Brush up on safety rules before the big hunt
I’m going to say that just shy of 600,000 hunters will head to the woods this Saturday for opening day of the 2021 Wisconsin Gun Deer Season. That’s a good number of hunters but it pales in comparison to the days when over 650,000 headed to the field and harvested over 350,000 deer.
A national publication devoted a fair amount of space to the decline of deer hunting in Wisconsin this past spring. They pointed out that last year most states saw a marked increase in hunter numbers, some saw double digit increases. Wisconsin saw an increase of only 0.6% in licenses sales. They pointed out the services and positions that were cut due to this consistent downfall in license sales. In the end, when gun deer licenses sales fall, it’s the resource that loses out. Those license sales fund wildlife conservation in Wisconsin. I write about this out every year, the fact that gun deer season is the second largest economic event, second only to Christmas, in Wisconsin. Fewer hunters mean a reduced economic impact for the state. A lot of small businesses survive based upon the business directly related to gun deer season.
More is at stake here than hunting deer. Wildlife conservation is biologically, sociologically, ecologically and economically complex. Just a little food for thought while you are on sitting on the stand this weekend.
Here’s some more. Despite the dire prediction of the sky falling, we will be hunting deer on Saturday. More than one hunter will kill the biggest buck of their life this season. Many more young hunters will kill their first deer, and many will kill their first buck. And it could be you or someone in your camp. Hearing a shot from the direction of your brother’s stand or, better yet, your daughter’s, raises a hunter’s pulse as much as a chance at a buck.
The last two deer seasons were the safest on record. There was a fatality last year, and we need to get back to no fatalities. We need to get to zero hunting incidents during the gun season. It’s attainable. Thirty years ago, when I started teaching hunters ed, I would not have said that and didn’t believe it would ever be attainable.
We, the hunters, are responsible for this. The hunter remains the one that hunts safely and responsibly. Just like the future of hunting, we are still the ones that control our destiny. Besides, a good hunt is all we can ask for, and the only good hunt is a safe hunt. Keep the four main safety rules - TABK - at the foremost of your hunt so that you and everyone that hunts with you can continue to do so. 1). Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. 2). Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. 3). Be sure of your target and beyond. 4). Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Stress the muzzle control not just to young hunters, but to everyone in the group. Stress it from the time they pick up the gun, when they slip and slide down the hillside on their backside, to when they trip stepping over the log and fall in the creek. Stress it until they put the rifle back in the truck. Praise them when they do. It becomes a challenge to be met when they stumble, instead of an embarrassment that they landed on their backsides.
Never even consider taking a shot at movement or sound. Emphasize one shot one kill, with good bullet placement. Sometimes it helps to bring everyone’s mind back to safe hunting, just as your group is going to start to break up to take positions or head to their stands, a simple reminder like: “Hey, let’s all be careful out there,” goes a long way.
Hunting long days causes fatigue, and safe firearm handling can fall off. A rest of a few minutes helps a lot. Maybe take something from the fatigued hunter’s load. Definitely get the firearm unloaded. And be safe when using treestands.
As we head out this weekend to participate in this most basic of rituals — this gathering of food, chasing of game, participating in this intimate natural cycle of life, this gathering together with family and friends, this best time of the year — I wish you all the luck in world with your hunt. But please remember – “Safe Hunting is No Accident!”
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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN
