We’ve previously brought you hunting tips to ensure that your season goes smoothly, but those tips were far from all-encompassing. And depending upon the area you live in in California, a new deer hunting season might be about to launch. If you’re one of the many people about to set out on a hunt, then make sure that you stay safe and protect yourself and others by following a few safety tips offered in a new report.
One of the first things you should do is prepare yourself before you even head out. That means that, especially if you’re going to be heading onto private property, you need get the proper permission to hunt on the land. Preparation also extends to the clothing and equipment you bring with you. First, you should wear some type of bright orange clothing to distinguish you from your surroundings should some other hunter or companion be in the area. And if you’re going to go out to hunt at night, then make sure you carry a flashlight, preferably in a green or red color that won’t alert an animal but will catch the eye of anyone else in the vicinity.
Also bring along a full-body safety harness. This piece of equipment brings its own challenges. As long as you’re off the ground, you should be harnessed in so that there’s no danger of a fall. Don’t carry your equipment up as you climb; instead, pull it up after you’re secure by using a line. And always have no fewer than three points of contact with the tree during the climb.
You should also understand that just because you’ve done what you can to promote visibility doesn’t mean that other people have done the same. That means that you should take pains to specifically identify a deer in your sights before pulling the trigger or letting loose an arrow. Check and double check that what you’re aiming at is in fact a deer. Movement in the underbrush or a snapped twig aren’t enough to warrant a shot, and there’s no reason to have a hair-trigger. And if a deer is in your sight, also make sure that the area behind it is clear should your shot be errant.
Finally, if you hunt with a gun instead of a bow, then practice firearm safety at all times. That means never pointing the gun at anything other than a target and not loading until such time that you’re ready to fire off a shot. If you act like the gun is loaded at all times, even when you’re 99.9% positive it isn’t, then you’ll limit the chance of a potential tragedy.