Hunter Safety – It’s Not Just Pointing That Weapon in a Safe Direction!
My hunter safety instructor was one of the best. He wore his Instructors patch proudly on his worn, red plaid wool coat until the last day he hunted. Mine and my Brothers hunter safety learning was a lifetime of instruction. He was our Dad and though he passed away in 2000, we know he hunts with us every season.
Firearm Safety is by far the main concentration in all Hunter Safety Training Programs as it should be. Handling any weapon while hunting, cleaning, loading, unloading, etc. is bedrock but there’s more.
It’s 10AM in the morning and the woods has been quiet since sun-up. Except for the occasional Blue jay and a couple of squirrels, all is calm. You hang your bow on the hook, grab your thermos from your pack and pour that last cup of coffee to fend off the morning chill. You hang your thermos on one of those branches that you purposely trimmed a little long when you hung your tree stand. You have one hand in your pocket and the other wrapped around that cup of warmth. You’re in the middle of a sip and you see HIM heading directly toward your stand. Maybe not trophy size but a decent shooter and your heart starts to pound. Not thinking and in a single flowing motion you start looking for a place to set the cup while reaching for your bow. You can’t dump it or drop it. He’ll hear it and worse he’ll smell it. At that moment, heart racing, are you really thinking about safe moves, where your feet are, where your harness is, where the end of your arrow with that razor sharp broad head is? It may not seem it at the time, but can’t you see where this is an accident waiting to happen?
While firearm safety will always be number one, here’s a bunch of tips to make your hunting experience safer and maybe even more enjoyable.
1. Hang a blaze orange flag right below your tree stand, at eye level, or if hunting from a ground blind, mount one to the top. The camo patterns on the newer ground blinds are so good; they really do make you disappear. A flag below your tree stand warns other hunters of your presence. And besides, deer can’t see blaze orange any better than any other color. I get my share of deer every year and I usually dress like a Christmas tree.
2. Use more than one rope to get your gear up to your stand. I always have at least my back pack and weapon and sometimes a camera bag too. I have three ropes hanging, all equipped with easy open clasps on the end. It’s not safe to be fumbling with knots in the dark. One time I was so busy trying to un-tie the knot, that I failed to securely set my pack down. To my surprise and horror, it fell the 18 feet to the ground, bouncing off my bow as it went by! Never climb with any gear or weapon.
3. Before you hook anything to any rope, give them all a few good tugs.
4. Secure you and your harness to the tree before pulling up any of your gear.
5. Pre-install hooks to hang everything and then install some more. I use portable strap-on tree steps to hang my gear. I hang some a foot over my head and some at various heights, at arms reach, on the backside of the tree.
6. Cut off a gallon round jug (such as Clorox) about half way up from the bottom so the entire jug is open. Paint the outside dark gray. Cut a ¾ inch hole near in the side, close to the opening. Hang the jug over one of those steps on the backside of the tree. The next time Mr. Big comes strolling down the trail, you’ll have somewhere to deposit that coffee cup.
7. Never drag deer. There is no better way of hurting yourself with sprains and strains than the awful job of getting that dead weight out of the woods. For those who don’t own a four wheeler, purchase a two wheel cart. I own a collapsible model that cost around $100. It is by far one of the best hunting tools I’ve ever bought.
8. If you don’t own a cell phone and/or can’t get a signal in your neck of the woods, get a pair of the newer walkie-talkies like the Motorola 2-way radios. If you are hunting with a partner, share one. If you decide to hunt alone that day, put one in your pack and leave the other on your dash with a note as to your approximate whereabouts.
These are but a few of the lessons learned over my 35 plus years in the field. As technology and hunting gear changes and improves, a whole new set of safety concerns emerges. A safety minded hunter always reviews his surroundings and gear to guarantee that this weekend’s hunt won’t be the last, for the season, by some silly, preventable accident.