INDIANA — As deer season gets underway, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging all hunters to prioritize safety, especially regarding elevated platforms. The DNR emphasizes that most hunting injuries involve tree stands and elevated platforms.
By reviewing and following straightforward guidelines, hunters can significantly reduce risk this season.
Essential Tree Stand Safety
The DNR stresses that safety begins before the hunt and continues until you return to the ground:
Before the Hunt
- Inspect Equipment: Check tree stands and all equipment for wear, fatigue, rust, cracks, or loose components, paying extra attention to non-metal parts.
- Read Instructions: Always read, understand, and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the tree stand.
- Practice: Practice wearing and using your full-body safety harness at ground level with a responsible adult.
- Share Your Plan: Create a hunt plan detailing your location and estimated return time, and share it with someone before heading out.
During the Hunt
- Wear a Harness: Always wear your full-body safety harness and use a safety rope.
- Maintain Attachment: Ensure your harness is attached to the tree or safety rope before leaving the ground and remains attached until you return.
- Three Points of Contact: Maintain three points of contact (two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand) during ascent and descent.
- Haul Line: Use a haul line to raise and lower firearms, bows, and other hunting gear.
- Firearm Condition: Before attaching a firearm to the haul line, ensure it is unloaded, the action is open, and the safety is on.
- Footwear: Wear boots with nonslip soles.
General Safety and Regulatory Reminders
In addition to tree stand safety, the DNR reminds hunters of general safety and equipment regulations:
- Hunter Orange Requirement: Hunter orange must be worn by all deer hunters during the youth, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons. This requirement applies at all times during the hunt, including walking to and from the hunting location, regardless of whether you are using archery, a crossbow, or a firearm.
- Ground Blinds: A ground blind must display at least 144 square inches of hunter orange material that is visible from any direction during any season requiring the color.
- Firearm Safety Rules: Always follow the four fundamental rules of firearm safety:
- Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
- Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
- Landowner Permission: Hunters on private land that is not their own must print and complete a Landowner Permission Form.
- Deer Transportation Tag: Immediately upon taking a deer, hunters must complete and attach a deer transportation tag. The tag must remain attached during transportation and anytime the deer is unattended.
- Emergency Gear: Always carry emergency equipment, such as a cellphone, flashlight, small first aid kit, and extra water.
