Video: Deer Hunting Safety in Louisiana

 

Deer Hunting Safety in Louisiana Transcript

Speaker: When going on a deer hunt in Louisiana, wearing hunter orange or blaze pink is mandatory. Typically, deer hunters use an elevated tree stand. The hunters in this case are using a ladder stand to hunt. So it’s important for them to have a lifeline connected to the tree.

Hunters should use a stand and vest that are certified by the Treestand Manufacturer’s Association. Safely attach oneself to a lifeline. In this case, the hunter is attaching to a prusik knot. The prusik knot allows her to slide up and down the lifeline. But in the event of a fall, the knot grabs the lifeline.

Always ensure your firearm is unloaded and secured to a tether line before leaving it on the ground and climbing the stand. Before bringing the firearm up, ensure you are safely secured to your lifeline and settled in the stand.

Hunters should always have a harness attached to the lifeline from the time they leave the ground until the time they return. The safest way to bring a firearm into a tree stand is by bringing it up solely without any other items. Loading your firearm should be the last thing you do in the stand before you’re ready to hunt.

Hunter 1: (whispering) Hey. Look at this deer over here.

Hunter 2: (whispering) Yeah, it looks like a good deer.

Hunter 1: (whispering) You think you can get a good shot?

Hunter 2: (whispering) Yeah. (inaudible)

Onscreen: Hunter 2 takes aim using the scope on his firearm.

Speaker: Always be sure of your target. Know what’s in front of it and what’s beyond it before ever firing a shot.

Onscreen: A gunshot is heard as Hunter 2 fires.

Take a moment after firing a shot to spot where the deer went.

Hunter 1: (whispering) Looks like you got a good hit.

Hunter 2: (whispering) Yeah, I think so. Let’s wait about 30 minutes before we go track.

Hunter 1: (whispering) OK. Good idea.

Speaker: It’s important to wait at least a half hour before trailing a deer. In this time, ensure your firearm is unloaded and secured before lowering it from the tree. Just as you ascended the tree stand using a lifeline, it is important to take your time and safely descend the tree. Remember, you should be attached to a lifeline from the time you leave the ground until the time you return.

If you think you’ve harvested a deer, tracking where the deer went is vital to recovery. Sometimes, an animal hasn’t gone far. Other times, the deer has run to a nearby area of brush. Take your time, mark your path with flagging tape, and continue to look for signs of the deer.

Hunter 2: Hey, look. I think I found first blood.

Hunter 1: Oh, yeah. Look at that.

Speaker: Finding a blood trail is also important. A blood trail confirms that you have attempted to harvest a deer and you have an ethical responsibility to find your harvest. Once you’ve spotted the deer, take your time approaching the animal, and ensure it is deceased.

Once you’ve discovered where the deer is, the hunter must tag the deer with the appropriate carcass tag before moving it from where it was killed. LDWF’s new Text-to-Tag program makes this even easier. You can now use your smartphone to tag, validate, and receive a confirmation number for your deer from the field.

You must pre-enroll your mobile number at LouisianaOutdoors.com to use this feature. Whether you use a smartphone or a paper tag, the hunter must provide the date and the parish of kill. When using Text-to-Tag, you immediately validate your tag and receive your confirmation number after successfully completing the digital tagging process.

If using paper tags, record the date of the kill for the corresponding tag number on your harvest report card portion of the deer tag license. And validate your tag within 72 hours by phone or online. Field dressing a deer deep in the woods is acceptable. Ensure that gut piles are left out of sight—not near trails, roadways, or waterways.

It is even OK to harvest a deer and field dress it on a wildlife management area. During deer check days, biologists can determine the age and weight of a deer, even after the animal has been field dressed.