Switzerland: Statistics on fatal hunting accidents
In Switzerland, there are more human injuries and deaths each year caused by the risk group of hobby hunters than by Islamic terrorists, sects, mafia, wolves and biker gangs combined.
Hobby hunting is not a harmless nature experience, but a conscious handling of deadly weapons in a densely populated landscape.
Since the BFU (Swiss Council for Accident Prevention) began compiling statistics in 2000, over 75 people have been killed in hunting accidents up to 2019. Statistically, a hunting accident occurs every 29 hours, and approximately every three and a half months, someone loses their life.
On average, around four recreational hunters in Switzerland die each year while pursuing their hobby. The number of accidents rises significantly from around the age of 45. Older men are particularly affected – precisely the group who go into the woods with rifles and live ammunition.
What official accident statistics actually record
The available figures come primarily from two sources: the BFU statistics on non-occupational accidents and special analyses of accident insurance company data. Both have one thing in common: they only reflect a part of reality.
An analysis of accident insurance data from 2006 to 2015 shows that there are approximately 300 recognized accidents annually during recreational hunting. During this period, about two fatalities and roughly two new disability pensions were registered each year. Only a small proportion of fatal and serious accidents are caused by gunfire. Falls and tumbles in difficult terrain, triggered by hectic hunting situations, darkness, poor visibility, and time pressure, are far more common.
Recent analyses of accident insurance data for 2016 to 2020 confirm this picture: An average of around 300 accidents per year are recognized in connection with hunting activities, resulting in approximately one fatality, two disability pensions, and annual costs of around 3.6 million Swiss francs. Most serious accidents occur due to falls and tumbles in the hunting area.
Crucially, these statistics fail to capture what they fail to capture: The accident insurance statistics only pertain to employed individuals with mandatory accident insurance. Children, students, homemakers, the self-employed, and especially the large group of retired recreational hunters are completely absent. Yet, they represent a significant proportion of those who handle hunting weapons. The actual number of hunting accidents and fatalities is therefore considerably higher than the official accident insurance figures.
Unreported cases and risks to third parties
The BFU figures refer to classic hunting accidents. Crimes involving hunting weapons, domestic tragedies, threats with firearms, suicides, and also many near misses are not included.
Even more problematic: The danger posed to uninvolved third parties by recreational hunters is hardly discernible from accident insurance data. Yet, media outlets and animal welfare organizations have been reporting for years on cases in which hikers, neighbors, or other recreational hunters have been hit.
A recent example is the fatal hunting accident in Oulens-sous-Echallens in the canton of Vaud. At the end of November 2024, a 64-year-old amateur hunter was killed by a shot fired by a fellow hunter when a group of amateur hunters attempted to flush a sounder of wild boar from a thicket. The public prosecutor's office is investigating the incident as a death resulting from a recreational activity involving firearms.
Such incidents are not an unfortunate accident, but rather inherent to the system. Wherever shooting with bullets and shotguns takes place in forests, fields, and near paths, people and pets inevitably find themselves in the line of fire. Recreational hunting shifts the risk to everyone else who simply wants to use the forest for recreation.
Hunting as a hobby comes at a high social cost.
Hunting weapons are not only dangerous in the woods. They are repeatedly used in domestic conflicts, threats, and suicides. Every weapon stored in a hobby hunter's closet is potentially part of a future tragedy. Animal welfare organizations and criminologists have been pointing out for years that privately owned firearms significantly increase the risk of deadly escalations in social settings.
In addition, there are the financial consequences. According to UVG (Swiss Federal Law on Accident Insurance) analyses, hunting accidents alone that are billed to accident insurers cause an average of several million Swiss francs per year. These costs are ultimately borne by the general public, while recreational hunting is largely a hobby of a small minority.
Hobby hunters as a risk group
The canton of Graubünden has a particularly high number of accidents during recreational hunting, followed by hunting accidents abroad. Next are the cantons of Ticino, Aargau, Valais, St. Gallen, and Bern. All individuals who died in hunting accidents since 2000 and whose cases are recorded by the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) were residents of Switzerland.
The statistics clearly show that recreational hunting is not a folkloric relic, but a real safety risk, primarily emanating from a specific risk group. In practice, it is predominantly older men who are out with hunting weapons, often in challenging terrain and in situations where stress, peer pressure, and adrenaline play a role. Mistakes can then have fatal consequences.
Hunting weapons lead to misuse in our social lives. Time and again, there are shooting suicides, threats, and fatal tragedies. Year after year, people are killed and injured by recreational hunters and hunting weapons, sometimes so severely that they are wheelchair-bound or require amputations. – IG Wild bei Wild
Game wardens instead of hobby hunters
Since 2000, dozens of people have been killed in Switzerland in connection with recreational hunting, in addition to hundreds of serious injuries and an unknown number of near misses and crimes involving hunting weapons. At the same time, to this day there are no complete, centrally maintained statistics on all deaths and injuries directly or indirectly related to recreational hunting.
Modern, ethical wildlife management has no need for recreational hunters who use deadly weapons in their free time. Professional, strictly regulated game wardens could reduce safety risks while simultaneously improving the protection of both people and wildlife.
As long as recreational hunting continues in its current form, the sobering conclusion remains: it is not wolves or other wild animals that pose a security problem, but a small risk group of armed recreational hunters.
According to the IG Wild beim Wild (Interest Group for Wildlife), recreational hunters need annual medical-psychological fitness assessments, modeled on the Dutch system, as well as a binding upper age limit. The largest age group among recreational hunters today is 65+. In this group, age-related limitations such as declining eyesight, slowed reaction times, difficulty concentrating, and cognitive deficits increase significantly, statistically speaking. At the same time, accident analyses show that the number of serious hunting accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities rises significantly from middle age onward.
The regular reports of hunting accidents, fatal errors, and the misuse of hunting weapons highlight a structural problem. The private ownership and use of lethal firearms for recreational purposes largely escapes continuous monitoring. From the perspective of the IG Wild beim Wild (Interest Group for Wildlife with Wildlife), this is no longer acceptable. A practice based on voluntary killing that simultaneously creates significant risks for both humans and animals loses its social legitimacy.
Furthermore, recreational hunting is based on speciesism. Speciesism describes the systematic devaluation of non-human animals solely on the basis of their species. It is comparable to racism or sexism and cannot be justified either culturally or ethically. Tradition does not replace moral judgment.
Especially in the field of recreational hunting, critical examination is essential. Hardly any other area is so rife with embellished narratives, half-truths, and deliberate disinformation. Where violence is normalized, narratives often serve as justification. Transparency, verifiable facts, and an open public debate are therefore indispensable.
