Safety is the main word

The big day is close. The general deer season will begin on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The deer hunting season is magical. It reminds me of looking through the Sears’ catalog a month before Christmas when a youngster. The excitement was high and getting to sleep was difficult.

There are still twinges of excitement throughout my body on the night before the general deer opener. There are sure to be others who feel the same way, especially the youth who have never hunted before or who have had little hunting experience.

This week we will cover some items to consider as hunting groups head for the field this weekend. First and foremost, remember the three most important words during a hunting trip are: Safety, safety, safety.

We think about talking about firearm and hunting safety with our youth, because they are young and new to hunting and handling firearms. However, there is another type of person who needs these rules drummed into their heads.

These are the first-time hunters, no matter their age. A 21-year-old or a 55-year-old woman or man needs to be reminded about safety.

A friend told me years ago about a technique he uses to introduce new hunters to the sport. He puts his rifle across his body, by placing his head through the strap and letting the rifle settle across his back.

This way both of his arms and hands were free. It also means he is not hunting.

The new hunter is instructed to walk in front of my friend at arm’s length. This allows him to control the new hunter. If the new hunter was five or 10 yards to the left or right, there is little control.

Example: If a doe jumped up at 30 yards and the inexperienced hunter is so excited, he aims and prepares to shoot, there is not much the mentor can do but yell. If the novice is within arm’s length, the mentor can simple grab the rifle and whisper instructions.

Another example happened to me several years ago. A cousin was visiting who had never hunted before, in fact he had never handled firearms before. We decided to hunt rabbits, as there were lots of jackrabbits around then.

The rifle he was using had a difficult hammer, hard to pull back and hard to release if no shot is taken. He pulled the hammer back OK, but when he tried to release it, it fell and set off the round.

No one was hurt. It was not a good way to learn a lesson.