Beginner’s Bench – Hunter Safety

By Bob Brownell

I took my 10-year old son out hunting the other day, a nice, breezy Sunday September morning. Squirrel and rabbit season are open here in Iowa and we thought we’d go out and see what we could find. This was the first time in his life he’s ever gone hunting when I let him carry his own gun, loaded and ready to take a shot at some game. I’ve eased him into it for the last two years…we’ve gone after some pheasants together; I carried an 870 while he walked along beside me. After I got a couple of beautiful birds last year he was excited, and mad because I wouldn’t let him carry the shotgun like a “real” hunter does. He was along for the ride and when I offered to let him fire the shotgun he wasn’t too sure about it. After all, the shotgun is almost as tall as he is! I just didn’t think he was ready and I wanted him to tag along to see what real hunting is all about.

We have a great time together. My brothers and I grew up hunting and shooting with my dad and my grandpa Bob and I always looked forward to the day when I could take my own brood out and teach them the joy involved in hunting or just plinking away at some cans sitting on an old stump. It’s a great way to be outdoors getting some exercise, and in my son’s case, having some serious competition with dad. We didn’t see many squirrels and his one clear shot was a little wide to the right. We had fun though, and he impressed me with his determination to follow the rules of gun safety and hunting. When we got home he immediately cleaned the gun and wiped it down well with a silicone cloth. I think he’s starting to listen and appreciate how much fun the shooting sports can be. Pretty cool!

What I’m getting at is that starting your kids out early is a great idea: you get to spend time together and you can teach them how much fun shooting and hunting can be. I’m a firm believer in the simple fact that if you spend any time at all with your kids, it has to be good.

The other thing is teaching him gun safety. As we walked through the timber, I was proud to see him practice some of the basic lessons that I’ve been teaching him since he was very little: Don’t point guns at people, keep your finger off the trigger at all times until you’re ready to shoot, and be aware of what you’re shooting at and what’s behind it.

I can remember taking hunter safety when I was in fifth grade, three guys from the Department of Natural Resources came to school and taught my entire class the important aspects of safe gun handling and hunting. It was a really great program, especially since we live in a rural area and most people begin hunting as soon as they’re old enough to carry a gun. However, this program ran into some snags a few years ago. Too many people believe what the media and other anti-gun/hunting groups say about the so-called evils pertaining to guns and the in-school classes have been cut. It’s too bad, everyone; even those who never hunted or had fired a gun knew at least the basics of gun safety.

I’ve talked to several people recently who asked me where to sign up for Hunter Safety Classes around here. Since I took one many years ago, I hadn’t really thought much about it and they’re not advertised too much unless you know where to look. Here in Iowa, as with many states, you have to show proof of completing a sanctioned hunter safety course in order to purchase a hunting license. Luckily, I’ve bought one every year since I was ten so my name is in the computer system when I go in. It’s a good thing; I have no idea where my original certificate is! A good word of advice here is when you do get a certificate, put it in a safe place so you’ll always know exactly where it is. The gun safe would probably be the most logical place. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you’re planning on taking a hunting trip in a different state, you need to provide that state with your certificate or number of completion verifying that you’ve taken an approved course before you can buy a nonresident license.

Just out of curiosity, I typed “Hunter Safety Classes” into the search window in both Dogpile and Google. I ended up with many, many possibilities and most of the individual state programs were listed. If you want to narrow the search down to your state, simply enter your state’s name along with Hunter Safety Classes and you should be given a good list to start with. The nice part with all of the DNR sites I visited was that you can find a class in your area and register online for most of them. And, many shooting clubs and other community organizations also sponsor hunter safety programs throughout the year.

After reading through several websites and a hunter safety booklet I picked up last week, I came up with a list the basic and most important rules of gun safety:

• Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction – This means keeping the gun pointing the gun either in the air or towards the ground. The general rule of thumb is to remember at all times if the gun were to go off accidentally, where would the bullet go? Never point them at people, pets, houses, or vehicles.
• Keep your finger off of the trigger at all times until you’re ready to shoot. The easiest thing to do while you’re hunting and shooting and have a loaded gun is to rest your finger either on the outside of the trigger guard or on the side of the gun.
• Open the action of the gun and visually inspect it to make sure there are no rounds in the chamber or the action. Doing this before you head out to the fields or to the range is essential to make absolutely sure it’s unloaded. And, do this again before you put the gun in the vehicle when you’re ready to head home. (The rule I was raised with and the one we use at the office is "Check the chamber Do this every time you pick up a gun, every time someone hands one to you. Every Time!")
• Never load a gun until you’re ready to begin hunting or until you step up to the firing line at a range.
• Make sure the safety is engaged at all times after you’ve loaded the gun. A gun can go off unexpectedly if the safety is left in the “fire” position from dropping it or bumping it into to something. If you’ve recently bought a new gun, it’s always a great idea to locate the safety and practice flipping it on and off so you get used to where it’s located and how much pressure it takes to move it. Of course, always do this with the gun unloaded and pointing in a safe direction. Remember too, that safeties are not always flawless: Safe handling of guns is the best safety mechanism of all.

These are some of the most important aspects of gun safety that everyone should learn and practice enough that they become second nature. However, proper gun safety can often become routine after several years. Making a real effort to remember gun safety at all times is pretty important and it prevents problems on down the road.

Another fun thing you can do with your kids is look into some of the youth shooting programs around the country. The NRA has a fantastic series of different shooting programs for kids do many local shooting clubs and other organizations. And, Brownells is the proud supporter of the NRA Youth Endowment which helps fund the NRA Shooting Sports Camp for kids. It’s really a super way to get young people enthused about shooting and to keep them interested in the shooting sports. Take a look the links on our website or visit nrahq.com to check these out. I think you’ll find something that interests you and your kids.

I’d encourage all of you out there to find a class in your area and take it. Even if you’ve been hunting and shooting for years, you just can’t go wrong attending one as a refresher course so you can keep the info in your mind every time you get a gun out. If you have kids, go with them to their class. This is a great way to spend some time with them and show them how important gun safety truly is. The best part or all - when you’re done with the class you can go hunting together. I can’t think of a better way to spend a fall day!