The teenage boy was hit with a bullet fired from a rifle carried by his father as they hunted deer late Sunday afternoon in the northeastern corner of Utah near Flaming Gorge.

Law enforcement officials have ruled the shooting an accident. The Daggett County Sheriff's Office led the investigation and was releasing no further information Tuesday.

More than 70,000 hunters were in the Utah woods this past weekend for the opener of the 2008 general rifle deer season and no other fatalities were reported.

There were two hunting fatalities in 2007, including a 9-year-old accidentally shooting his 52-year-old uncle while goose hunting in Utah County.

The other incident involved another accidental discharge of a rifle during the deer hunt in Summit County after a 44-year-old man was shot by his 34-year-old hunting companion.

"Muzzle control issues coupled with accidental discharges are responsible for many accidents," said Mike Fowlks, chief of law enforcement for the DWR. "That's why we stress the importance of keeping your gun pointed in a safe direction no matter the situation."

According to statistics compiled by the state wildlife agency there have been seven hunting fatalities in the past decade and 209 overall since records started being kept in 1957.

The fatalities included incidents involving all hunting firearms and archery equipment.

"I can't even imagine what the family is going through," Fowlks said. "To lose a 15-year-old boy; it's such a horrible thing. I hope it never happens again."

brettp@sltrib.com