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Safety tips for firearms handling when hunting
Keep an eye on the trees! Particularly in crowded hunting areas where a tree stand might be used near you, in such case, it's important to be aware of the direction where the stand is and keep your gun pointing in the opposite direction.
2. Don't put the finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot
That's a common mistake, perhaps people do it unconsciously or they are conditioned by what they see on TV but a primary safety directive is to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
That means, you have identified and confirmed a target, your shoot line is clear and you are completely aware of what there is in front of the target but also beyond it!
3. Know your firearm range
All we wish to hit the target but, what if we miss? The bullet won't stop because we failed, instead, it will go all the down until the shot energy dissipates.
How long will it travel? It will depend on the type of firearm, ammunition, and even the terrain or the direction you are firing to.
Garbage, a problem to deal with when we are outdoors
Because of that, it's so important to know how to deal with garbage and trash when we are outdoors. No matter if it's a camping trip or a hunting expedition; humans usually produce a considerable amount of trash and dealing with it properly remains paramount to keeping the outdoors sustainable, minimizing the impact of our activities in both natural sanctuaries.
Next, you will find some tips to deal with the trash when camping, especially when
your route is far away from organized camps and trails.
1. Minimize waste before leaving home
The best way to deal with trash is to minimize its potential sources, so avoid as much as possible the use of disposable containers and wraps, instead opt for reusable containers for your food.
Unwrap at home everything you will take with you. From napkins to food, everything must be removed from its disposable wraps and put into reusable plastic bags.
This is a double-purpose action. First, you don't have to deal with disposable wraps out in nature, and second, once a bag's content is exhausted, it may be used for another purpose such as leftovers packing.
2. Never dispose of your food leftovers in the nature
Certainly food leftovers are biodegradable but it takes longer than we think to disappear, which means there will be bad odors in the area attracting insects like flyes, moreover, bacteria in our food are different from what's found in natural environments and we might alter microbiology in a given area without noticing it.
On the other hand, the food odor will attract wildlife to the area being a risk for animals and humans as well.
What to do if you got trapped in a wildfire
1.- Keep calm
Easier to say than to do! A wildfire comes to you in a noisy, hot manner. You will feel a heat intensity you have never done before, high enough to melt plastic and burn your skin even without the touch of the flames, the day becomes night in a
matter of seconds because of smoke clouds and during the night it's easy to get disoriented in the middle of an incandescent inferno.It's not a surprise that being calm isn't easy, but you need to make an effort to do so and think clearly.
2.- Get away from the fire
The best choice is to avoid getting trapped, moving perpendicular or upwind downhill however, you may run from a wildfire for so long and it's necessary to reach a safe area or a quick evacuation route fast, if that's not possible, don't insist running from the fire and reach a safe area.
3.- Find a safe spot
A safe spot is a clear area free of flammable materials. The larger, the better. The best behavior would be to find such a spot just when you arrive in the area intended for camping, and even step-wise when you are camping.
Low grass and well-irrigated meadows are a good choice, same as parking lots and farming lands. Any place with poor or no vegetation, clear of high trees is a good place and, if there's water, better!
Wildfires preventions is on each of us
3. Learn how to extinguish a campfire properly
Many campers think a campfire is extinguished just because there are no more flames or smoke but the truth is the temperature is still high enough to start a wildfire when you have gone if some debris or dry grass reaches the hot area.
To avoid such risk it's important to properly extinguish your campfire before leaving, to do so you have to:
- Throw at least one bucket of water over your campfire
- Stir the debris with a cold branch or any other instrument
- Throw another bucket of water and stir again
The campfire will be properly extinguished once you may touch everything with your hands.
4. Avoid taking your vehicle off the road toward dry grass areas
Dry grass is extremely flammable and it's just enough your car's exhaust pipe temperature to light a fire. In the beginning, it might be just a tiny ember but it won't take too long before it turns into a wildfire under the proper conditions.
5. Keeps sparks away from dry vegetation
If you need to perform any activity involving sparks due to the use of certain instruments or tools, be sure there's a clear area free of flammable vegetation around the workplace.
The area size may vary depending on what type of sparks you are generating and the weather conditions as well. Usually, a 10 to 30 feet clearance area is enough but it's possible considering even a larger space if the conditions are particularly favorable for wildfire development.
Remember to protect from the sun when you are hunting
On the other hand, when there's snow in the surroundings UV radiation comes not
only from the sun but also from all the reflecting snow-covered surfaces.
That's why it's so important to protect your skin from UV-A and UV-B radiation, and to do so there are several strategies.
1. Proper clothing
It's a fact, the exposed skin is always facing UV radiation aggression, so covering it with a proper garment is one of the most effective ways to avoid sunburns. The type of fabric will depend mostly on the environment. For hot wheater, a thin, respirable, light fabric will be the best choice while in cold weather something thicker will be better, same as clothes layering.
However this is not 100% effective and some rays still will contact your skin through the fabric, especially during long exposures, and here it is when additional protection remains paramount.
2. Sunblock cream
Yes, you are not on the beach but UV rays are around there even at the top of the mountains and it's necessary to protect your skin, being one of the most effective methods the sunblock creams.
