GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Starting on Saturday, hunters across Wisconsin will be donning the blaze orange and heading into the woods.
But before they can do that, there are safety concerns to be aware of. Dr. Steve Schechinger, an orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists, told NBC 26 about the most common hunting injuries.
“Around hunting season, we’ll see more sprains, strains, fractures from injuries that occur from a fall from a tree stand or while retrieving your deer from the field, or a slip and fall in the woods,” said Dr. Schechinger.
To avoid incidents, Dr. Schechinger recommends taking precautions before heading out to hunt.
“It’s a little work up front, checking your stands to make sure they're in good condition, having a good safety strap and putting it on,” said Dr. Schechinger.
A Green Bay Fleet Farm manager, Bill Ouradnik, explained the importance of safety straps.
“In the event of a fall it keeps you secure in place. You might fall a little bit on the stand, but you won’t have to the ground,” said Ouradnik.
Before you climb the tree stand, Ouradnik recommends you know how to get your firearm up.
“Injuries occur because of firearms being discharged and most of that is carelessness, not following proper procedure,” said Ouradnik.
The safest way to do that:
“Make sure that firearm is unloaded, that you’re using a device to bring that firearm up to the stand then loading it once you are in the stand,” said Ouradnik.
Safety should be top of mind ahead of gun deer hunting season.
“It's not just about keeping yourself safe, it’s about keeping everyone else in the woods safe,” said Ouradnik. “We don't want anyone out in the woods getting hurt, so keep that in mind and be safe.”
