Utah’s general archery buck deer and elk hunts kick off Aug. 15 and archers can stay safe during this year’s hunts by following a few simple rules.

Kirk Smith, Hunter Education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, said he receives reports every year of archery hunters injuring themselves, mostly through one of two ways: not being safe in tree stands or having arrows out of their quiver before they’re ready to shoot.

To help avoid these accidents Smith provides the following advice:

1. BE SAFE ABOUT TREE STANDS

If you’re going to hunt from a tree stand, make sure the tree is big enough to hold your weight. “Don’t climb the tree unless you’re certain it will hold your weight,” he said.

To lessen the chance that you’ll fall while climbing the tree, leave your bow, arrows and other equipment on the ground, and attach a haul line to them. Also, be sure to use an approved safety harness (also called a fall arrest system) and secure yourself to the tree as soon as you leave the ground.

“Once you reach your stand,” Smith said, “attach your safety harness to your final location. Then, use your haul line to lift your gear to you.”

Smith discouraged hunters from building “permanent” tree stands and suggested using a portable stand instead.

“Over time permanent tree stands can deteriorate and become unsafe,” he said. “And they clutter the landscape. Also, you can damage or kill trees by hammering nails into them.”

If hunting on a national forest or on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Utah, hunters are required to use a portable tree stand– permanent ones are illegal.

2. KEEP ARROWS IN QUIVER UNTIL YOU NEED THEM

Until you’re ready to shoot, keep your arrows in a quiver that has a hood that covers the broadheads. Smith said one of the most common accidents he sees is archers jabbing themselves or other hunters while carrying arrows in their hand or notched on their bow string. “Until you’re ready to shoot,” he said, “keep your arrows in a quiver.”

State law requires that arrows be kept in a case while the arrows are in or on a vehicle.

In addition to the safety tips, Smith has advice on preparing for the hunt, safety items to remember while you’re in the field, and information on how to track animals and care for game meat.

Preparation

• Check equipment: Make sure the laminations the bow are not flaking or separating and make sure the strings on the bow are not fraying. For compound bows, make sure the pulleys and cables are in good shape. Also, make sure the arrow’s spline (the stiffness of the arrow’s shaft) matches the bow’s draw weight. If the bow’s draw weight produces more force than the arrow can handle, the arrow will probably fly off target.
• When sharpening broadheads, do it slowly and be careful. Broadheads need to be razor sharp. 
• Practice shooting as much as possible. Use the same broadheads during practice as during the hunt.
• Take the DWR’s Bowhunter Education class. You can learn more about the class, and sign up to take it, at www.wildlife.utah.gov/huntereducation.
• Never take a shot at a deer or an elk that is beyond the maximum range you’re comfortable shooting with. Also, before you release your arrow, make sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
• Find access points to the hunting area well in advance of the season. If access requires crossing private land, obtain written permission from the landowner or, if that can’t be obtained, find another access point.
• Know the boundaries of limited-entry units and other restricted areas in the planned hunting area.
• Be sure to stay well beyond the minimum distances to roads and dwellings. When hunting in Salt Lake County, please remember that the county’s hunting restrictions are more restrictive than the rest of Utah. Read the 2015 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook closely for more information. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
• Avoid hunting in areas that a lot of people use for non-hunting purposes. Whenever possible, avoid hunting near heavily used trails.

Smith said most Utahns choose not to hunt but they support hunting as long as those doing it are legal, safe and ethical.

“When hunters don’t behave that way, how people feel about hunting can take a turn for the worse,” he said.

After the Shot

• Watch the animal and determine the direction it took. Then go to the spot where it was last seen and find your arrow. If there’s blood on it, then use a compass and take a bearing on the direction the animal went. Wait 30 minutes before tracking it — if you track the animal too soon, it might get spooked and run. Waiting 30 minutes can help ensure most of the deer and elk you shoot will be found dead within a reasonable distance of the spot where it was initially shot.
• When you track an animal, look for blood not only on the ground but on the brush too. If you begin to lose the animal’s trail, tie a piece of biodegradable paper near the last blood spot. Then, search for the animal’s trail by walking a circular pattern out from the paper. The paper will serve as a marker that will let you know where you started.
• Tying paper at the locations of the last three or four blood spots you see and standing away from the paper can help you visualize the direction the animal took.
• Upon finding the animal, check to see if its eyes are open. If not, the animal probably isn’t dead. If its eyes are open, touch one of the eyes with a long stick. Touching one of the eyes with a long stick will keep you out of harm’s way if the animal is still alive.
• Once the animal is dead, field dress and cool the meat immediately. Temperatures are usually warm during the archery hunt. The warm temperatures can cause the meat to spoil quickly.

Extended archery areas

If you want to hunt the Ogden, Wasatch Front, West Cache or Uintah Basin extended archery areas, please remember that before hunting any of these areas, you must complete the DWR’s Archery Ethics Course. The free course is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/extendedarchery. 

While hunting in an extended archery area, you must carry your 2015 general archery buck deer permit and your Archery Ethics Course certificate. If you’re a member of the Dedicated Hunter program, you must also carry your Dedicated Hunter certificate of registration.

For more information, call the Division of Wildlife Resources Ogden office at 801-476-2740 or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.