NY hunter tips, rules to follow for safe firearms season: Outdoors column
Have you ever picked up a firearm you knew was unloaded and discovered that, wait a minute, it was indeed loaded?
I have. A chill went down my spine when I did so.
I could not imagine how it happened. It was and is very disturbing.
I have always had a habit of checking every firearm every time I pick one up or put one down. I must not have on that occasion. The positive is that I now am doubly aware of the need to check.
Safety is on my mind in a big way as we approach New York’s Southern Zone big firearms season. It’s more on my mind than trying to bag a very large buck, really.
So, again, we all should go over basic safety rules as we head for the woods and fields.
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The Department of Environmental Conservation has distilled its firearm safety advice down to four simple directives, which I think is a good idea, since most people could never remember the 10 that used to be included.
They are:
Keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction.
Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
Be sure of your target and beyond.
Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
These are good basic rules, and you can add my double-check to them.
Following the rules will lead to another safe year of hunting, although we have to be safer yet. Last year was tied with 2021 as the safest ever in New York State, but, still, there was one fatality – one too many.
And there were four deaths as the result of falls from tree stands. We have to do better.
One element of safety is hunter visibility. Long ago there a lot of hunters who argued against the wearing of fluorescent colors. I was on the fence myself, but I didn’t like to look like creamsicle. Well, I long ago began wearing color. Plus, you know, it is now required. Anyone hunting deer or bear with a firearm must wear 250 square inches of solid fluorescent orange or pink material or patterned fluorescent orange or pink above the waist and visible from all directions, or a hat or cap of no less than 50% of orange or pink fluorescent material visible from all directions.
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Last season, there was the one fatal shooting incident. The four fatalities involving tree stands included three in which the hunter was not wearing a full body harness. The other was the result of cardiac arrest and a subsequent fall that resulted in the harness buckles breaking. Six of the 13 accidents involved hang-on stands.
My usual opening day stand is a double, about 15 feet up, and stable, but I hesitate to climb up there nowadays. The DEC’s advice is to inspect your tree stand before use, buckle on your full body harness every time, and connect to the tree before you leave the ground.
Homemade stands are especially vulnerable to wear and tear, but any stand can go wrong. Really, make sure of your stand. I think back to some of the contraptions we sometimes hunted out of years ago — standing on a little piece of wood way up in a swaying white pine, for example — and wonder who could be so dumb as to do that. Well, I could.
We also need to remember we share the woods with anyone else who wants to be there. The NYS DEC has a good video on this on its YouTube page. The advice to hikers includes making sure others know your plans, wearing bright colors, keeping dogs on leashes while hiking (generally a good thing in any case), giving other users a heads up on your plans, and more. My advice to hunters is to be aware that non-hunters might be around, even on private land.
So, safety is the number one thing. Being safe does not take away from the enjoyment of the hunt.
On another note, the DEC also wants hunters to take more antlerless deer and to be more conscientious about reporting the deer they have taken in an effort to strengthen its deer management program.
The taking of antlerless deer is something many hunters argued against for many years, but it is the only tool there is to manage the population and keep it within acceptable limits. Last year, only 16% of hunters killed one or two antlerless deer.
Something that continues to baffle me is the low compliance of reporting the deer take. It is required by law, but last year only 46% of hunters did so. It’s easy enough to do through the DEC’s website, the HuntFish NY mobile app, or by 1-866-426-3778.
I am not being a smart aleck when I say this: I realize some hunters are suspicious that reporting the deer they take somehow will be used against them. I have yet to hear a reasonable argument against reporting. If you think you have one, please write or e-mail me.
There is a lot of opportunity out there, judging by the number of deer I see in my area, and by all the very impressive photos I’ve come across this bow season.
So, best wishes to everyone for a very safe and very successful firearms season.
Write to John Pitarresi at 60 Pearl St., New Hartford, N.Y. 13413 or jcpitarresi41@gmail.com or call him at 315-724-5266.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: NY hunter tips, rules to follow for safe firearms season
