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Top 5 Safety Tips For New Hunters
Hunting is a deeply rewarding experience that connects people to nature. It’s also challenging, forcing you to overcome both physical and mental challenges to harvest an animal successfully. As someone who did not go on their first hunt until they were an adult, hunting has become something I love and have already started to pass on to my children.
Spending time outdoors is always a good time spent. Source
Hunting also requires dedication to safety, which should always be your priority. It is more important than everything else, including having a successful hunt. Understanding your hunting environment, developing sound judgment, and, most importantly, mastering firearm safety are all essential to being safe when hunting.
Here are five safety tips that every hunter, new or old, should remember when embarking on their journey in the great outdoors.
The Four Rules of Gun Safety
Knowing the Four Rules of Gun Safety is as essential to hunters as someone shooting at the range. If you don’t follow these four rules, your chances of a catastrophic event increase exponentially.
You’ll notice that finger discipline follows you everywhere. Source
1. Treat all firearms as if they were loaded.
All firearms must be treated as if they were loaded. Never assume one isn’t loaded. If you are with someone handling a firearm, you need to be sure they have checked that firearm to ensure it isn’t loaded, and when they hand it over to you, you need to confirm again that the firearm isn’t loaded.
2. Never point a firearm at something you are not willing to destroy.
This should go without saying, but don’t point your hunting rifle or any other firearm at something you are not willing to destroy. Not your foot, your TV, or your hunting buddy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
This is a simple instruction. Your finger is your ultimate safety. Don’t walk around with your finger on the trigger. Learn trigger discipline and be ready to pull the trigger on your first dear, hog, or duck.
4. Know your target and what is beyond it.
This is an especially important rule for hunters. You are not at a range designed to contain projectiles and prevent shots from leaving the intended area. When hunting, you must ensure there aren’t other hunters, animals, houses, etc., that you do not intend to destroy within your shot path. A poorly aimed shot can travel a great distance, endangering others.
Blaze Orange
Wearing the proper clothing is crucial to being a successful but safe hunter. This includes wearing blaze orange when appropriate to stay safe in the woods. Wearing blaze orange helps ensure you are visible to other hunters, even from a distance.
Wearing blaze orange greatly increases your visibility to other hunters. Source
Most states have rules and regulations that mandate when and where you must have blaze orange clothing. Even if there are no regulations requiring the use of blaze orange where you are hunting, everyone should consider wearing it for safety.
Practice Tree Stand Safety
Tree stands are fantastic tools for increasing your chances of success when hunting. They offer a great vantage point for spotting game and can help create clear shooting angles. However, they also pose a significant safety risk if you don’t use them appropriately.
Falls from tree stands are among the most common accidents that hunters experience. Injuries almost always result from a fall from a tree stand, and depending on the height of the stand, severe injuries, and even death are not uncommon.
It’s safe to say you don’t want to fall from a tree stand. Source
Wearing a safety harness should be a common practice when using your tree stand. The harness needs to be properly attached to the tree anytime you are in it, and you should use three points of contact when climbing up or down.
You must also ensure that any tree stand you use is in good condition before climbing it. Look for worn straps, loose bolts, or any other structural issues that undermine the stand’s integrity and pose a hazard to your health.
Finally, ensure the tree your stand is mounted to is healthy. Avoid any tree with dead branches or signs of rot. If you have never been in a tree stand early in the morning with a lot of wind, you are in for an experience. Feeling the tree and, as a result, your stand swaying in the breeze can be both cool and unsettling. How much a solid tree can sway in a moderate breeze is incredible.
Always Tell Someone Your Plan
It sounds like common sense to let your friends or family know your plans when going hunting, but common sense is in short supply these days. Tell your people where you will be hunting, your route, and when you expect to return. This simple precaution is crucial information if something goes wrong. Whether you get lost or injured, this information, quite literally, could be the difference between life and death.
Hunting buddies can help ensure people know where you are. Source
Consider taking a GPS device and compass when hunting in a more extensive range or going somewhere you aren’t as familiar with. Darkness and inclement weather can lead to disorientation and can turn what should have been an easy trip to and from your hunting spot into a challenging navigational exercise.
Lastly, ensure your cell phone is fully charged before heading out, and consider bringing a portable battery charger. Find the best GPS app for your phone type and download the offline maps. Look up the cell coverage for the area you are going to and do your best to plan for the unexpected.
Last Words
Some of the best experiences in my life have come when I was hunting. Hunting is more than just another sport. It is a tradition that has been passed down through the generations.
