An expert says it's no accident Wisconsin is known nationally as one of the safest places to hunt deer for the whole family and friends.
With the 9-day gun deer season opening Saturday, DNR hunter education specialist Jon King says they looked at hunting accidents data back to the 1940's and he says the number of incidents have dropped significantly....
"....we had a rise in accidents until hunter education was launched. From there, we slowly saw the downward trend in 1967. So where we are today, we've celebrated five or 6 years of no fatal gun-deer accidents...."
King says there is an easy method to remember gun safety, "TAB-K"...
"...the first one is treat every firearm as if it were loaded, the second is "A", always point your muzzle in a safe direction. The third one is "B", be certain of your target, what's in front of it and what's beyond it, and the "K" is keep your finger guard outside the trigger until you're ready to shoot...."
King says deer drives can also be a safety issue. He says the main thing to do is have a plan that everyone in the drive sticks to. He says make sure you have positively identified your target. Confirm you have a safe backstop for your bullet.
Former Brewer manger Ned Yost fell from a tree stand and was critically injured while hunting in Georgia this week and that is a reminder to follow safety rules for tree stands. King says always use use a full-body harness, always unload your firearm while climbing into or out of the stand, and maintain three points of contact going up or down-- two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.
