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Keep safety in mind when you hunt for deer this season
10/12/07
Frankfort, Kentucky - Although hunting is one of the safest activities you can pursue, deer hunters should keep some important considerations in mind as early muzzleloader season runs from October 20-21 and modern gun season opens November 10 in all deer zones in Kentucky.
Always wear your safety harness whenever you use a tree stand. It is the single most important safety item a deer hunter can use. One of the leading causes of injury to deer hunters isn't an errant shot from another hunter; it is a fall from a tree stand.
"In Kentucky, one in five hunting incidents involves a tree stand," said Bill Balda, hunter education coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "One in four tree stand incidents results in a fatality."
Do not hang the harness too low on the trunk while you're in the tree stand. Place the harness at least head high behind you so the harness keeps you in the stand if you fall, instead of hanging below it.
Some hunters build their own stand out of plywood for the floor and scrap boards nailed to the tree for steps. It is unwise to trust these types of tree stands on opening day without first checking their structural integrity. Falling limbs throughout the year can hit and weaken the floor and lead to a painful fall. Steps weakened through 11 months of rain, heat, cold and freeze can easily break free and cause serious injury.
"They are an injury waiting to happen," Balda said. "Commercial tree stands are safer, sturdier and easier to set up."
As the years go by, we all gain a few pounds. Don't shoot deer on steep slopes or in areas that require you to drag your deer a long way if you aren't in the shape you were in high school. Plan ahead and consider how you're going to get the deer out of the woods as easily as possible when you're picking your hunting spot.
All hunters during modern gun deer season, or any other period when firearms can be used for deer hunting, must comply with hunter orange clothing requirements. Hunters must wear solid, unbroken hunter orange color visible from all sides on the head, back and chest. Hunter orange must also be worn by anyone accompanying a gun deer hunter. Camouflage patterns with splotches of hunter orange do not meet the requirements. Wearing hunter orange while walking to and from the deer stand, but taking it off while in the deer stand, does not meet the requirement. It's much wiser to keep your hunter orange on at all times while you're in the field, even if you're just eating lunch.
After getting into a deer stand before sunrise and sitting there for hours and hours without so much as a sign of a deer, it is easy to lose patience. Avoid the temptation to fire just at a sound, movement or color. It may not be a deer.
"Be sure of your target and be sure of your backstop behind the target," Balda said. "Almost half of Kentucky's reported hunting incidents involve a victim who was mistaken for game or out of sight of the shooter. Once a shot is taken, there is no way to call back the arrow or the bullet. It is the hunter's responsibility to make absolutely sure his or her target is the intended game animal."
Do not cross a fence without completely unloading your firearm beforehand. It is easy for a firearm laid against a fence to slide off, hit the ground and discharge. If you're hunting with a companion, unload your firearm then hand it to the other person to hold while you're crossing the fence.
Hunter education is required for all hunters born on or after January 1, 1975, except kids under 12 and hunters who are license exempt. However, a one-time temporary hunter education exemption permit is available for $5 online, which allows hunting for one year from the date of purchase without a hunter education card while accompanied by a legal adult hunter. Log on to fw.ky.gov to find a hunter education course near you, or to purchase an exemption permit.
"Since hunter education became mandatory in 1991, the rate of fatalities has decreased by 40 percent," Balda said. "Also since hunter education became mandatory, total youth hunting incidents are down 37 percent and youth fatalities are down 46 percent. Hunter education works."
-30-
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.8 billion annually. For more information on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.
Media Contact:
Lee McClellan (800) 852-0942 ext. 330
10/12/07
Frankfort, Kentucky - Although hunting is one of the safest activities you can pursue, deer hunters should keep some important considerations in mind as early muzzleloader season runs from October 20-21 and modern gun season opens November 10 in all deer zones in Kentucky.
Always wear your safety harness whenever you use a tree stand. It is the single most important safety item a deer hunter can use. One of the leading causes of injury to deer hunters isn't an errant shot from another hunter; it is a fall from a tree stand.
"In Kentucky, one in five hunting incidents involves a tree stand," said Bill Balda, hunter education coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "One in four tree stand incidents results in a fatality."
Do not hang the harness too low on the trunk while you're in the tree stand. Place the harness at least head high behind you so the harness keeps you in the stand if you fall, instead of hanging below it.
Some hunters build their own stand out of plywood for the floor and scrap boards nailed to the tree for steps. It is unwise to trust these types of tree stands on opening day without first checking their structural integrity. Falling limbs throughout the year can hit and weaken the floor and lead to a painful fall. Steps weakened through 11 months of rain, heat, cold and freeze can easily break free and cause serious injury.
"They are an injury waiting to happen," Balda said. "Commercial tree stands are safer, sturdier and easier to set up."
As the years go by, we all gain a few pounds. Don't shoot deer on steep slopes or in areas that require you to drag your deer a long way if you aren't in the shape you were in high school. Plan ahead and consider how you're going to get the deer out of the woods as easily as possible when you're picking your hunting spot.
All hunters during modern gun deer season, or any other period when firearms can be used for deer hunting, must comply with hunter orange clothing requirements. Hunters must wear solid, unbroken hunter orange color visible from all sides on the head, back and chest. Hunter orange must also be worn by anyone accompanying a gun deer hunter. Camouflage patterns with splotches of hunter orange do not meet the requirements. Wearing hunter orange while walking to and from the deer stand, but taking it off while in the deer stand, does not meet the requirement. It's much wiser to keep your hunter orange on at all times while you're in the field, even if you're just eating lunch.
After getting into a deer stand before sunrise and sitting there for hours and hours without so much as a sign of a deer, it is easy to lose patience. Avoid the temptation to fire just at a sound, movement or color. It may not be a deer.
"Be sure of your target and be sure of your backstop behind the target," Balda said. "Almost half of Kentucky's reported hunting incidents involve a victim who was mistaken for game or out of sight of the shooter. Once a shot is taken, there is no way to call back the arrow or the bullet. It is the hunter's responsibility to make absolutely sure his or her target is the intended game animal."
Do not cross a fence without completely unloading your firearm beforehand. It is easy for a firearm laid against a fence to slide off, hit the ground and discharge. If you're hunting with a companion, unload your firearm then hand it to the other person to hold while you're crossing the fence.
Hunter education is required for all hunters born on or after January 1, 1975, except kids under 12 and hunters who are license exempt. However, a one-time temporary hunter education exemption permit is available for $5 online, which allows hunting for one year from the date of purchase without a hunter education card while accompanied by a legal adult hunter. Log on to fw.ky.gov to find a hunter education course near you, or to purchase an exemption permit.
"Since hunter education became mandatory in 1991, the rate of fatalities has decreased by 40 percent," Balda said. "Also since hunter education became mandatory, total youth hunting incidents are down 37 percent and youth fatalities are down 46 percent. Hunter education works."
-30-
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.8 billion annually. For more information on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.
Media Contact:
Lee McClellan (800) 852-0942 ext. 330
