By By Otha Barham / outdoors editor
October 8, 2004
The second Mississippi dove season opens tomorrow in this area. The daily bag limit is 15 birds.
Dove hunts kick off "hunting season" for most hunters across the country and especially here in the Deep South. The fun of getting together with friends, often some of whom we see only rarely, and burning a lot of shells is a relaxing time that we set aside as special recreation.
Although we have few serious accidents in the dove fields each fall, and hunting as a whole is one of the safest of our endeavors, dove hunting is fertile ground for accidents to happen. There are several reasons.
Usually there are several to very many hunters who are together in the hunt area during the hunt. They gather in a group before and after the hunts. Shotguns are loaded and fired repeatedly during the hunt when hunters are often within gun range of each other. The rules during the shooting are that no low flying bird is to be fired upon and hunters should wear some kind of glasses to avoid stray pellets hitting someone's eye.
At break time or at the end of the hunt, shooters walk and/or ride to a gathering point carrying their guns. A shotgun that remains loaded presents a danger. The rules typically established by most hunt managers is that no loaded gun is brought to a vehicle or to the gathering itself.
Making the gun safe
Unloading your gun is only the first step in your obligation to yourself and those around you. Never trust your memory, even for a minute, when declaring your gun to be empty. Prepare the gun to show that it is empty. This is easy with a double barrel or single shot break action shotgun. Keep it open at all times when you are near people. The empty chambers are clearly visible and all your companions will be grateful.
Pump guns should be emptied of shells and the forearm pulled to the rear, exposing the empty chamber. Take care to see that there is no shell in the magazine or below the chamber poised to be chambered.
Autoloading shotguns are difficult to demonstrate that they are empty. When the bolt is locked rearward, in the open position, the gun is safe only if no shell is in the chamber or resting below the chamber where it can be picked up and chambered by the release of the bolt. Closing the bolt on an empty chamber is the safest, but in this mode the gun appears the same as if it were loaded and we are back to relying on the actions and memory of the shooter.
And then treat all guns as if they are loaded.
Casual hunters
There are hunters who go afield only for doves, thus using a firearm for game during a limited period during the year. Some of these hunters can be unfamiliar with their shotguns that is the operation of the gun is not second nature to them. Loading, unloading and carrying the gun can be unsafe procedures for these folks.
Instructions and rules must be explained by the hunt coordinator or designated safety person for the day. Attention to safety should be emphasized so there is no doubt about its importance. The safety talk and demonstration can declare it okay for participants to call unsafe practices to the attention of anyone on the hunt. He or she must make everyone comfortable with giving or receiving a safety warning.
Hurt feelings are a very small price to pay for assurance that no one will be injured or killed during the hunt. Thankfully, the record of dove hunting safety is very good. Let's keep it that way.