By Michael Aubry ,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Saturday, November 16, 2013

Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson

A viciously amputated finger.

A bullet-sized hole to the shoulder.

These potentially fatal accidents are just some of the examples that have already plagued this year’s deer-hunting season.

A peaceful romp through the woods can easily prove deadly — and punctuated by shrill cries for help — after just a moment of inattention.

“It’s important to have proper respect for a firearm, it’s a lethal force and a dangerous weapon,” said Steven Aubry, district enforcement supervisor with the Ministry of Natural Resources.

“Any incident can be deadly. Hunting should be a safe and enjoyable pastime.”

Ontario Provincial Police are probing six accidental shootings in southern and eastern Ontario this year so far.

A 75-year-old man shot himself while hunting in North Glengarry Township Thursday.

Later that same day, a 23-year-old was shot in a hunting accident in North Grenville.

Earlier last week, a 59-year-old man was shot in an accident just outside Smiths Falls. But they likely won’t be the last.

There have been an average of 10 serious hunting incidents every year for the past 20 years, including last year when 22-year-old Andrew Winnicki was killed in a freak accident bird hunting in Osgoode.

Aubry said these rare slip-ups are almost always linked to the four cardinal rules of hunting — and those who break them.

Every hunter should assume their gun is loaded at all times.

That means maintaining control of their muzzle, keeping their finger off the trigger until they’re ready to shoot, and never point at something they don’t intend to kill.

“Hunters have to understand that when you point a loaded firearm at something, you’re prepared to destroy it, so gun control is so important,” he said

More: http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/11/16/deer-hunting-season-comes-with-self-inflicted-hazards