Got a question about hunting, fishing or the outdoors? Send it with your name and place of residence to outdoors@post-gazette.com.

Q: Are there any hunter safety courses available in the Pittsburgh area?

Mike Connors, Brighton Heights

Q: Do you still run Tidbits? I want to see if there are any hunter-trapper safety courses.

Dave Clouse, Mount Washington

HAYES: Bad news, guys. Opportunities are drying up fast for newbies required to pass a hunter-trapper safety course before qualifying for a hunting license in 2007.

"The hunter ed classes are winding down," said Mel Schake of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Southwest Regional Office. "There are no more scheduled for Allegheny County. I guess there is little we can do about people who wait too long to find a class."

Many instructional classes were held in every Pennsylvania county. All that remains are two free "independent study" classes, in which adults 17 and over study in advance from a course book downloadable from the Game Commission Web site and arrive ready to take the several-hour exam. There's one at 6 p.m. today at the Spring Creek Sportsmen Club in Spring Creek, Warren County (preregistration required, 814-432-3187). The other starts at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Wellsboro Borough Building in Wellsboro, Tioga County (570-398-4745).

Tidbits, the Post-Gazette's listing of shoots, meetings, hunter-trapper safety courses and miscellaneous outdoors events, has moved to post-gazette.com and has been rechristened Shooting and Outdoors.

Submit outdoors listings to outdoors@post-gazette.com.

Q: What's the law on fleeing the scene of a hunting accident?

John Hayes, Pittsburgh

Hayes: OK, busted. It's not a reader question -- I'm just curious.

For the record, 2006 was the safest hunting year in the 90-some years that records have been kept. Last year, there were 46 hunting-related shooting incidents including two fatalities. The incident rate of 4.81 per 100,000 participants was the lowest on record.

Nevertheless, in a joint investigation Allegheny County police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are still looking for the hunter who critically wounded Jason Davies Jr., 19, of Franklin Park in a hunting accident near Route 910 and Indianola Road in Indiana Township Oct. 13.

Camouflaged for deer hunting and in a tree stand, Davies was hit with a shotgun blast from an orange-clad squirrel hunter.

The shooter fled. He's described as white man, about 6 feet tall with a large build and gray hair and wearing an orange vest, camouflage shirt and orange ball cap. Immediately following the shooting at 7:13 a.m., the shooter drove away in a maroon pickup truck, possibly a late-1990s Chevy or GMC, that had been parked at the Indianola United Presbyterian Church.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, in addition to the $10,000 offered by the Davies family. Anyone with information is asked to call 412-255-8477. Callers may remain anonymous.

Police referred to the incident as a "hunting accident," but Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said violations of the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code are considered criminal acts:

Sec. 2523. Rendering assistance after incidents.

(a) General rule. - It is unlawful for any person who has inflicted injury or witnessed the infliction of injury to a human being with any firearm or bow and arrow, while hunting or furtaking, to flee or to fail or refuse to render immediate and full assistance to the person injured.

(b) Penalties. -

(1) A violation of this section by the person inflicting such injury where a human being is injured but not killed is a misdemeanor of the second degree. In addition to the fine imposed, the defendant forfeits the privilege to hunt or take wildlife anywhere in this Commonwealth, with or without a license, for a period of 10 years.

(2) A violation of this section by the person inflicting such injury where a human being is killed is a misdemeanor of the first degree. In addition to the fine imposed, the defendant forfeits the privilege to hunt or take wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth, with or without a license, for a period of 15 years.

(3) A violation of this section by a person witnessing such injury where a human being is injured but not killed is a summary offense of the third degree.

(4) A violation of this section by a person witnessing such injury where a human being is killed is a summary offense of the first degree.

(5) A person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section shall be sentenced to pay a fine of twice the amount of the penalty imposed by this section and, in addition thereto, forfeits the privilege to hunt or take wildlife anywhere in this Commonwealth, with or without a license, for an additional period of 10 years.