Nov 22, 2023 By Ben Moyer, for the Greene County Messenger 5 min read

Pennsylvania’s bear season opened Nov. 18, and the firearms deer season opens Saturday. These seasons draw the highest participation and density of hunters in the state’s hunting year, and the greatest potential for accidental tragedy.

Trying to think of a novel, yet relevant, way to convey the importance of safe conduct while hunting, the gas-fracking industry comes to mind.

Lots of people around here, many of them outdoor enthusiasts, have done work for gas drilling corporations in one way or another — as contractors, subcontractors, contracted personnel, or as direct employees. Every one of those workers is familiar with the gas industry’s worker-safety protocols, which are rigid to the point that infractions can get you or your company fired on the spot.

Drilling companies use a simple but effective procedure called Job Safety Analysis (JSA) to head off accidents. In a JSA, all personnel involved in an operation gather before they begin, and brainstorm about what could go wrong, possibly causing injury or death. A JSA leader guides the discussion around a loose circle at the work site. Each worker is expected to come up with some potential accident scenario that could arise, and what can be done beforehand to prevent that happening. The leader then records the answers on a JSA form for submission to the drilling company’s safety officer.

As an example, say the workers are preparing a road to a well site. One hazard exists as trucks hauling stone or asphalt back in reverse toward the operation, possibly crushing busy workers that don’t notice the truck’s approach. Safety solution? Assign a worker as “spotter,” to guide the truck, making sure no workers are in its path, and signaling to the driver to proceed.

To many, JSA seems like an elementary exercise. But it’s the proactive headwork that is important. Awareness of what could happen is the key. Awareness guides everyone’s subsequent actions toward safe completion of the work.

We can think of hunting in the same way the gas industry approaches field work.

Examples? A hunter unintentionally, but carelessly, swings his rifle toward his companions as he unloads it at the end of the day. The firearm accidentally fires, striking the hunter’s friend. After that moment, the catastrophe cannot be undone.

Preventive solution? Always keep the firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction — away from other people, vehicles, or houses. Preferably, that safe direction is toward the ground nearby.

Another possible tragedy turns to reality every year, though with less frequency than years ago. In this scenario a hunter sees a movement in brush. In the excitement of the moment, the hunter assumes the movement is a deer and shoots. But then the unthinkable gets real. The hunter has shot a person by mistake.

The remedy to this mindless possibility is to always be sure of your target. Double-check to make certain what you’re intending to shoot is legal game.

Listed below are some basic tenets of safe hunting and gun handling. Think of them as a JSA for hunting. If followed, these practices can prevent unintended tragedy in the woods, and keep hunting the enjoyable and meaningful pursuit it should be.

1. Watch That Muzzle; Always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction.

2. Treat Every Gun With the Respect Due a Loaded One; It might be, even if you think it isn’t.

3. Be Sure of Your Target; and what’s in front and beyond.

4. Keep Your Finger Outside the Trigger Guard Until Ready to Shoot.

5. Check Your Barrel for Obstructions; A blocked barrel can cause your gun to explode.

6. Unload Firearms When Not in Use; Duh! But this is serious. Not everyone does.

7. Point a Firearm Only at What You Intend to Shoot (this is another way of expressing No. 2 above).

8. Don’t Climb Fences With a Loaded Firearm; Unload before crossing fences or climbing or descending any obstacle, including a tree stand.

9. Store Guns and Ammunition Safely and Separately; Locked and out of reach of children and irresponsible adults.

10. Avoid Alcohol and Drugs Before and During Hunting or Shooting.

Source: Kalkomey Enterprises, an official state-delegated provider that develops hunter-education courses, maintains certifications, and publishes hunting safety materials for state wildlife management agencies.

Hunting is generally a safe activity, with lower accident rates than fishing or golf. Since 1915, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has kept records of hunting accidents across the state, and measures hunting safety by calculating the rate of accidents per 100,000 participants. Since the Game Commission adopted mandatory Hunter Safety Education in 1959, the rate of hunting accidents per 100,000 hunters has declined in the state by 80 percent.

Thinking about what could happen before it happens, just like workers do in preparing a gas well, will keep hunting safe for all.

Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.