Hunting season doesn't just affect hunters. (Photo by Paul Einerhand on Unsplash)
In a nutshell
- In states with high hunting activity, firearm-related incidents rose by 12.3% during the first weeks of deer hunting season, including not just hunting accidents but also suicides, domestic violence, and other violent events.
- More guns, more risk. The study suggests that when firearms come out of storage or are newly purchased for hunting, their increased presence in homes and communities may raise the risk of non-hunting firearm violence.
- Researchers say targeted safety efforts at the start of hunting season, like mental health outreach or secure storage campaigns, could help prevent injuries and deaths beyond hunting accidents.
BOSTON — When deer hunting season kicks off across America, a dangerous ripple effect extends far beyond the woods. New research reveals that states with popular deer hunting seasons experience not just an uptick in hunting accidents, but also significant increases in suicides, domestic violence incidents, and other firearm-related tragedies.
According to the study, published in the British Medical Journal, firearm incidents jump by 12.3% when deer hunting season begins in states where hunting is popular. The research, conducted by experts from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, shows that this uptick includes both hunting-related and non-hunting-related accidents, likely because more firearms and ammunition become accessible during this period.
For many Americans, hunting season is a cherished tradition. Each year, millions of hunters dust off their rifles, purchase ammunition, and head into the wilderness. But this annual ritual has a darker side. When firearms come out of storage or are newly purchased for hunting, they become more accessible, not just to hunters, but to others in their households and communities.
The researchers examined data from 10 states with the highest hunting activity between 2016 and 2019. Using a clever “quasi-experimental” approach, they compared firearm incident rates during the weeks before, during, and after hunting season opened. Since the timing of hunting season varies by state and year but follows no particular pattern related to baseline risk of firearm incidents, it creates what researchers call a “natural experiment” that allowed them to isolate the effect of hunting season from other factors that might influence gun violence rates.
While hunting-related incidents increased dramatically (up 566%) during the opener, as expected, the study found troubling spikes across several non-hunting categories. Suicides involving firearms rose 11.1%, incidents involving alcohol or other substances jumped 87.5%, and domestic violence incidents increased by 27.4%.
There was also a surprising increase in defensive use of firearms (up 27.8%), home invasions or robberies involving firearms (30.4% increase), and incidents related to firearm carry licenses (19.4% rise).
Increases in hunting-related incidents during hunting season were expected, but the rise in non-hunting gun incidents suggests that greater firearm availability affects multiple types of gun violence. In almost all categories where incidents spiked during the opener, rates fell back down during the three-week period after the opener, when hunting activity typically wanes. The researchers think that this temporary surge in firearm accessibility makes it easier for people to use guns in suicide attempts or against others.
Hunting season may also lead to increased firearm interest among non-hunters through news coverage, social media, marketing campaigns, or interactions with hunters, potentially driving up firearms purchases among the general population.
Gun-related incidents are still uncommon overall, so the actual number of additional cases was small. But the pattern is clear enough that it could help shape public safety policies.
Increased firearm safety efforts, specifically timed to coincide with the beginning of hunting season, could help reduce both hunting-related and non-hunting-related incidents. This might include targeted public health messaging, temporary mental health resources, or additional safety training requirements.
For a nation constantly grappling with the complex relationship between firearms and public health, this study shows that more guns in circulation, even temporarily, can lead to more gun injuries and deaths of various types. As millions of Americans prepare for deer hunting season each fall, these findings suggest that the true cost of this tradition extends far beyond the forest’s edge.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers conducted a quasi-experimental analysis using data from 10 U.S. states (Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin) that had the highest number of hunting accidents reported in the Gun Violence Archive between 2016 and 2019. They defined the hunting season “opener” as the seven-day period before and the 14-day period after the first legal day of firearm deer hunting season. They compared firearm incident rates during this three-week opener to the three-week periods immediately before and after it. Incident data came from the Gun Violence Archive, a validated database of U.S. gun violence. The researchers categorized incidents into nine types: hunting, suicide, involving alcohol/substances, domestic violence, defensive use, home invasion/robbery, carry license related, child involved, and officer involved. Using linear regression with state fixed effects, they analyzed both overall incidence and rates by category.
Results
Compared to surrounding periods, the hunting season opener was associated with a 12.3% increase in overall firearm incidents (from 1.34 to 1.50 incidents per 10 million population). Hunting incidents increased 566%, as expected, but researchers also found significant increases in suicide (11.1%), incidents involving alcohol or substances (87.5%), domestic violence (27.4%), defensive use (27.8%), home invasion or robbery (30.4%), and incidents related to firearm carry licenses (19.4%). No significant differences were observed for incidents involving children or police officers. For categories showing increases during the opener, rates typically fell back to baseline or below during the post-opener period, strengthening the causal inference.
Limitations
The study cannot pinpoint the exact causal mechanism connecting hunting season to increased non-hunting firearm incidents, though increased firearm availability is the most plausible explanation. The research assumes that hunting season timing is not systematically associated with other events that could increase firearm availability across different states and years. Classification of incidents in the Gun Violence Archive may contain errors, though these would likely be random rather than correlated with hunting season. The increases in violent crime incidents necessarily represent involvement of firearms in crimes, not necessarily increases in the total number of crimes. The study’s findings may not generalize to states with less hunting activity or different hunting traditions.
Funding and Disclosures
No specific funding supported this study. Dr. Worsham received support unrelated to this study from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. Dr. Jena reported receiving consulting fees unrelated to this work from various organizations and income from hosting a podcast, book rights, speaking fees, and authorship. Dr. Worsham also reported receiving consulting fees unrelated to this work from multiple organizations and income from various sources including book rights and speaking fees.
Publication Information
The study “Firearm availability and firearm incidents: quasi-experimental analysis using start of US hunting seasons” was published in the British Medical Journal in March 2025. The authors are Christopher M. Worsham, Charles F. Bray, and Anupam B. Jena from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the National Bureau of Economic Research.
