Is Hunting a Safe Sport?

Lease your hunting land with peace of mind. Some landowners are fearful of leasing their land to hunters because of their misconceptions that hunting is too dangerous. In short, it isn’t, and the following should help explain why that’s true. With the proper understanding, and the right vacant land and hunting lease insurance, they can lease their land and boost revenue with peace of mind.

Editor’s Note: This is not legal advice. Those seeking legal advisement should consult a qualified attorney. Share your legal concerns and questions with qualified professionals who understand law, liabilities, and the intricacies of hunting land leases.

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False Impressions of Hunting

Some believe that hunting isn’t safe, and that it’s significantly more dangerous than other common outdoor activities. That isn’t true. With the proper knowledge, and upon completing a hunter’s education course, hunters are equipped with everything they need to head afield safely. Those who are cautious and diligent about safety should be fine. Exercising good firearm and tree stand safety precautions should remove or greatly reduce most risks.

Other Activities That are More Dangerous Than Hunting

According to Google AI, and reported by Base Camp Leasing, hunting is safer than many common hobbies.

As reported by BCL, the following are on that list:

-Baseball (approximately 0.057 injuries per 100 player hours),

-Basketball (approximately 6-14 injuries per 1,000 player hours),

-Cycling (approximately 163 per 100,000 people),

-Boating (approximately 2,100 reported boating injuries annually),

-Bungee jumping (approximately 1 in 500,000 jumps),

-Caving (1 per 1,990 hours in a cave),

-Dirt bikes (95% of riders experiencing injuries),

-Flying aircraft professionally (approximately 0.21 serious injuries per 100,000 departures),

-Flying aircraft as an amateur (approximately 9.5 fatal accidents per million flight hours),

-Amateur football (approximately 1.79 per 1,000 people),

-Professional football (more than 65% of NFL players are injured during the season),

-Hang gliding (approximately 0.04% per flight),

-Paragliding (about 0.35% per flight), parachuting (approximately 1.46% per flight),

-Mountain and rock climbing outdoors (approximately 30% to 50% of sport climbers experiencing injuries),

-Climbing indoors (about 0.01-0.03 injuries per 1,000 hours of climbing),

-Scuba diving (35 injuries per 10,000 divers and one fatality per 200,000 dives),

-Skiing (approximately 600,000 people in the U.S. annually),

-Snowboarding (approximately 3.9 injuries per 1,000 visits),

-Soccer (approximately four to 35 injuries per 1,000 hours of play),

-Amateur surfing (approximately 1.8 significant injuries per 1,000 hours),

-Professional surfing (about 6.6 per 1,000 hours), and

-Traveling (approximately 5% of travelers experience an injury while on a trip and 1 in 20 people get sick or injured).

The Real Dangers of Hunting

Clearly, hunting is safer than most activities people don’t think twice about. Just because weapons are involved, doesn’t mean it’s more dangerous.

“It’s important to note there are dangers associated with hunting,” BCL said. “Falls from tree stands, weapons accidents, and other accidents can occur. That said, these are extremely low odds of occurrence. However, the injury rate is so low that a percentage isn’t delivered when prompted to produce one by Google AI.”

That said, there are about hunting-related injuries that occur each year in the United States. Oftentimes, these result from misidentifying targets, falling from tree stands, and mishandling firearms. However, hunting-related accidents are on the decline even more thanks to sound safety regulations and mandatory educational courses.

To reduce risks, hunters can complete education courses, practice firearm safety, exhibit ethical practices, wear blaze orange, wear safety harnesses, use tree stand safety lines and linemen’s belts, identify targets, watch for dangerous terrain, be mindful of wildlife encounters, carry emergency supplies, and share hunt plans with others.

Secure a Great Insurance Policy

The final (and perhaps most important) step in a hunting lease relationship is securing a great liability insurance policy. This protects the lessors and lessees from potential liability concerns. It’s an important part of easing the minds of participating stakeholders. Without question, a top-tier insurance policy can provide peace of mind for those who worry about things going amiss.

Of course, it’s important to know that, statistically speaking, hunting is significantly safer than most believe it to be. Even so, for the rare occasions, a good insurance policy can provide much-needed coverage.

Thankfully, AHLA offers insurance for vacant land and hunting leases.

Some of AHLA’s exclusive benefits include next-day coverage, zero deductible, custom-created attorney-approved waiver, landowner guide for making your property safer, “No Trespassing” signs, and more. Plus, receive an insurance certificate that’s emailed immediately to the landowner. That certificate is also uploaded to the associated AHLA account.

Enjoy leading figures for “per-occurrence” pay outs, higher aggregates, etc. Plus, provide much-needed protections and liability claims against you from invitees (those invited on the property for the benefit of the landowner), licensees (those invited on the property for their own amusement or recreation), or trespassers (those who access the property without permission or knowledge).

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The question remains. Is Vacant Land Insurance right for you?

“This program offers General Liability to owners of vacant land,” said AHLA. “The policy provides coverage for claims arising against the landowner alleging bodily injury or property damage due to the landowner’s negligence. These claims may be brought against the landowner by an invited or uninvited guest. Vacant Land liability insurance offers peace of mind and is a great solution for protecting your assets as a landowner.”

Those considering potential costs should know that the coverage costs follow a formula, which is $0.30 per acre, with a $225 minimum. That said, there is no refund of the premium if the policy is cancelled mid-term.

“For your convenience, we have a new AHLA Master Policy starting on the first of every month,” said AHLA. “Each policy ends on the respective date the following year, simply choose your preferred start date during your purchase. If your purchase is on or after the policy start date, your coverage will begin the next business day after payment is received.

Certificates of Insurance will be emailed within 24 hours of your purchase (Monday through Friday).”