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Outdoors: Turkey hunters urged to make safety a priority

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/16/2008 9:13 am

Wisconsin's 25th modern spring turkey hunting season opened early today and hunters need to be mindful of the regulations and safety precautions.

Chuck Horn, DNR conservation warden supervisor in Dodgeville, said that during the last 12-month fiscal year there were 135 arrests specific to turkey hunting. The most common violations are hunting turkeys without a valid permit or stamp, failure to validate a turkey hunting permit, and hunting turkeys over a baited area.

"And, figures nationally show that 80 percent of all turkey-related hunting accidents occur because the hunters did not identify their target," Horn said.

Tim Lawhern, DNR hunter education administrator, said that a hunter's imagination along with a strong desire to see a turkey produces a momentary image that is not real.

"The human mind will paint a turkey where there is no turkey. This moment, while short, lasts long enough for some to pull the trigger," Lawhern said.

Lawhern said that researchers at Harvard University call it "coming to closure." The hunter wants to see the target of his or her efforts, and then given encouragement by some movement or a sound or color, and the brain can connect the dots to fill in the desired result.

Instead, hunters must always be sure of their target and beyond, and keep their finger outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot.

Turkey hunting in Wisconsin is generally safe, especially considering there are more than 150,000 hunters in the woods each spring. Since spring turkey hunting began in 1983, there have been two firearm incidents per season. Often the injuries are not severe, but there have been four fatalities in the past 24 years.

The low number of accidents could be attributable to hunter education efforts that take place prior to every spring season, youth hunting programs in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin's unique season structure that divides the spring hunt into six five-day periods. Permits help control the number of hunters in each zone to minimize crowding and conflicts.

Horn stresses that hunters should treat every firearm as if it is loaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction, be sure of your target and what is beyond, and keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/16/2008 9:13 am