DEC Reminds Hunters to Hunt Smart, Hunt Safe!

With the beginning of the Southern Zone Big Game season this weekend, DEC reminds hunters to always follow the four cardinal rules of firearm safety.

It’s simple and saves lives! Besides knowing how to operate your firearm: Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot. Be sure of your target and what is in front of it and beyond it.

See press release.

Tree Stand Safety

Did you know that more hunting-related injuries are caused by tree-stand falls than any other cause? One in three hunters who use tree stands will fall out of them. Fortunately, many do not hit the ground, but they do fall out, and the use of a “fall arrest system” and full-body safety harness minimize the chance of injury or death.

If you hunt from a tree stand and want to enjoy hunting for years to come, follow these guidelines:

• Always wear a FULL-body safety harness (55% of stand users are not regular users of harnesses).
• Stay connected to the tree from when you leave the ground until you return. If you do not know what a ‘lineman’s belt’, ‘tether’ or ‘lifeline’ are and how to use them, then do not hunt from an elevated stand (85% of elevated stand incidents occur while climbing in and out of a stand).
• Inspect all parts of your stand before use.
• Use a haul line to raise and lower your UNLOADED firearm. And keep that cell phone with you.
• Before going afield, let someone know where you are hunting and when you expect to return.

Watch our new YouTube video for more information.

Wear Hunter Orange - a Smart Choice!

While not required by law in New York State, more than 80 percent of big game hunters, as well as two out of three small game hunters, wear hunter orange. Hunters who wear blaze orange are seven times safer than those who do not.  Let yourself be seen by other hunters while afield.

Deer and other game animals don't see hunter orange

Download DEC's Mobile App:  NY Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife!

The app is available free of charge and provides users with the latest fish and wildlife news, detailed hunting and fishing season information, species information, weather alerts, social media connections, GPS mapping capabilities, and more.

With the integration of the e-License and Game Harvest features, hunters can quickly and easily:

• report the harvest of deer, bear and turkey on a smartphone immediately while afield, even when out of cellular range;
• gain instant, mobile access to an electronic version of sporting licenses and privileges and other DEC resources;
• use smart-filtering technology for easy access to county, town and WMU information;
• view current and past harvest reports;
• share harvest reports with friends and followers on Facebook and send feedback to DEC.

DEC’s official mobile app, “NY Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife” by Pocket Ranger is available through the DEC website.

Photographs courtesy of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fishes, Oklahoma Department  of Wildlife Conservation, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.