'Let's be careful out there' in tree stands

Well, Oklahoma's deer gun season opens Saturday across the state and folks, “let's be careful out there.”

The deer gun season is the busiest hunting season of the year with more participants and more hunting accidents than any other, said Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

“The emergency rooms all know when it's deer season,” Meek said.

On average, Oklahoma has about one hunting fatality each year. Firearm safety is stressed in hunter education classes, Meek said.

“The firearm safety portion of the class has one major point,” Meek said. “That point is to not aim your firearm at something that you do not intend to shoot.

“There are many different aspects of that, most importantly of which is that you should always assume a firearm is loaded and not to trust the safety to make up for unsafe handling.”

However, the most common deer hunting accident does not involve mishandling of a gun. It's falling from a tree stand.

“On pretty much equal footing with firearm safety these days is tree stand safety,” Meek said. “It boils down to always be connected to the tree with some sort of line and tether. That's when you're putting the stand up, climbing up, sitting in it, climbing down and taking it down.”

Two years ago, Bo Cocannouer of Tuttle was bow hunting out of a tree stand in Grady County when he fell asleep.

“I basically log rolled out of the tree and did not wake up until I hit the ground,” he said.