Brush up on Hunter Safety before season starts

Hunting seasons are just around the corner, three weeks away for the start of dove season, so now would be a good time to start getting ready for those seasons.

While cleaning your gun, getting decoys or clothing dusted off, and putting in some shooting practice are all good things to think about, safety needs to be the number one item that all outdoors folks brush up on.

Firearms – in the hunter education course required by young hunters in most states, the first rule of firearm safety is the person holding the gun is responsible for its safe handling.

Hunter Ed instructors often use an acronym of ACTT to remind shooters of the safety basics.

A – assume every gun is loaded.

C – control the direction of the muzzle. Always point the gun in a safe direction.

T – trigger finger – keep you finger off the trigger until ready to fire.

T – target – be certain of your target and what’s behind it.

Just following these tips would eliminate the majority of hunting accidents (which by the way are comparatively small, much smaller than most other sports). Practicing these and other safety tips can make sure that those statistics stay small, and a serious injury or death does not happen.

Responsible hunters develop a personal hunting code of ethics that governs the way they hunt. It is the way they act when the time comes to make a hunting decision. Responsible hunters do not poach (take game illegally), trespass (hunt without permission) or neglect safety.

We used to show a video in Hunter Ed classes that had a high school football player that goes hunting. He sees a nice deer, but it is just across the fence, and the land is posted as no hunting. I always discussed this scenario with my students, and told them that chances are, no one would ever know if that guy pulled the trigger. We have to be the judges of our own actions when hunting.

The goal we should have as safe, ethical hunters is to leave land better than we found it. We do this by taking care of land, wildlife and people that we might meet.

Private land-One of the sections in the Oklahoma Hunter Education class deals with landowner relations, and with more than 95% of the Sooner State belonging to private landowners, the best hunting spots will require some work to gain access.

Problem is that many landowners have had poor experiences in the past with trespassers or those encroaching on their property without permission. So, how do you make the necessary inroads to gains permission from landowners? Start early and be nice. Winning access to private land is a game within itself.

Report violations – if you see a hunting violation call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-522-8039, or call your local game warden. Game warden phone numbers can be found in the hunting, fishing and waterfowl guides or online at wildlifedepartment.com.

Hopefully these tips will get you thinking about hunting safety, so you will have a safe but productive hunting season.

Hunter Education Classes scheduled

If this talk has got you thinking about hunter education, you can go to www.wildlifedepartment.com and take an online course, or you can attend a Hunter Education course sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

To hunt big game or small game alone, hunters ages 10-30 must be hunter education certified. Hunters age nine and under can hunt big game or small game by purchase of the apprentice hunting license, and must be accompanied by a licensed hunter 18 or older. Hunters exempt from hunter education include those honorably discharged from or currently on duty the U.S. Armed Forces, and members of the National Guard.

Oklahomans who are not exempt from hunter education but who are not hunter ed certified may be eligible to hunt with an apprentice-designated hunting license. For full details and license requirements, log on to wildlifedepartment.com or consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”

Even those hunters who can hunt with an apprentice-designated hunting license are encouraged to enroll in a hunter education course.

Several free classes will be held in SW Oklahoma in the next few weeks. Registration can be done online for these courses. Those who attend all classes and pass the certification test will receive their hunter education certification card. All classes are free of charge. Students must Pre-Register at wildlifedepartment.com for all classes.