7/30/2007

Start now preparing equipment for hunting season

The dog-days of summer are the perfect time to get hunting equipment ready and hone shooting skills.

JEFFERSON CITY - Dove season opens September 1, followed closely by the early teal season, then archery deer and turkey hunting. After that, season openers become a blur of opportunity. But for avid hunters, August is the longest month of the year. The Missouri Department of Conservation suggests that passionate sportsmen and women put the dog days of summer to good use, ensuring a safe and productive autumn.

"If they go through their gear this time of year, most hunters discover they have a lot of work to do," says Hunter Education and Shooting Range Coordinator Bryan Bethel. "Most of us would be lucky to accomplish all the things we need to in a month."

As examples, Bethel cites:
--Cleaning firearms and checking their function
--Verifying rifle sight alignment
--Inventorying and restocking ammunition
--Inspecting bolts, nuts, cables and moving parts of tree stands
--Checking bow strings, cams and cables
--Repairing arrow fletching
--Sharpening broadhead blades
--Mending holes in decoy bags
--Touching up decoy paint
--Replacing worn or lost decoy cords and weights
--Checking for and repairing wader leaks
--Checking boat electronics, mechanical systems and hulls
--Renewing camouflage on boats and blinds
--Taking outboard motors for tune-ups and inspecting trailers
--Setting up tents and other gear to ensure good repair
--Filling tanks with fresh marine fuel
--Sharpening knives and saws

"A lot of this has as much to do with staying safe as it does with having fun," said Bethel, "and that barely scratches the surface. This is also the time to be scouting out hunting spots, conditioning your dogs, renewing relationships with landowners and sharpening up your shooting skills."

The Conservation Department can help with this last item. The agency maintains more than 80 staffed and unstaffed firearms and archery shooting facilities at conservation areas, shooting ranges and outdoor education centers around the state. There is no reason to miss a shot at a dove, duck or deer because you are out of practice.

"If I can't be hunting, the next best thing is to be target shooting or fiddling with my hunting gear," said Bethel. "Now is the time to do it, so you don't waste time on maintenance when you could be hunting. Besides, ethical hunting involves being prepared to make quick, clean kills. Even experienced hunters need a tune-up before they go hunting, and the best shooting coach you can get is a case of ammunition."

For more information about public shooting ranges, call the nearest Conservation Department office or visit www.missouriconservation.org/12359.

-Jim Low-