Massarah Mikati reports in the Times Union that 2021 was the safest-ever hunting season for New Yorkers, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC reported Feb. 22 that the 2021 hunting season included nine hunting-related shooting incidents, and one human fatality. That's the lowest number of shooting incidents since record-keeping began in 1949. All nine shooting incidents involved experienced hunters, with an average of 40 years of experience. One was a 69-year-old Greene County man with 50 years hunting experience who on Dec. 10 who was injured after his gun was leaning against an ATV and started to fall. He reached for it and was shot in the foot. The DEC said the shooting incidents could have been avoided if the hunters followed safety protocol. The single human fatality involved a hunter who was not wearing any fluorescent orange or pink and was killed by a hunting partner. This year the DEC mandated hunters wear more fluorescent orange or pink to avoid such incidents. Read more about this story in the Times Union.