YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — With hunting season in full swing, safety experts are reminding more than 800,000 people who are registered to hunt in Pennsylvania about safety and the leading causes of hunting-related injuries.
In 2025, the Pennsylvania Game Commission recorded 13 hunting-related shooting incidents, a more than 30% decrease from the year prior. But doctors and hunters say most hunting injuries that happen don't involve firearms.
“The most common injuries we see from people going out hunting are actually simple injuries,” Dr. Joshua Hazleton, chief of trauma surgery at WellSpan Medical, said. “They become significant because many people go out hunting alone-- falls while hiking, falls while climbing rocks. The more severe injuring we identify are folks who are climbing tree stands and fall from height.”
Jeff Georg, co-owner of Dover Tactical in York County, said falls can often be prevented by paying closer attention to equipment, especially in regards to tree stands that are left in place for long periods.
“A lot of people are lazy in that they’ll put their stand up and leave it sit it there for years on end without checking it,” Georg said. “And straps deteriorate, fabric deteriorates and breaks down.”
He also warned that not staying active throughout the year can cause big problems.
“A lot of people sit on the couch all season long and the first day of hunting season, they head out into the woods and go for a two mile hike with a backpack and hunting rifle,” Georg said. “And they’re not physically fit enough to do so.”
He said a lack of physical conditioning can create dangerous situations in the woods, whether hunters are hiking through rugged terrain or hauling game.
“If they shoot the trophy of a lifetime, they want to make sure they’re fit enough to drag it out of the woods,” said
The Pennsylvania Game Commission recommends several practices to hunters, including:
“I think the most important thing to remember is this is a hobby, and it should be a hobby that people enjoy,” Hazleton said. “In order to do that, you have to do it safely.”
More safe hunting tips and registration for the state's hunter-trapper safety course can be accessed on the Pennsylvania Game Commission website.