First Aid For Hunting Safety

Hunting can provide opportunities for many types of injuries. Being prepared is your best defense against disabling injuries or even life-threatening accidents. Knowing some basic first aid and using common sense when in the wild can save both life and limb.

CPR

If you don’t know CPR, learn it. Call your local hospital, EMS, or fire department to find out when and where you can attend a community CPR class. You never know when you may need to perform CPR on a friend, family member, or even a stranger. A few hours of your time could save a life someday.

Many CPR classes offer basic first aid classes as well. Check with your local provider to see if this option is available before registering for a class.

Safety Rules during A Crisis

The first rule of safety during a crisis may sound selfish but it is important. Take care of yourself first. Check the scene of an accident for unsafe conditions. Make the area safe for yourself and bystanders before beginning first aid. The reasoning behind this rule is that if you become injured or incapacitated, you can’t help anyone else. If you become injured, rescue workers arriving on the scene will then have you as an added victim to care for. Seconds make a difference in a crisis, but take a few beforehand to ensure that you will be able to provide the help that is needed.

Basic First Aid

Healthcare personnel are taught the ABC’s of first aid: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. Your first concern is whether the accident victim has a clear airway. If the mouth or throat is blocked by blood, water, or objects, tend to this matter first. Next, see if the victim is breathing or is in danger of ceasing to breathe. The brain and vital organs cannot last long without oxygen. Provide rescue breathing if necessary.

Then, check for a heart beat and any injuries that may be seeping blood. Apply pressure to any areas that are bleeding with a clean cloth if possible. Don’t be afraid to press hard! If there are others present who are able to assist you, ask for their help in applying pressure to a wound. If the bleeding is profuse and the wound in located on an arm or leg, you can use your belt or a section of rope to wrap around the limb and secure tightly to restrict blood flow to the injured area and slow the bleeding. This is called a tourniquet.

Call for help! After you have controlled breathing and provided an initial round of CPR, call for help and then continue CPR until rescue workers arrive. Performing CPR can be exhausting. If others are available to help, perform two-person CPR or trade off tasks frequently to prevent rescuer exhaustion.

If you or another hunter falls from a tree stand or other elevated area, do NOT move until you are sure there have been no spinal injuries. Moving a person who has spinal injuries can cause shattered bone to cut through the spinal cord and result in paralysis. Ask the fall victim to move their fingers and toes only. If they are unable to, they have injured their spinal column and need special care in moving. If they are breathing and not bleeding profusely, leave them in the position they are in and get help.

If they are able to move fingers and toes, gently turn them over onto their back if they are not already positioned so. Try to turn them as if they were a log; keep the head, legs and torso aligned and stiff as you roll them. This will prevent any compression on the spinal cord should the vertebra protecting the cord be compromised.

Some falls and spinal injuries that affect the neck area can result in a person not being able to breathe on their own. If this happens, you must provide rescue breathing for them until help arrives.

Using firearm safety and common sense like avoiding aggressive animals can go a long way to prevent hunting accidents. Educate yourself, hunt with others, and always tell someone where you will be hunting and when you will return. Keeping safe in the woods is everyone’s responsibility. Be sure to do your part.

Using A Tree Stand

Most deer hunters are now hunting from tree stands. If you are new to deer hunting, or if you have been hunting for a while but have yet to use this method, you should consider using a tree stand. The benefits of using a tree stand are that you will stay out of the deer's range of view, you will keep your scent hidden from the deer, and you will increase the range of your view. You do need to take certain precautions, however, to make sure that you protect yourself.

There are many types of stands and most are safe to use. Some of these include ladder-type stands, climbing stands, and lock-on stands. You can also nail boards to a tree. No matter what type of stand you are using, know that accidents can happen. If a stand seems unsafe to you, do not use it. If you are thinking about using a new tree stand and you are far from your home or from people in general, wait. You would be unable to notify anyone in the event that you were injured. Do not take using a tree stand lightly.

You will benefit by becoming familiar with some of the ways by which hunters injure themselves on or around tree stands. Accidents happen when hunters fall asleep. It happens more often that you would imagine. Hunters also get injured when they slip while climbing in or out of a tree stand. You cannot avoid things like excess moisture on your boot, or an exceptionally damp step. The third way by which hunters suffer injury using tree stands is having a piece of equipment break. Nothing is 100% dependable. The best way to avoid severe injury from these unfortunate events is to wear a safety harness.

Many hunters know the risk of not using a safety harness, but they still use tree stands without one. Your safety harness will only help you if you wear it. It is not good enough to put on the harness after you have settled into your stand. Climbing into or out of your stand is when you are most likely to be hurt, so you need to be wearing it before you begin ascending your tree stand. It only takes a minute to secure and is well worth the hassle. The damage done by a fall with a safety harness is minimal compared to one without. The safety harness will mean the difference between a few bruises and a premature death.

There are a few additional steps you need to consider while preparing to use a tree stand for the first time. Tree steps and tie-on ladders are two favorite methods used by hunters. Some also use large nails as steps. If you are looking to cut costs, go with the nails. They are cheaper than the ladders. Test the nail to make sure that it is strong, steady, and secure. Use nails that will fully support your weight. When nails bend, hunters slip and injure themselves. Use a drill to make pilot holes for the nails. Some hunters prefer to use climbing stands instead of nails, but they are more expensive and limit you to certain trees.

Consider using a tree stand as you hunt. It is an effective way to catch your prey off-guard. Both your body and your scent are above the deer's vicinity. It also allows for a broader view as you study the landscape. Tree stands do cause accidents, though. Take all of the necessary steps to prevent any major injuries. Use a safety harness to shorten the distance of your fall. Make sure that the nails you use to climb the tree are secure. Following these steps for using a tree stand ensures a safe and pleasurable hunting experience.

Disease and Hunters

There are many possibilities for hunters to get sick. Many critics consider these aspects to be nature's defense mechanisms towards human interference. Whatever the case may be, care must be taken when outdoors at all times to avoid these diseases and these problems. There are many precautions one can take to avoid getting sick in the great outdoors, so attention must be paid at all times to the surroundings and to the natural habitat in which the hunt is taking place. Without proper due care and attention, there is no telling as to what type of affliction can set upon a camp.

There are many diseases that are spread by mosquito. These are called “arboviral” because they are spread by arthropods. Arboviral diseases are known to produce clinical illnesses in humans that require the attention of a medical professional. Arboviral diseases transmit what are called “alphaviruses” to the patient, causing typically mild symptoms but sometimes releases harmful after-effects. Another arboviral disease that is getting a lot of air time lately is the West Nile virus. This is also spread by mosquitoes, but originates in birds. Mosquitoes feed on the birds and then spread the virus to humans by feeding on the humans, mixing the blood types. For this reason, always bring bug spray and always ensure that mosquitoes are instantly swatted or squashed as they appear.

A bacterial infection that hunters can find themselves with is brucella. Brucella is a bacterial infection that is typically spread from animal to animal as they feed on one another. As hunters kill and eat animals, there is a potential for brucella to be present. Brucella are actually bacterial organisms that are highly infectious. The food is typically the highest source of infection and the most likely area of capturing brucella infection. Fortunately, there are very few incidents of person-to-person brucella transmission but it still is possible. Standard precautions should be taken at all times in dealing with hunted meat. The kill must be cleaned and cooked properly to professional specifications. Hand washing is also a must.

Lyme disease is a common disease for outdoors-people. This is an illness that may affect joints and bones, creating a possibility of skin and nervous system problems as well. Lyme disease can affect people of all ages and is considered to be the most frequently diagnosed of the outdoor afflictions, making precautionary measures especially important. This affliction is actually caused be a bacteria that looks like a corkscrew and is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Persons with Lyme disease will likely start feeling the symptoms around seven to fourteen days after the tick bite, starting with chills and joint pain. Precautions should be taken to keep ticks off of the skin at all times.

There are many other bacterial infections that can be caught in the great outdoors. With taking the proper precautions, however, most hunters can avoid having serious incidents and can simply concentrate on the hunt. Clothing should be kept relatively light but tight fitting, making it hard for bugs to get on the skin and easy to spot the bugs. Of course, the problem with light clothing on the hunt is that it also makes the hunter more visible to the animals. Compromises can be reached, however, and there are those that suggest the risk of disease is far too great to take a chance on not being prepared.

Regardless of the point of view, there are numerous afflictions in nature that should be avoided and considered when hunting. It may well be nature's way of protecting itself, but these afflictions and diseases can spread from the hunter to the family members, making for a dangerous situation. When planning any kind of trip to the outdoors, research the area of travel and find out all there is to know about the possibilities for diseases and afflictions in that area.

The Problem with Canned Hunting

Canned hunting is effectively trophy hunting. A canned hunt is a type of hunt that involves the hunter being essentially promised a kill by a hunting agency or governing body. The activity basically takes place on the grounds that the host of the hunt, whether a hunting agency or private party, captures an animal and releases it in a generally enclosed area to be hunted by the hunter. The enclosed area tends to be a small fenced in area so that the kill comes rather easily to the hunter.

Naturally, there have been all sorts of ethical issues involving canned hunting. Through the years, the controversy and criticism of canned hunting has reached a fever pitch. Rightly so, as the issue with canned hunting is one more directed towards animal cruelty than any other type of hunt. The animal is captured and “canned”, giving it no original chance for survival. This type of simplistic approach to hunting is often polarizing to many within the hunting community, some of which appreciate the delicate balance of nature in its own right.

The United States actually has a set line of legislation regarding canned hunting because of the criticism. In the Sportsman Hunting Act of 2005, the United States proclaimed that anyone who transports an exotic animal for the purposes of canned hunting shall be fined or put in prison for no longer than one year. While the penalties are not all that tough, the sentiment is still resounding. The United States government does not particularly qualify what constitutes an “exotic animal”, however, and this has led to some confusion among canned hunters.

The critique involving canned hunting is rather obvious. Animal rights groups claim that is it cruelty to animals and, while they protest all types of hunting, their position is somewhat more compelling when it is amplified by other hunting groups. Certain hunting groups claim that canned hunting takes away from the element of the “fair chase” or the “fair catch”. In other words, hunting groups typically claim that part of the adventure of the hunt is, of course, the hunt. Without the hunt, hunting is left to barbaric slaughter. These hunting groups claim that canned hunting simply strips away any of the elements of survival in terms of hunting and brings it down to its most animalistic classification.

Naturally, another opponent of canned hunting is the North American Humane Society. They claim that canned hunting represents cruel activity towards animals and exists to promote brutality towards animals. The hunted animal, according to the Humane Society, has literally no chance to escape and is essentially a victim of terrorism by the hunter and the hunting party. The animal is captive and is nearly tortured by the psychological implications of being in captivity and then being hunted while in such captivity.

There are several incidents in current events which reflect canned hunting. The United States Vice President Dick Cheney is said to be a fan of canned hunting, once apparently bagging around seventy ringneck pheasants on a hunt in which the pheasants were captured and then released in a specific area upon Cheney's request. Of course, the most famous Dick Cheney canned hunting incident likely involved the shooting of Harry Whittington. It is not known if Cheney has any objections to canned hunting on a moral level, however, as the Vice President tends to be known for a certain level of ambiguity.

Canned hunting represents a great deal of controversy and criticism in America. It is not looked at favorably at all and, instead, is rather shamed even within the hunting community. As the community of hunters tends to progress and allow for nature to operate on its own constraints within their boundaries, canned hunting tends to represent all that is wrong with human interference on its most brutal and basic level. Canned hunting is not hunting at all; it is simply a deadly game of capture and kill that gives the animal no chance to run.

The Fine Art of Bow Hunting

Bow hunting is often seen as one of those “manly” sports, but there is a small contingent of women that partake in bow hunting and take the sport to new levels. With bow hunting, people are getting in touch with the control of the hunt and are learning all sorts of new things about getting in tune with themselves and using their own bodily power to get in touch with the hunting aspect. Without the use of a firearm, people find that there is less to hide behind with a bow and find that the psychological aspect of bow hunting can be somewhat intimidating.

With bow hunting quickly becoming a new favorite in those seeking old-fashioned adventure, there are many new additions to the sport that people interested in it should get to know. One important aspect about bow hunting is the breaking of the “safety zone”. This must be done to get a clean shot at the prey. While traditional firearms hunters can stay at a relatively safe distance from their prey, a bow hunter must creep up on the prey and get inside a danger zone with the animal. This means that the animal could charge or attack at any moment within the danger zone. The hunter should be aware at all times because of this.

With some of the new additions in bow hunting, however, some of the guesswork from the hunt is being removed. While many bow hunting traditionalists may be against such new additions as GPS sensors and nigh-vision, others welcome any ally that they can muster in this fight for survival and adventure. There tends to be two different schools of hunters, but all hunters have the same goal in mind whether they are traditionalists or “new school” hunters. The ultimate goal of bow hunting is, of course, to bring down the ultimate prey.

There are several types of hunts that people go on. Big game hunts are popular and include elk, wolves, mountain goats, caribou and mountain lions. Other more dangerous hunters tend to go bow hunting after bears. There is a lot of demand for bear hunting these days, especially archery related hunts. This is because the danger involved with bear hunting delivers more of a rush than elk or caribou hunting. Like running with the bulls, bear hunting brings a sort of insane glee to the hunter and delivers certain thrills that they are not likely to get anywhere else.

Many people book bow hunting trips or excursions with a variety of trip-leading companies. These companies typically take a group of hunters into a particular area that is noted for having a great deal of the animals they are seeking. The hunting company trips come equipped with a guide that monitors the action from a position of expertise and offers tips to the hunters in the party. Hunting trips are often very reliant on the seasonal aspect of hunting, so those seeking a bow hunting excursion should make sure they are paying attention to the top seasons of hunting.

Much of bow hunting is reliant on the baiting or trapping aspect. The aforementioned hunting trips typically supply bait to the hunting party. This includes a knowledge from the hunting guide of placing the bait and finding a spot to wait for the prey. As hunting guides are professionals, their advice should always be heeded.

Typically, a hunting guide will take his or her party to a location in which the density of the hunted animal is known to be highest. They will then set up a camp or “base” and begin to look for baiting locations. Once the bait has been placed in a variety of locations, a hunting area will be designated for the bow hunters. As the hunters set up shop, the guide will typically go through a few of the ground rules and safety techniques. After a short period of time, the animals tend to appear and the hunt is on.

Exploring the Dangers of Bear Hunting

For some reason, people seem interested in the notion of tracking down a bear through the wilderness and killing it. While it may seem strange, there is a small cult of people that follow bear hunting considerably and make it an active part of their lives. These people tend to find generalized hunting a little too “tame” for their tastes and instead lurk after the lumbering bears of the forest. Often seen as an attempt to prove their manhood, bear hunting is a dangerous and largely unnecessary sport that typically challenges all notions of natural balance and order. Instead, most bear hunting aspects lead to dangerous outcomes or to the possibility of extinction.

Bear hunting, while seemingly unnecessary to the average person, is actually a legal and monitored part of the hunting regulations in North America. Alaska is one of the largest places for hunting bears. Several times a year, Alaska can be found swarming with hunters trying to bag the big one and those just curious to watch the bear hunts. The danger and general excitement of the hunt is enough to draw on the very basic components of human nature and create a buzz around bear hunting. Unfortunately for the bears and for some innocent bystanders, bear hunting creates a chaotic and unfortunate scene.

It is argued by hunters that the bear population is quickly recharging and regenerating itself, leading to the moral validity of bear hunting. In other words, there are enough bears in the world and, furthermore, without bear hunting the population of bears in certain areas would be overwrought. While this notion may be partially true, it is also important to consider that bear hunters typically are not properly educated in the matter. Some bear hunters are not hunting for purposes of thinning out a particular species to maintain some sense of animal control in the area. This leads to many bear hunters callously shooting at anything that moves and taking down anything that looks like a bear, paying no mind to the species or importance of the bear.

For this reason, bear hunting is best left to the professionals. There are many within the wildlife community that are given the task of taking down the bear population by statistically represented and supported numerical values. These wildlife officials know what bears to look for and have identified the bears that are older and weaker, leaving the decision of hunting bears down to an actual representation of the bear community in a particular area and to actual natural law.

In that respect, bear hunting appears to be the domain of the testosterone-driven hunters. The hunters looking for the best possible kill are typically adrenaline junkies that are looking for danger and excitement. As many examples over time have proven, bear hunting can provide that danger and excitement in more than ample amounts. This leads to fatalities or injuries that are often results of people getting too close to bears or people getting too involved in the bear's natural habitat. In short, people simply do not know when to leave well enough alone.

With all of this rhetoric around bear hunting, one would think that the very notion of how dangerous the sport is would be enough of a repellent. However, every season more hunters are flocking to alleged hunting sites and every season more needless waste is being done to the beautiful natural backdrop that bears and other animals call home. The amount of human-led damage to the forests and natural setting of Alaska because of bear hunting is staggering.

Regardless of any moral convictions, it is important to maintain a factual focus when discussing hunting of any kind. Whether we live in an age in which hunting is a necessity at all anymore is certainly up for dispute. Many argue for the sport aspect of it, but a more logical approach might suggest that the arguments for the sporting aspect of bear hunting are better left behind.

Safety For Hunters

Every year, hundreds of hunting accidents happen across America. Several of these accidents could have been avoided by practicing a few basic gun safety techniques.

Know your weapon

Whenever your weapon attached to an owner’s manual, read it from cover to cover. Practice taking apart your weapon and inspecting it thoroughly. If you know what your weapon looks like normally, you'll be immediate to recognize any abnormalities of the weapon in the field. If you drop your weapon or fall while carrying it, take it apart and inspect it for damage. Be sure that the slide operates smoothly. If you're in doubt about the wholeness of your rifle, don’t fire it.

Educate yourself about the ammunition that you choose to use. A .22 caliber bullet fired from a rifle can travel over two and a half miles. This knowledge is necessary to line up a safe shot.

Transporting the weapon

Always keep your weapon unloaded until you are ready to fire. If you are going to hike to a new location, unload before starting out. Store the rifle and ammunition separately and, if possible, keep the storage container locked. Never carry a loaded rifle in your vehicle or on an ATV.

Sighting your prey

When sighting up your intended shot, there are many things to consider before pulling the trigger. Never shoot at a partially obscured target. Identify your prey fully before even raising your weapon to take a shot. If you are in doubt about what is moving, control your excitement and wait until the target can be fully visualized. Never hunt after dusk or before daybreak.

Know what is in front of and behind your target before shooting. Do not shoot animals that appear on hilltops and near the tops of ridges as you cannot identify what may be behind your target. If your game is near water, rocks, or buildings, keep in mind that bullets can ricochet off hard surfaces. Do not use the gun’s scope to sight your game. Use your binoculars first, and then if the shot is clear, switch to the scope.

Treat your weapon as if it is loaded at all times

Never look down the barrel of a weapon for any reason. Keep your muzzle pointed away from yourself and others at all times. Learn and use various safe carrying positions for transporting your rifle in the field.

Keep a clear head

Never go hunting or handle a weapon if you have had any alcohol or medication that may impair your judgment. Even a sleeping pill the night before can affect your reflexes during the day.
Get plenty of rest the night before your trip and go home early if you find yourself becoming drowsy.

Sighting a big buck or a fat bird can be exciting. It’s important to keep a level head at all times and not let your emotions cloud your judgment. Don’t allow yourself to act without thinking through the action to determine if it’s safe first.

Wear your safety gear

Bring along hearing and eye protection and wear them before shooting. Include safety orange in your choice of head gear and upper body clothing. This helps other hunters in the area distinguish you from the prey.

The Adventure of an African Hunting Safari

A lot of people love the notion of going on an African hunting safari and feeling the cool African air as they cruise through the jungle. The thought of it's enough to make holiday dreams for many North Americans, yet translating those dreams to reality can be a little bit complicated. Regardless, that doesn't stop people from dreaming away about riding on the back of an elephant and enjoying the company of some locals before watching a lion chomp down on its prey. The adventure and majesty of Africa certainly comes alive during a fantastic safari trip.

The term “safari” simply refers to an overland journey. This term has been used to typically refer to visitors in Africa, although it has no actual geographical connotation. There is also a certain thematic element attached to the term, drawing upon visions of khaki clothing and a certain type of hat. Regardless of the stereotypical connotations of the term “safari”, the term still calls upon some adventurous notions that many people desire to discover for themselves.

The original term was a reference to the early big game hunters that frequented African. Men, typically of European descent, would head to Africa to bask in its glory and to partake in the lay of the land. During this trip, the men would gather in hunting parties and hunt down various rare animals. They would take trophies for themselves and display them on walls back home, as was the custom. It became a variable rite of passage for many men in the higher echelon of European culture, maintaining a status grip over those people for quite a few years before hunting became unfashionable.

These times often represent a brutal passage of time in the history of Africa. The notion was that Africa was a piece of property that belonged to Europe and, therefore, the animals on it also belonged to Europe. The historical significance of these safaris often carried deep-seeded notions of control and power to the extent of slavery over the continent, enabling Europeans to virtually rape and pillage the land at their leisure. To this day, that history plagues many Africans.

Now, the term “safari” refers to taking a photo safari. Instead of shooting animals with bullets and keeping the heads mounted on the hearth, people are taking pictures and putting together various photo displays of the magical animals they have seen while on safari in the beautiful continent. These photo safaris are becoming incredibly popular with people of all ages that wish to have the experience of a lifetime taking in the wilderness and grandeur of the incredible continent of Africa.

Safari parks are rather common in North America to draw upon the distinction of the African safari. This is a zoo-like tourist attraction that creates an environment where people can observe all sorts of exotic animals from a safe vantage point. The safari park is usually walked through or ridden through in a vehicle that would be driven by a guide. The guide describes the animals that are seen and offers a historical context for the park, giving tourists and guests a complete tour of the park and engaging them in knowledgeable conversation.

The game reserves in Africa tend to be a lot larger than a safari park, though. For this reason, most people still wish to head to Africa to see the magic of nature for themselves in as natural a setting as possible. Within the confines of a game reserve or a safari park, people are engaged with the pure wonder of seeing such incredible animals such as the lion or giraffe. As long as such areas are able to protect some of these animals, people will be able to participate in photo safaris for many years to come. The love of animals, exotic and domestic, may well be the greatest ally to the protection of various species threatened with extinction.