunting community.” 

The 2025 hunting season was the safest in New York’s recorded history. The total number of hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSI) in 2025 was seven, five of which were self-inflicted and two involved more than one person. One incident involved an unlicensed individual who was hunting illegally. Fortunately, there were no HRSI fatalities. 

Many, if not all, HRSIs can be prevented if people follow the primary rules of hunter safety:

• Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
• Control the muzzle, always keep it pointed in a safe direction.
• Identify your target and what lies beyond it.
• Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
• Wear hunter orange or pink. 

DEC also documented nine falls from tree stands or elevated platforms, including one fatality. Like HRSIs, elevated hunting incidents (EHIs) can be avoided by following simple safety measures. Hunters can prevent severe injuries or death due to falls from tree stands or elevated platforms by wearing and properly using a fall-arrest system (FAS). A FAS keeps a hunter attached to the tree from the time they leave the ground until they get back down. A harness only works if it is attached to the tree the entire time the hunter is off the ground.
 
A FAS includes:  

• A full-body harness with shoulder, chest, and leg straps;
• A strap that attaches to the tree when in the stand;
• A tether strap that attaches the harness to the tree strap;
• A “lifeline” to keep a hunter safe while climbing and descending; and
• A suspension relief strap to be used in the event of a fall.

DEC encourages all New York hunters to Strap Up before you Go Up. 

For more information on hunter education courses and hunting safety statistics, visit Hunter Education Program - NYSDEC.