Firearms incidents increased in 2023

This hunting season has seen a rise in fatalaties, serious injuries

According to the NCWRC Law Enforcement Division, North Carolina hunters experienced an uptick in the number of firearm-related hunting incidents during the 2023-24 hunting season. This includes incidents that involved serious injury and fatalities.

The agency reports that five fatalities occurred since the start of hunting season. That’s more than the past three seasons combined, when only one firearm-related fatality took place. And a total of 14 hunting-related incidents have taken place, with 11 of them involving a firearm.

The most common cause of firearm-related incidents takes place when hunters don’t properly identify their target, and mistake another hunter for wild game. Another common cause is hunters carelessly handling their firearm, leading to self-inflicted injuries.

With 603,995 licensed hunters, North Carolina ranks seventh in the United States, according to the International Hunter Education Association.

New ncdmf numbers

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has changed their telephone numbers as of Jan. 17, 2024. A new phone system was installed at the Headquarters and Central District offices.

The new main phone number is now 252-515-5500. The old number will be forwarded to the new number for a limited time period.

The toll-free number is the same, 800-682-2632.

Staff numbers have changed as well. Refer to the division’s Contact Us page on their website for more information.