Firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 30. As you prepare to head out to our fields and forests, be sure to keep safety in mind. The Pennsylvania Game Commission offers these important tips:
Basic Safety
- Positively identify the target. Be sure you are shooting at legal game. Never shoot at sounds or movement.
- Stay in the zone! Hunters should be spaced 25 to 40 yards apart, and always in sight of one another. Each hunter’s zone of fire spans about 45 degrees directly in front of the hunter. Never shoot at game moving between you and someone else.
- Plan your hunt! Let someone know where you’re hunting and when you’ll return.
- Buckle up! If you hunt from an elevated stand, always wear a full-body, fall-restraint device as soon as your feet leave the ground and until they return.
- Keep fit! Hunting is hard work. Don’t become a statistic. Keep physically fit. Start with a check-up and follow your doctor’s advice.
- Stay found! Become familiar with your hunting area. Learn how to use a map and compass or GPS unit. Be prepared for emergencies. Carry a basic survival kit and know how to use it.
- Be seen! Wear or display the required amount of fluorescent orange clothing.
SMART Firearms Safety
When using a firearm, follow these five primary safety rules:
- Safe Direction: Keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times.
- Make sure: Positively identify your target.
- Always check: Know what’s beyond your target before shooting.
- Respect firearms: Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
- Trigger caution: Don’t touch the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission website at www.pgc.pa.gov.
Hunters Can Share Their Harvest
The state Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Game Commission are again encouraging hunters to consider sharing their deer harvest to provide thousands of pounds of venison to people in need.
Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) is Pennsylvania’s venison donation program for hunters who share their extra venison via a statewide network of participating meat processors to food pantries and community assistance centers across the Commonwealth. One deer provides about 200 servings of high-protein, low-fat venison.
HSH has distributed 2.5 million pounds of donated venison since 1991. More information about the program and how to participate is available at www.sharedeer.org.