No meat is better than no mate - message to hunters

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 679, 25 March 1997, Page 11

No meat is better than no mate - message to hunters

Every year, as Easter approaches, the roaring season of the deer begins, hunters get out their firearms and head for the hills. Most return triumphantly with their trophies, or at least with a weekend's enjoyable sport behind them. But, sadly, a few never return, or are carried out by their friends after a tragic shooting accident. This Easter, the traditional start of the roaring season, thousands of hunters will be stalking the bush for something to put on their plates or walls. Often, in the eagerness to get into the hunt, practical commonsense rules of hunting are pushed aside and mistakes are made. Some accidents can happen even before the season begins. All too often fatal accidents occur in the home. They often involve children and the thought of a child finding a loaded rifle and perhaps killing a brother or sister is truly appalling. Firearms intrigue children, who are by nature inquisitive, so it is imperative that children not only be told "don't touch" but also why they must never ever play with firearms. Of course it is the owner's responsibility to lock firearms away and, as a sensible precaution, to keep a vital part, such as the bolt, under separate lock and key. Ammunition shbuld always, without fail, be stored separately from firearms. Never let children play with firearms regardless of whether they are unloaded or not. If someone in your family is going on a hunting trip this Easter, m&ke sure that they are familiar with the seven basic safety rules for firearms safety and automatically stick to them at all times. Firearms safety rules are merely commonsense: Firearms must be checked thoroughly before taking them into the field. Check that the right ammunition is being used for the right rifle and, if you have more than one rifle, check that you take the right bolt with you. Make sure there is no oil left in the barrel and that the firearm is functioning properly. The magazine should be loaded only upon Teaching the hunting ground, never before or while being transported. When the hunter has seen game, or expects to flush it at any moment, he may prepare for a state of semi-readiness, using a half-open bolt or action. The firearm should be held in both hands with a cartridge pushed partly forward into the breech. The action should not be closed unless a safe shot can be made. If the action is closed and the shot not made, then the hunter should revert to a state of semi-readiness. With shotguns and self-loading firearms, it is impossible to apply this practice - instead, when the firearm is loaded the (previously tested) safety-catch should be placed on "safe". It should, of course, be remembered that safety catches can fail, so extra care should be taken to point the weapon in a safe direction. One of the most important rules is: "Positive identification of the target". A hunter should never fire at movement, colour, shape or sound only. Before firing, the hunter must be able to see and clearly identify his target with absolute certainty - failure to observe this rule is the greatest cause of all shooting fatalities. Always consider the firing zone — that area up to and beyond the target — as bullets that miss their target could carry for several kilometres and injure someone. The hunter must be sure of his companions' positions and that there are no other people anywhere near his line of fire. Shooting at night requires extra care. Spotlights reveal ' only partial scene and not the background. Riverbeds are traps as bullets can ricochet off rocks, and flat water. As well as observing these rules, a hunter should also 1 keep a wary eye on his mates and watch out for the onset of the condition known as 'buck fever'. Buck fever occurs when hunters sight their quarry . They get excited, their pulse rate increases, they become confused and may make irrational decisions. In this state there ' is a greater chance of accidents. Firearms are lethal weapons that must be handled with absolute respect and care and it is the hunter' s duty to use I his commonsense and to ensure that his companions use I theirs. A hunter who doesn't, may well be the cause of a I fatal accident. H So this Easter, remember the most important rule - ■rSafety First". Better, "no meat" than "no mate". I Contributed by the NZ Mountain Safety Council