HUNTER SAFETY EDUCATION COURSE OFFERED AS DEER SEASON UNDERWAY

Deer season got underway Aug. 15 in some areas of South Carolina, and to help make the hunting experience a safer one, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources offers a 10-hour hunter education course that is mandatory for all residents and nonresidents born after June 30, 1979, and voluntary-but highly recommended-for all other hunters.

The hunter education course includes instructions in the principles of hunter safety and conservation. In addition to firearm and hunting safety, students gain knowledge of basic wildlife management principles, hunting ethics, hunter-landowner relations and hunting techniques. Graduates of the South Carolina hunter education course receive certification cards recognized by all states that require mandatory hunter education. For more information contact: Hunter Education, DNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202 or call (803) 734-3995 in Columbia or 1-800-277-4301 Monday through Friday during business hours.

Deer season opened Aug. 15 on private lands in 21 coastal plain and Lowcountry counties. Counties where deer hunting with guns and/or archery equipment opened on private lands Aug. 15 include Aiken, Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston, Sumter, Lee, Darlington, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Barnwell, Bamberg, Allendale, Hampton, Colleton, Jasper and Beaufort.

To find out more about deer hunting seasons and regulations in South Carolina, call the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Columbia office at (803) 734-3886, pick up a copy of the 2005-2006 "Rules and Regulations" booklet wherever licenses are sold, or visit the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/etc/rulesregs/rulesregs.html

During the 2004 deer season, an estimated total of 125,550 bucks (male deer) and 124,655 does (female deer) were harvested, for a statewide total harvest of 251,205 deer.

South Carolina hunter education students now have three choices for becoming nationally certified in hunter safety. They can sign up to take the traditional classroom course with instructor; take a home study course from manual and workbook; or take the new PC-based CD-ROM course at home. The CD-ROM course fulfills the same requirements as the 10-hour classroom course and is available free of charge. The final exam is taken in a DNR office.

Many things go into making a safe hunter, and not all can be covered in a single outing. Three fundamental ideas, however, cover many safety considerations important in the field.

1) Treat every gun as if it were loaded. No new hunter can be too conscious of this basic rule. Whether in or around a vehicle or in the field, every new hunter should understand that they should handle firearms in only one manner: unloaded, but carried as if they were loaded. New hunters should also be fully aware that a gun's safety is a mechanical device that is not intended to serve as a substitute for common sense and safe handling. Under no circumstance is there any reason for a gun to be loaded until the hunter is in the field and ready to use it.

2) Muzzle control. A second fundamental rule for every new hunter is always to handle his gun so that the muzzle is never pointed at something he does not intend to shoot. This means carrying a gun so that the muzzle points in a safe direction at all times and also knowing when to unload briefly, such as when going through difficult terrain or crossing a fence or stream. Every new hunter should be aware that muzzle control is a key to safe gun handling.

3) Target identification. New hunters are particularly prone to become excited and anxious when they believe game is nearby. Yet every new shooter must understand that you shouldn't even think about taking a shot until absolutely sure of the target. Under no circumstances should a shot be taken unless the target is fully and clearly visible and the shooter knows there is a safe background beyond the target. Hunters should take particular caution during the limited-visibility periods of dawn and dusk.

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