Submitted Photo Gun safety is important for all hunters. Photo by Ashley Peterson, NDGF.

The top outdoors priority changes with the seasons but this word carries over no matter the day, month and time of year. Safety. Summertime in and on the water. Winter ice safety and cold weather. Fall hunting and gun safety.

I’ll never tire of reminding hunters the size of a deer, bag of pheasants or memories in the field are all for naught if a hunting incident or accident takes place. Forgetting your shells or gun can make for some funny memories. A trip to the ER never has nor will.

Optional hunter education began in North Dakota in the 1970s. In 1979 the state legislature made hunter education mandatory and required that all people born after 1961 complete a certified course in order to purchase a hunting license.

Over 250,000 hunters have taken and passed hunter safety in the nearly 50 years the course has been offered in North Dakota. Inevitably, each year I’ll be asked about personal exemptions. “I’m former military, do I really need to take gun safety?”

In all honesty, part of my response is not meant to be disrespectful but, in the military, there is gun safety but in hunting we are also training for safe and responsible gun safety, which never involves pointing a firearm at another person as your target.

Let that sink in for a minute and you’ll better appreciate the unique and importance of working to make all hunters safer.

Here’s a short list for all to take note of:

– 1. Treat every firearm with the same respect due a loaded firearm.

– 2. Control the direction of your firearm’s muzzle.

– 3. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

– 4. Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.

– 5. Unload firearms when not in use.

– 6. Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.

– 7. Never climb a fence or tree, or jump a ditch or log, with a loaded firearm.

– 8. Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or water.

– 9. Store firearms and ammunition separately.

– 10. Avoid alcoholic beverages or other mood-altering drugs before or while shooting.

What’s not on the list is just as important. The common mindset I remind hunters is tough to describe but a mentality of “it won’t happen to me.” We hope it doesn’t. But it has and unfortunately will happen. Hopefully not to anyone, but just assuming since you grew up in an era where loaded firearms in vehicles and shooting from a pickup were accepted and nothing like that will ever happen to you is just not acceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated.

Please use common sense and never forget once the trigger is pulled you can’t undo what happens next.

While many think of guns, deer and pheasants, hunter safety also includes duck and goose hunters on the water. There are hunting jackets available with life jackets already built in. In addition, wearing a life jacket will not only keep the overboard hunter afloat, but also slow the loss of critical body heat caused by exposure to cold water.

Stay safe, obey the rules and enjoy the great outdoors.