Stay safe during SoKY’s hunting & archery season

Get hunter education certified fw.ky.gov

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – It’s a beautiful Fall for deer hunters and archery enthusiasts to enjoy SOKY’s outdoors, but conservation officers want you hunters to also keep safety a priority.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife report the Commonwealth averages two fatal hunting accidents per year, most of those caused by falling from stands. 

So, first things first, always make sure you secure your harness, inspect your platform, and double-check your straps.

Also, all you hunters born in 1975 and after must complete a hunter education course and carry that proof of certification with you every time you hunt. 

And during any firearm season, hunters, you must wear blaze orange on your heads, chests, and backs. Remember to keep that orange on even if you’re on a stand or in a blind.

Department of Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Resources conservation officer Brad Bowles said sometime, “[Hunters] rush out to the field to get a hunt in, and their haste makes them more vulnerable to accidents, and more susceptible to something bad going wrong. So, taking time to plan to know your equipment, to know your target and what’s behind it at all times is very important.”

If you’re looking to get your hunter education certified, you can register online here.