Essential Firearm Safety Tips For Hunting Season In North Carolina
This is the perfect time of year for the North Carolina hunting community. Deer, duck, bear and small game hunting season kicks off this month, so many hunters across the state are clearing their schedules and loading up on ammo. With that in mind the NC Wildlife Resources Commission sent out a reminder of a few key firearm safety tips to ensure a safe hunting season.
In the news release seen here, the N.C.W.R.C explains the importance of positively identifying your target first before firing. You should also check the surrounding area for targets you may want to avoid aiming at, such as houses, vehicles and obviously people.
Hunters must also make themselves visible to others in the form of caps or clothing made of hunter orange material. This reduces the risk of other hunters shooting in your direction while decked in camouflage. This rule applies to all hunters throughout the scene regardless of choice of weapon.
And in order to ensure maximum safety, the best rule of thumb is to always, ALWAYS treat the firearm as if it’s loaded. Even if you’re 100% sure it’s not, better to be safe and sorry. So avoid aiming it at anything you don’t intend to shoot, and keep your finger off the trigger until you are absolutely ready to fire. To help with this, you can also use binoculars instead of a rifle scope to ID your target.
In summary, the keys to a safe hunting season in North Carolina are as follows:
- Positively identify your target
- Check the surrounding area for any unintentional targets
- Use hunter orange clothing to make yourself visible to other hunters
- ALWAYS treat your firearm as if it’s loaded and ready to fire
For a list of hunting licenses you can obtain for the upcoming seasons, click here.
