A Few Notes on Safety

Safety can never be stressed too much. Remember to maintain proper gun safety at all times when pheasant hunting.

1. Keep your gun on safe and your finger off the trigger, unless firing.
2. Never point your gun in a direction that can harm other hunters.
3. When not actively hunting, unload the shell from the gun's barrel.
4. Taking a shot is second to safety.
   • Do not shoot at a bird if it is flying too low. It is best to either let the bird get away, or wait until it flies to a safe elevation. Low-aimed shots may hit a fellow hunter.
   • Even a high-aimed shot can "pepper" other hunters if you fire in their direction.

There are more safety tips in the hunting handbook from the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. The handbook can be downloaded from here.