Safe Hunting During Deer Season is No Accident
LINCOLN, Neb. – -(AmmoLand.com)- Safety should be uppermost on the minds of hunters when the firearm deer season opens Nov. 14, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
A new regulation allows turkey hunting during that deer season. Like the deer hunters, however, those turkey hunters must wear hunter orange.
Hunter Education Coordinator Mike Streeter has the following tips for safely handling firearms during the firearm deer season.
Hunting Tips:
- Treat every gun with the respect due a loaded gun.
- Control the direction of the muzzle at all times.
- Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
- Unload guns when not in use. Have the action open and the chamber empty, except when actually hunting. Transport guns in cases, or secure storage racks in vehicles. Handle a gun by the stock, not the barrel.
- Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot.
- Never climb over or under a fence, into or out of a tree or jump a ditch with a loaded gun.
- Never shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
- Store guns and ammunition under lock and key.
The safe use of tree stands also is crucial for a successful hunt.
“A recent survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of deer hunters will fall from their stand or tree some time in their life, and 70 percent of falls occur while hunters either are climbing or descending a tree or entering or leaving the stand,” Streeter said.
He has the following tips for tree stands:
- Use a full-body harness when using a tree stand, including ascending, descending and occupying the stand.
- Only use equipment that is in good condition.
- Avoid hunting from heights above 15 feet.
- Maintain a short tether between yourself and the tree. Allow only enough slack for you to turn and shoot. The tether should be tight when you are seated on your stand.
- Use a haul line to raise and lower your equipment.
- Never use a homemade tree stand.
- Attach yourself to the tree starting when you are on the ground.