Every hunter must remember that firearms and bows can become lethal weapons during one moment of carelessness. Make sure you and you hunting partners obey the following:
Keep guns, ammunition, bows and arrows away from children. Lock up the guns and ammunition separately. It is also a good idea to remove the bolt of firing mechanism from every gun and store them separately. Use trigger locks also.
Treat every gun as though it were loaded. Check for cartridges in the magazine and chamber every time you pick up a gun.
Always point the muzzle of a gun in a safe direction.
Do not aim a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.
Leave the safety on until the moment you intend to shoot.
Unload your gun in any situation where you could fall. Such as, crossing fences, creeks,ditches,etc.
Be aware of where you shoot. Never fire towards other hunters, buildings or livestock. Do not shoot over a road or ridge.
Use the right type of ammunition for your firearm. Carry only one type of ammunition at a given time.
Keep the barrell clear. Always check the gun barrel before going afield. Check it after a fall.
Bowhunters, protect your broadheads. They are extremely dangerous. Use a quiver that completely covers the broadheads.
Wear blaze orange while deer hunting with a firearm.
Never drink alcohol before or during a hunt. Alcohol impairs your judgement and coordination and also causes your body to lose heat faster than normal.
Beware of fatigue. When you become tired, return to camp. Unload you gun. Leave the action open as a courtesy to other hunting partners. This way they will know the gun is unloaded.
Remember, firearms are precision instruments. If your gun is not working properly, do not hunt with it or take it shooting.
All hunters should let someone know when and where they are going and when they expect to return.
Hunters should also understand about hypothermia and how to treat the condition.
Get into excellent physical condition before the hunting season. Know your limitations ans stay within them.
TREE STAND SAFETY
Be sure your portable platform is securely chained or strapped to the tree. Check the platform for any loose bolts or screws each and every time you use it.
Never attempt to use a permanent treestand that you are unsure of.
Never attempt to use a treestand without some kind of safety belt attached to yourself and the tree.
Practice climbing with portable treestands well before the season begins.
Never climb with a bow or firearm. Raise and lower them with a rope. Make sure the firearm is NOT LOADED!!
HUNTING ETHICS
If the sport of hunting is to survive, it is up to us as hunters to become more ethical while afield. If every sportsman pledges to be an ethical hunter, there will be many more places to hunt. Below are some rules of ethics that every hunter should try to follow.
If hunting on private property, I will consider myself an invited guest of the landowner, seeking their permission, and conducting myself so I will be welcome in the future.
I will obey the rules of safe gun handling and will insist that others do the same.
I will obey all game laws and regulations, and will insist that my hunting partners do the same.
I will do my best to become a good shot. So I can make clean, sporstmanlike kills.
I will support conservation efforts that assure good hunting for future generations.
I will pass along to younger hunters the skills and attitudes to become a good outdoorsman.
I will treat the game I am hunting with respect. It is my responsibility to recover downed game, regardless of the amount of time needed to do so.
I will use all game taken for food purposes and make sure that none is wasted.
I realize that the success of the hunting trip is not measured on how quickly I get my limit or if I take any game at all. I will strive to enjoy the hunt as a means of recreation, of which the taking of game is only a small part.
