Can you believe it? Hunting season has arrived. Lead will be
flying and birds will be falling.
Because new and experienced hunters will be spaced in fields
throughout the state waiting for the dove to fly within range, safety becomes a
necessary concern. Keeping the muzzle of the shotgun pointed in a safe
direction is the number one rule of firearm safety when hunting dove. In order
to keep the muzzle in a safe direction, there are several techniques that can
help assure a safe and memorable hunt.
Many times when there is a youth or new hunter involved, and
even just under normal circumstances, two hunters will station side by side. In
fact, without the completion of a hunter’s safety class, a novice or youth
hunter is required to hunt beside a licensed hunter. This is so the experienced
hunter can quickly correct the inexperienced hunter in case of a mistake.
Mistakes while hunting can have deadly consequences. You do
not get a do-over.
The first thing to do is establish safe zones in which to
fire. Sitting side by side, the left hunter takes everything from their left
and straight in front of him. The right hunter takes the shot anywhere from
straight in front over toward their right.
But there are other concerns to always be wary of. Whether
hunting in pairs or sitting alone, if you are hunting on opening day there is
likely to be other hunters all around. Because of this, there may be hunters
located in the safe zone that we just established. A hunter may be somewhere in
front or behind of you.
A low flying bird can make one forget about that. We always
knew ‘low bird’ meant do not shoot. We shared that information with those
around us. That way we knew we would be able to hunt another day.
We made sure that those around us knew not only where we
were located, but where we were facing. It served two purposes. I could yell to
a hunter down the way from me where a bird was located so he could both prepare
to take a shot as well as be aware of where other hunters were likely to shoot
from.
An experienced hunter often does the things without even
thinking about it. But even experienced hunters need to take safety precautions
further than just habit.
Back to the scenario where we have two hunters beside each
other in the field; a new hunter and an experienced hunter. Youth hunters
usually begin with shotguns in 16 or 20 gauges. Most experienced hunters rely
on the 12 gauge shotgun. There is one problem with this that can easily result
in a safety issue and this one particular case has nothing to do with where the
muzzle is pointed.
The 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotguns share a unique feature.
The 20 gauge shotgun shell is smaller in diameter than a 12 gauge shell.
However, the 20 gauge shotgun shell fits perfectly into a 12 gauge shotgun. It
just doesn’t fit the way you want it to. A 20 gauge shell will slide from the
chamber down the barrel of a 12 gauge and lodge slightly down the barrel.
In the heat of the action when birds seem to darken the sky,
an unknowing grab of a shell from the wrong box can result in catastrophe.
Picture the hunter with the 12 gauge emptying the magazine and more birds are
coming near. He quickly grabs a few shells, and drops one on the ground. He
fumbles around trying to feel the shell while keeping an eye on the approaching
birds and finds the third shell.
He quickly reloads his weapon and then fires quickly at one
of the birds. As he marks one that falls, he reloads once again. After finding
his downed bird, he returns to his seat and the next wave of dove come through.
As he pulls the trigger there is a loud explosion. The barrel is shredded
between his forward hand and his face.
The shell he picked up off the ground happened to be a 20
gauge shell and during the action he believed he had fired and ejected all the
shells. After the next reload, the first shot was a 12 gauge shell which when
fired had nowhere to allow the explosion to escape. So it made its own exit.
Beside the hunter’s face.
Safety is the top concern when going hunting, not what time
the sun comes up or where the birds may roost or what sides will be available
for the pig pickin’ at lunch. Safety has a number one rule, which is keep the
muzzle pointed in a safe direction, but it is not the only rule.
Stay safe and make opening day memorable.
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