OAKLAND COUNTY (WWJ) – Fall is here and that means it’s time for deer hunting season in Michigan.
Bow season got underway Saturday, bringing thousands of outdoor enthusiasts across the state out to their blinds, including in Oakland County.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard is encouraging hunters to use caution and common sense during the bow season, which lasts until Nov. 14, and then firearm hunting season, which runs for two weeks beginning Nov. 15.
“Being outdoors in Michigan during the fall is one of the best times of the year in one of the most amazing places in the world,” Bouchard said, per a press release. “Please be cautious to make sure that this is not a time of unnecessary tragedy. Follow basic safety protocols and make memories, not injuries.”
Among those basic safety protocols, Bouchard says, is avoiding drinking alcohol or taking mood-altering drugs before hunting.
“It is illegal to hunt while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” the sheriff’s office says in a list of hunting safety tips.
The sheriff’s office offered the following tips for hunters as we get into the season:
When bow hunting:
• Prior to each use, check your bow and arrows for signs of damage or wear.
• Only point your bow and arrow in a safe direction.
• Only nock an arrow when it is safe to shoot.
• Be sure of your target and what is in front of it, immediately behind it, and beyond it.
• Only shoot when you have a safe range or shooting area, as well as a safe backstop or background.
• Do not shoot at an animal standing on a ridge top (a “skyline” shot) where you cannot identify a safe background.
• Let family or friends know exactly where you will be hunting.
• Dress properly for the worst weather conditions you may encounter.
• Carry basic survival gear every time you go into the field, even for short hikes.
• When climbing into an elevated stand, always attach yourself to the tree from the time you
start climbing until you are back on the ground.
• Use a full-body harness that is attached so that you will drop less than a foot if you fall.
Related
When hunting with firearms:
• Always tell someone where you are hunting and when you are expecting to return.
• Treat every weapon as if it were loaded. This means point the muzzle in a safe direction and do not put your finger on the trigger unless you are prepared to shoot. Making this a habit will keep you and your hunting partners safe.
• When hunting with a firearm you must wear hunter's orange. This must be visible from all sides and worn on any hunting property. This will make you visible to other hunters in the area.
• Wear hearing and eye protection. It is required at the range, and you should do the same while hunting. Protect your sight and hearing from damage.
• Hunting from a tree, raised platform, or scaffold with a firearm is legal, but extra caution must be used when climbing up or down. Do not carry a loaded weapon as you climb. Falls are one of the fastest growing injuries to sportsmen and women.
Visit Michigan.gov/HunterEducation to read more safety tips.