blake
Life Member
NEWS!
From the Iowa DNR:
Safe Hunting Techniques Stressed During Deer Seasons
Posted: December 1, 2009
Iowa's premier hunting season is days away and more than 90,000 hunters are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first shotgun deer season, Dec. 5 - 9. An estimated 50,000 hunters will hunt during the second shotgun deer season, Dec. 12 - 20.
As hunters prepare their equipment and go through their checklists, they are encouraged to review proper safety techniques before heading to the woods and at the top of the list is to develop a hunting plan.
"A hunting plan is as important to the hunt as sighting in the gun. If you think about who we go hunting with - our friends and family - it only makes good sense for safety to be part of every hunting plan. Outline the role of each person in the hunt, where they will be at all times and be sure to stick to the plan," said Megan Wisecup, recreational safety program supervisor for the Iowa DNR. "We want everyone to be successful and part of that is for each member of the hunting party to get home safely at the end of the day."
Wisecup said the number one cause of deer hunting incidents continues to be shooting at running deer. "When shooting at a running deer, the hunter will become fixed on the target, often ignoring what is around or behind the deer. Hunters need to wait for the deer to stop and make sure there is nothing behind the target before taking the shot," Wisecup said.
Other safety issues include wearing enough blaze orange to be seen in the woods and crossing fences and other obstacles in a safe manner.
"Make sure you are wearing enough blaze orange to be seen from all directions," Wisecup said. "We have a lot of deer hunting that goes on near standing corn or dense brush and you want to be seen by other hunters. I would advise hunters to wear more blaze orange than just the minimum required, and to replace any their blaze orange that has not faded and is no longer effective.
"We also see hunters who do not take the minimum safety steps when crossing a downed tree or fence line, which is to make sure that the firearm is unloaded and the safety is on before crossing," she said.
Wisecup said one question that always comes up is how to legally retrieve game that has gone on to another landowner's property.
"If you need to retrieve game from private property, remember to unload your firearm and leave it behind. Legally, you can go directly in and out of private property to retrieve your game. It is always a good rule of thumb if you know who the landowner is or where the landowner resides to let them know before you enter the property," she said. "By contacting the landowner, they will be aware that you are going on to their property and to make sure that no one else is hunting in the immediate area."
From the Iowa DNR:
Safe Hunting Techniques Stressed During Deer Seasons
Posted: December 1, 2009
Iowa's premier hunting season is days away and more than 90,000 hunters are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first shotgun deer season, Dec. 5 - 9. An estimated 50,000 hunters will hunt during the second shotgun deer season, Dec. 12 - 20.
As hunters prepare their equipment and go through their checklists, they are encouraged to review proper safety techniques before heading to the woods and at the top of the list is to develop a hunting plan.
"A hunting plan is as important to the hunt as sighting in the gun. If you think about who we go hunting with - our friends and family - it only makes good sense for safety to be part of every hunting plan. Outline the role of each person in the hunt, where they will be at all times and be sure to stick to the plan," said Megan Wisecup, recreational safety program supervisor for the Iowa DNR. "We want everyone to be successful and part of that is for each member of the hunting party to get home safely at the end of the day."
Wisecup said the number one cause of deer hunting incidents continues to be shooting at running deer. "When shooting at a running deer, the hunter will become fixed on the target, often ignoring what is around or behind the deer. Hunters need to wait for the deer to stop and make sure there is nothing behind the target before taking the shot," Wisecup said.
Other safety issues include wearing enough blaze orange to be seen in the woods and crossing fences and other obstacles in a safe manner.
"Make sure you are wearing enough blaze orange to be seen from all directions," Wisecup said. "We have a lot of deer hunting that goes on near standing corn or dense brush and you want to be seen by other hunters. I would advise hunters to wear more blaze orange than just the minimum required, and to replace any their blaze orange that has not faded and is no longer effective.
"We also see hunters who do not take the minimum safety steps when crossing a downed tree or fence line, which is to make sure that the firearm is unloaded and the safety is on before crossing," she said.
Wisecup said one question that always comes up is how to legally retrieve game that has gone on to another landowner's property.
"If you need to retrieve game from private property, remember to unload your firearm and leave it behind. Legally, you can go directly in and out of private property to retrieve your game. It is always a good rule of thumb if you know who the landowner is or where the landowner resides to let them know before you enter the property," she said. "By contacting the landowner, they will be aware that you are going on to their property and to make sure that no one else is hunting in the immediate area."