The Glacier Reporter

The following item should be of interest to a number of people of this area about this time of year.

Now that the hunting season has started it's a good time to quickly run over the rules for safe gun handling. Every year in Montana injuries and fatalities occur among hunters and in most cases these accidents could have been prevented. So here are some tips to make your hunting season a safe one.

When traveling in an automobile keep your gun in a case - unloaded - and don't load the weapon until you're in the field ready to hunt. Be especially careful when going under, over or through a fence - it's best to unload the gun before you cross the fence. Leaning a loaded gun against trees, fences or other supports is risky business since the weapon may fall and discharge accidentally.

A gun with a barrel plugged by snow or mud can be lethal to the hunter so make sure your weapon is in safe condition. Also don't put all your faith in the gun's safety - they have been known to fail.

And lastly, three very important precautions: Before you shoot make sure your target is not another hunter or Farmer Jones's prized bull. Never, never shoot at mere noise or movement. And never point a gun at anyone—it's always the "unloaded" weapon that discharges accidentally. These last three reminders may seem a statement of the obvious, but unfortunately fatalities occur all the time because people ignore them.

Be careful, be safe and you'll have a pleasure-filled hunting season.