Hunter Ethics and Safety
According to the National Safety Council, hunting is a safe activity. In fact, hunting results in fewer injuries per 100,000 participants than do many other sports, including cycling, bowling, golf and tennis. However, as with any activity, you must always use good judgment and take responsibility for your actions. Deer and turkey hunters should follow safe, ethical hunting practices. These include:
- Be sure of your target and beyond before you shoot.
- Make sure your equipment is in good working condition and your firearm is properly sighted in.
- If you hunt from a tree stand, always wear a safety harness. Serious accidents occur annually when hunters fall from tree stands.
- If you hunt on private land, be sure to obtain permission from the landowner and respect his or her property as if it were your own. Scout the area you plan to hunt so you know where the boundaries, houses, roads, fences and livestock are located on the property.
- If you do not kill your deer or turkey instantly, make every effort to find the wounded animal. Permission is required to enter private land.
- Clean and care for your game properly.
- Pick up all litter, including spent ammunition. Leaving an area better than the way you found it is a sign of thanks for the privilege of hunting.
- Report observed violations of the law to a conservation agent or local sheriff as soon as possible.
- If you are involved in a firearms-related accident, the law requires that you identify yourself and render assistance; failure to do so is a Class ‘A’ misdemeanor.
- Develop your skills and knowledge, and share them with others.
- Know and obey all wildlife laws.
- Know and follow the rules of gun safety.
- Respect the rights of hunters, nonhunters and landowners.
- Make every effort to retrieve and use all game.
- Respect the land and all wildlife.
- Be sensitive to others when displaying harvested game.
- Remember, hunting is not a competitive sport.
Beware: When using a camouflage blind, other hunters cannot see you even if you are legally wearing hunter orange. To be safe, tie hunter orange on each side of the blind so it can be seen from all sides.
Operation Game Thief - Remain Anonymous – Reward Possible
Help catch wildlife violators
Each year conservation agents spend time tracking down poachers who disregard regulations protecting wildlife. Here are some of the illegal activities that agents dealt with last year:
- hunting from the road
- disposing of carcasses and other body parts in streams, rivers, ponds and lakes
- harvesting a deer or turkey and putting someone else’s transportation tag on it
- using a spotlight to harvest deer or turkey
Dial toll-free 1-800-392-1111
Rewards are available for information leading to the arrest of game-law violators. Information can be provided anonymously by dialing the toll-free hotline number. All information is kept in strict confidence.
If you see a possible poaching violation in progress, immediately call your conservation agent, sheriff or the toll-free hotline number. Help put game thieves out of business.
Sponsored by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Tree-stand Safety
There are many reasons for using elevated tree stands. They offer a better vantage point, a larger field of view and an earlier view of game. However, they also are a major cause of accidents during the deer hunting season.
The National Bowhunter Education Foundation recommends the following safety tips to reduce the risk of hunting from elevated tree stands:
- Practice with your stand at ground level, gradually going higher. Several Conservation Department shooting ranges and outdoor education centers have practice poles for free public use.
- Know the proper procedure for securing the stand to a tree and how to use the stand properly.
- Read the manufacturer’s warnings and instructions before each season.
- Use only stands that meet standards of the Treestand Manufacturer’s Association (TMA) rated for your weight and all gear or equipment you wear or have with you on the stand.
- Always use a fall arrest system that meets TMA standards, which includes a full-body harness rated for your weight and any gear you wear or attach to yourself.
- Have your fall arrest system attached to the tree from the moment you leave the ground, throughout the hunt and when you descend to the ground.
- Always position yourself so that you step down onto your tree stand to test its stability.
- Always use a haul line to raise and lower your gear, including unloaded firearms, bows and arrows.
For more details on tree-stand safety from the National Bowhunter Education Foundation, go to www.nbef.org.
