Field Safety
For those of us living in rural areas – or those who visit them frequently with their dogs- hunting season can be, at best, a nuisance, and at worst, a disaster. If you go hiking in the woods or fields with your dog during fall season, keep these tips in mind.
- Wear blaze orange- both you, and your dog.
- Don’t creep along quietly.
- Carry a cellphone (preferably one with a camera) on you, in case of incident.
- Cow bells can be a good idea, in case your dog escapes. You’ll be able to find them easier, and they’ll be much harder to mistake for a deer or other animal.
- Keep your dog on leash or at your side. This does hamper the walking style, but better to walk close today than get lost if a gun goes off nearby and your dog spooks. Also, gut piles are delicious.
- Don’t hike where you know there are insane amounts of very avid hunters. They’re only there a little while. Maybe wait a few days and work on agility in your yard or inside! It’s frustrating, but I’d rather give up my right to walk with my dog for a week than potentially get injured by a stray shot.
Have a great fall! Enjoy your fall trials!
I do too, Debiv! I stay out of highly-trafficked areas, and stick to walking in no-hunting areas, wearing blaze orange, or better yet, I go out on the town with my dog.
I live in a very big hunting area, we don’t go walking anywhere near the woods.I wait until they are all gone. We do our practice in the yard.