When is it safe to hunt?
When is it safe to fish?
When isn’t it safe to be out there fulfilling your quest?
Even the most seasoned anglers and hunters forget some of the most basic rules of outdoors safety. Starting off on the right foot, however, can prevent you from becoming complacent and forgetful like many of us have become.
Certain environmental conditions can cause sudden and unexpected situations that will endanger your life.
Lightning
It is common for people to seek shelter when in a storm, especially when there’s lightning nearby. When you’re out in the fields scouting for next season’s hunt or fishing a secluded river, the most readily available shelter is a tree. In lightning, however, this is most definitely not the safety you need. Lightning most commonly connects with the tallest object through which it can conduct its energy. A tree, therefore, becomes an attractive suitor that (should you be hiding underneath) can disperse that electricity right through you. On the flip side to that concern is the risk of being in an open field. If you put yourself in an area where you are the tallest object, you become the most attractive outlet for that electricity so staying in an open field is just as dangerous as that tall tree.
The Solution
If you are caught off guard in a lightning storm, get to a large building, a thick concrete structure, or a vehicle as quickly as you can. Carrying metal poles, tools, and other objects that are likely to make you taller (and therefore, more receptive to lightning bolts) is a danger you should try to avoid when making your way to a safe shelter. It is always best to check the weather forecast for the area you will be in before you go, but even the best forecasters aren’t 100% accurate. Unexpected circumstances will arise when you spend enough time outdoors. So make sure you are prepared.
One Tidbit of information to consider
People often believe that if a storm is still several miles away they won’t need to pack it in just yet. The problem with this becomes especially apparent when you’re on the water. Electricity can travel long distances through water. If you are on a large lake or even a small lake with rivers and streams feeding into it, that water could be connected to the lake or pond you’re currently boating in. And that boat will not isolate you from the electrical current.
- Resources that will help you prepare
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National Parks Service
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CDC
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National Weather Service
Ice and Snow
Ice fishing is a popular pastime for a large number of anglers. Snow and ice is a normal, everyday, occurrence for many of our states. Not everyone, however, knows or frequents icy or snowy environments. If you live in an area that is rarely cold enough to get ice, or only snows once every few years, your wherewithal is not going to be top notch when out in these unique environments. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. That doesn’t mean your weather app on your phone or the temperature gauge on you car’s dash needs to read 32 for ice to show up.
One Brief Example of Ice Risks
If you’re launching your boat in 40 degree weather when there was a bit of mist in the air as you were driving to your favorite launch site and you’ve got metal gunnels on your boat as you’re stepping up onto the bow with a swift breeze around you…There is a good chance that metal on your boat could be under 32 degrees and freezing the water that has landed on its surface. Why would this be an issue? All it takes is a split second of not paying attention; one moment of not keeping three points of contact while climbing onto your boat; a flash of light from a car passing that draws your attention away from your forward momentum. Especially if you are the type of person who prefers to not wear a PFD unless absolutely necessary, there is a risk you’ll slip on that ice.
The distance you’d fall is deceptive.
You don’t just fall the foot or two from you boats landing to the surface of the water. You fall that foot or two plus the 2 or 3 feet to the concrete or rock surface of the boat ramp under the water. Forward momentum almost invariably causes a human to fall head first in these circumstances. As a result, the first thing that will connect and stop your forward momentum is your head.
If you’re out on that boat by yourself, there will likely be no one aware of what just happened to you. If someone is there with you, but their back it to you because they’re setting up the motor or arranging your fishing gear for the day will they know you fell in or will they think you’re still parking the truck? How long will it take them to realize they need to look for you? How far will you have floated away from that boat by the time anyone is looking for you? When do you have to be out of the water before hypothermia sets in? How long will it take before you, unconscious, unable to protect your airway, drown? This is just one example of the risks associated with ice, but it is a rather common risk that will benefit you to remember.
Rather than risking your health and safety, consider making use of those “no-go” days in other ways.
- Some Resources to get your circumstance awareness started:
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Heavy Rains & Snow Melt
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Freezing Temperatures
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Winter Hunting Precautions
Heavy Winds and strong waves can cause unexpected hardships
Especially when you are new to outdoors adventures, the winds can pose a particularly difficult risk. If you have a new kayak that you haven’t tried before, or say you’ve never been out kayaking before, you don’t know how stable you’re going to be in that kayak until you take it out on the water. A sudden gust of wind and you can suddenly find yourself under your kayak, your gear and wallet floating effortlessly towards the bottom of the lake. If you aren’t thrown clear of the behemoth mound of heavy plastic you can be knocked unconscious before you even realize you’re capsizing.
Say you’re in a small vessel such as an 8 foot or 10 foot Jon Boat and an 18 foot speed boat cruses past you without any consideration of the others around, and you’ve been working at getting that 4 pound catfish into the boat for the past 10 minutes, you’re never going to realize what hit you when that wave flips you out the side of your boat.
Will you be able to recover and get yourself back in your kayak or boat? Will you be hit with another gust of wind or another wave before you can get yourself to safety? Are you a good enough swimmer to keep yourself above water, especially if you have decided not to wear a PFD? Regardless of being in a Kayak or Jon Boat or Large Ship, know your limitations and know some basic safety precautions.
Some Resources to help you with this
And for the Landlocked Activities
Winds can be especially dangerous in the forest. Have you heard the term widow maker?
Hunters often find themselves up in the trees, sometimes at rather dangerous heights. A weak branch above your head, a damaged tree core that doesn’t look “all that bad” from the outside, and a solid gust of wind can result in your body lying face first in the ground with broken bones and sizeable losses of blood.
A scout hiking through the woods, watching for that one deer that will tell her this will be the golden opportunity next month when the season opens will hear the cracking of the leaves from an animal moving off its bed but might miss the crack of a branch blown loose from the surrounding wind. Inevitably, that branch will find the spine of the unsuspecting scout.
Campers often set up their tents near or under trees to make use of a little extra shelter when there’s heavy winds and possible rains coming. Many things can land on that tent when the winds pick up, most of which will be dangerous and painful for you to endure.
Intimidated yet?
This is not to scare you away from the great outdoors. It is not meant to prevent you from becoming a hunter, angler, or outdoorsman of any kind. What it is meant to do is remind you that everything you do includes risks that can be mitigated and reduced by being responsible and prepared.
Having a properly setup pack will help reduce a lot of these risks. Check out “15 Musts for Your Ideal Outdoors Pack” to get your starting point.
What’s the Moral of the Story?
>If you’re on the water: Wear your PFD; know your limitations; if you must be alone, make sure someone knows where you’ll be and when you’ll be back; and take the boater safety course (even if you’re not required to). These are a options options for finding the course, but see what’s available in your area, you might find something even better suited to you.
>If you’re on the bank: Be aware of your surroundings, watch for changes that could create a risk for you later, and don’t take unnecessary risks. Even when you don’t think you’re at the edge of the water, you can slip on mud or ice and find yourself under water.
>When your in the woods (camping, hiking, scouting, hunting, etc.): Always pay attention. Know what’s around you, what should be there and what shouldn’t. Watch for weather and environment changes that may put you at risk. Always know where you are and how to get back to where you need to be.