Hunting Safety Tips
Deer hunting is a popular outdoor activity, one that is often shared with family and friends. Hunting requires you to be informed about how to hunt, focused, skilled and patient. But, probably more than anything else, when deer hunting you need to be careful. Hunters who do not follow hunting safety tips put themselves and other innocent people at risk.
Every year, hundreds of hunters suffer injuries while out on their hunting trips. When the average person hears that statement, they automatically assume that the injury was suffered at the hand of the hunter’s weapon. Though there are indeed weapon related accidents, not all injuries come as a result of a firearms mishap.
There are an unlimited number of reasons why a hunter could sustain injury while out on a hunt. Unstable terrain, dangerous animals, improper use of equipment and more can spell danger for the hunter while out in the woods. It’s vital for you to understand the potential dangers before you head out on your hunt.
One of the best ways to begin to understand all of the potential dangers to you as a hunter is to enroll and complete a hunter safety course. This is a requirement in just about every state for new hunters. A new hunter must complete one of these programs before they are allowed to apply for and purchase a hunting license. However, these same states often also “grandfather” a hunter who may have previously had a hunting license without taking a safety course. Even if you have gone hunting before, taking a hunter safety course will provide you with new insight and information which may save your life.
Most states require the hunter to attend one of these classes in person. However, many states offer courses in hunter safety which are conducted over the Internet. Even these programs require the hunter to participate in a day to prove they have learned and can employ the lessons from the online course. The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) has an online course which the hunter can wrap up at his/her own convenience. The IHEA’s hunter safety course should be used as a supplement to a traditional hunter safety program.
In order to provide a broad cross section of safety topics for the hunter, let’s take a look at five tips every sportsman should keep in mind to stay safe on their next deer hunt.
Tip # 1- Practice Gun Safety
Every hunter must follow proper gun safety practices. The cardinal rule when handling any gun is to treat every gun as if it were loaded at all times. Even if you personally unload the gun, treat it with the respect and care of a fully loaded weapon.
Keep the gun’s action open. Only load the gun when you’re ready to use it. Never point a gun at yourself or another person. Practice and maintain muzzle control; keep the gun’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Generally, the safest direction is usually toward the ground.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. When walking through the fields and woods carrying your gun, don’t have your finger on or near the trigger. Also, keep your gun’s safety on until you are ready to fire.
If you hunt from a tree stand, use a strong rope or cord to hoist your gun up to your stand. When you do this, your gun must be unloaded. Only pull your gun up to your tree stand once you have secured yourself in the stand. When you are coming down out of your stand, lower your unloaded gun to the ground first. Never climb up to or down from a tree stand with a loaded weapon.
Tip # 2- Be Sure Of Your Target
This is the natural extension of tip # 1. This tip is so very important and yet should be common sense. Be sure you completely identify what it is your about to shoot at. Also be sure what lies beyond the target.
This can be more difficult that you may thing. You have been in your stand for several hours. you haven’t seen a ting all day, the just before last shooting light out steps something in the tree line. You quickly move your gun into position. You line up your target up in the sights and fire. What could possibly be wrong with that?
First, that’s not the correct means to guarantee an efficient and humane kill. Every time you fire at your target, you want to make the very best shot possible. Second, you need to verify your target. You must ensure that what you see is not another hunter or innocent person just strolling through the woods. Third, you need to be cognizant of what’s between you and your target, not to mention what’s beyond your target. Often times hunters enter into a lease with a famer to hunt on his land. Consider what might happen if you miss your shot or if it goes clean through the animal; what would happen, what’s in the bullets path?
You should never take a shot unless you are certain that it is safe. That might mean you miss the chance to shoot a deer on that day, but it will also prevent a horrible accident.
Tip # 3- Be Safe In Your Tree Stand
Any hunter who has been in the woods hunting for a trophy deer knows that a tree stand is a useful hunting tool. It allows the hunter an elevated view of the surroundings and potentially avoid being detected by the all to impressive deer’s nose. However, tree stands can also be very dangerous. Most provide only a very small surface upon which the hunter kneels, sits or stands. Getting on and off a tree stand safely can be challenging. Most accidents with tree stand occur when the hunter is climbing up or down.
However, this doesn’t mean that you are safe once you get into the stand. Once you are there, remain aware of your location in relation to the edge of the platform. Let’s not forget, after being in the stand for a period of time, there’s also a risk of nodding off.
For these and many other reasons, it is imperative that you wear a fall arrest system when using a tree stand. Generally, a fall arrest system tethers a hunter to the tree. There are many styles of restraints and harnesses. Each design has pros and cons and are most effective when you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. It’s important to wear the restraints from the moment begin your climb to the moment you return to the ground. Also, be sure to have a plan how to safely lower yourself back to the ground if your fall arrest system catches you after a fall.
Tip # 4- Use Hunter Orange
Even if you are hunting on private land, you should always keep in mind that you may not be the only hunter out there. You want to be as visible as possible and be sure that you are identifiable as a human. This is why all states require a hunter to wear blaze orange or hunter orange. Though the requirement for how much orange you must wear when hunting varies from state to state, it is a good idea to wear a vest or jacket as well as a hat.
Tip # 5- Never Hunt Alone
Hunting with a partner definitely increases your degree of safety when hunting. If either of you has an accident, the other can assist or go get help.
Hunting is sometimes a very enjoyable experience when you are out on your own. There is definitely something to be said for the solitude you can experience when sitting in the woods by yourself. If this is an experience that you enjoy, at the very least, you should tell other people where you’re going to hunt and when you are going to return.
Consider however, the fun, excitement and memories which can be had by sharing the experience. Not to mention the fact that you should introduce your children to the sport. This provides a unique opportunity to bond with your child and teach them ethics which not only last out in the woods, but in all areas of their lives.
By following these hunting safety tips, you increase your chances of having not only a safe hunting trip, but an enjoyable one with many more to follow.
