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Reducing Wounding Loss and Enhancing Meat Preservation in Hunting: Best Practices, Exercises of Ethics

University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVa-Wise)Ethics

Hunting incident data analysis and teaching strategies to ensure safe and effective hunting practices. Topics include proper gear usage, communication, transportation and storage techniques, shot angles and placement, marking downed animals, and dispatching and processing game meat. Emphasis is placed on reducing wounding loss and avoiding meat waste.

Typology: Exercises

2021/2022

Uploaded on 09/27/2022

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Five (5) Goals for Basic Hunter Education
By Steve Hall, TPWD Hunter Education Coordinator
1. BEING SAFE - FIREARM, SHOOTING, HUNTING & OUTDOOR SAFETY
2. BEING LEGAL - COMPLIANCE TO WILDLIFE & PUBLIC SAFETY LAWS
3. BEING ETHICAL – FAIR CHASE, PUBLIC IMAGE, COURTESIES AND CONSIDERATIONS
4. TAKING A GOOD SHOT – REDUCING WOUNDING LOSS & AVOIDING WASTE OF MEAT
5. TAKING CARE OF GAME – PROPER RECOVERY, PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF MEAT
I. TOP TEN HUNTING INCIDENTS & Teaching Strategies
Hunting Incident Data Analysis (2005-2012)
1. FALLS FROM ELEVATED STANDS - Falls from Stands/Failure to Use Haul Line/ Harness (n=589)
2. FAILURE TO POINT MUZZLE IN SAFE DIRECTION - Careless Handling of Firearms/Failure to
Control Muzzle (n=549)
3. FAILURE TO OBEY SAFE ZONE-OF-FIRE - Swinging on Game Outside Safe Zone of Fire (n=513)
4. VICTIM BEYOND TARGET - Victim Out of Sight of Shooter/Failure to Check Background (n=465)
5. VICTIM MISTAKEN FOR GAME - Failure to Properly Identify Target (n=391)
6. STUMBLING/DROPPING FIREARM - A - Shooter Stumbled and Fell/Dropped Firearm (n=169)
7. TRIGGER CAUGHT ON OBJECT - Trigger Caught on Object (n=165)
8. VICTIM IN FRONT OF TARGET - Victim in Line of Fire (n=146)
9. LOADING/UNLOADING FIREARM IMPROPERLY - Improper Loading/Unloading (n=139)
10. LOADED FIRARM IN OR AROUND VEHICLE - Removing/Placing Firearm in Vehicle/Discharge of
Firearm in Vehicle (n=125)
Teaching/Hands-on Strategies
1. FALLS FROM ELEVATED STANDS – Erect tree stand about 3-5 feet from ground, in an
appropriate, sturdy tree. Cover correct way to ascend, sit/stand and descend from stand – at a
level that is both instructional (everyone can see/participate) and practical (e.g. liability).
Obtain and use proper gear -- a quality stand, good climbing system, stand placement system
and four-point fall restraint harness -- for use in a classroom/field course (Reference:
NBEF/Treestand Manufacturer’s Association and related industry materials).
2. FAILURE TO POINT MUZZLE IN SAFE DIRECTION 9. LOADING/UNLOADING FIREARM
IMPROPERLY and 10. LOADED FIRARM IN OR AROUND VEHICLE (ALL CARELESS HANDLING) -
Using Mossberg® or other inert training firearms, place into vehicle (some in the correct
position and others outside of a case and pointing in different directions). Ask students as a
team to retrieve firearms from vehicle in a safe manner, walk to the “hunting area” nearby and
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Five (5) Goals for Basic Hunter Education

By Steve Hall, TPWD Hunter Education Coordinator

  1. BEING SAFE - FIREARM, SHOOTING, HUNTING & OUTDOOR SAFETY
  2. BEING LEGAL - COMPLIANCE TO WILDLIFE & PUBLIC SAFETY LAWS
  3. BEING ETHICAL – FAIR CHASE, PUBLIC IMAGE, COURTESIES AND CONSIDERATIONS
  4. TAKING A GOOD SHOT – REDUCING WOUNDING LOSS & AVOIDING WASTE OF MEAT
  5. TAKING CARE OF GAME – PROPER RECOVERY, PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF MEAT

I. TOP TEN HUNTING INCIDENTS & Teaching Strategies

Hunting Incident Data Analysis (2005-2012)

  1. FALLS FROM ELEVATED STANDS - Falls from Stands/Failure to Use Haul Line/ Harness (n=589)
  2. FAILURE TO POINT MUZZLE IN SAFE DIRECTION - Careless Handling of Firearms/Failure to Control Muzzle (n=549)
  3. FAILURE TO OBEY SAFE ZONE-OF-FIRE - Swinging on Game Outside Safe Zone of Fire (n=513)
  4. VICTIM BEYOND TARGET - Victim Out of Sight of Shooter/Failure to Check Background (n=465)
  5. VICTIM MISTAKEN FOR GAME - Failure to Properly Identify Target (n=391)
  6. STUMBLING/DROPPING FIREARM - A - Shooter Stumbled and Fell/Dropped Firearm (n=169)
  7. TRIGGER CAUGHT ON OBJECT - Trigger Caught on Object (n=165)
  8. VICTIM IN FRONT OF TARGET - Victim in Line of Fire (n=146)
  9. LOADING/UNLOADING FIREARM IMPROPERLY - Improper Loading/Unloading (n=139)
  10. LOADED FIRARM IN OR AROUND VEHICLE - Removing/Placing Firearm in Vehicle/Discharge of Firearm in Vehicle (n=125)

Teaching/Hands-on Strategies

  1. FALLS FROM ELEVATED STANDS – Erect tree stand about 3-5 feet from ground, in an appropriate, sturdy tree. Cover correct way to ascend, sit/stand and descend from stand – at a level that is both instructional (everyone can see/participate) and practical (e.g. liability). Obtain and use proper gear -- a quality stand, good climbing system, stand placement system and four-point fall restraint harness -- for use in a classroom/field course (Reference: NBEF/Treestand Manufacturer’s Association and related industry materials).
  2. FAILURE TO POINT MUZZLE IN SAFE DIRECTION 9. LOADING/UNLOADING FIREARM IMPROPERLY and 10. LOADED FIRARM IN OR AROUND VEHICLE (ALL CARELESS HANDLING) - Using Mossberg® or other inert training firearms, place into vehicle (some in the correct position and others outside of a case and pointing in different directions). Ask students as a team to retrieve firearms from vehicle in a safe manner, walk to the “hunting area” nearby and

selecting and loading the proper “dummy” ammunition into the firearms that they are handling. Ensure safe muzzle control at all times during the exercise – evaluate and correct wrong behaviors (you may use other students to evaluate actions as long as you put them in the same or related scenarios as well). Watch for good communication between team members, not pulling firearms out from the muzzle end, muzzle control, opening of closed actions, carries around others, etc. Review proper transportation and storage (SAFE) techniques, proper passing of firearms between team members and proper loading/unloading procedures using the various action types and dummy ammunition.

  1. FAILURE TO OBSERVE SAFE ZONE-OF-FIRE – Set up dove/quail/pheasant/grouse “Safe Zones of Fire” using soccer cones or blaze orange tapes/lines to set up zones in front of 3-5 hunters walking side-by-side. Line students up at the correct positions and emphasize safe zones, constant communication, hunter orange, typical and erratic animal movements (using Frisbees © thrown by volunteers to simulate moving birds in front of line of students), non- target species (e.g. hen pheasants, meadowlarks – using off-colored Frisbees ©) and distances to animals using stakes and decoys (e.g. dove) at various distances in front of line of hunters. Evaluate safe or unsafe swings within the safe zones of fire. Cover situations from waterfowl blinds as to what constitutes safe zones of fire in tight quarters.
  2. VICTIM BEYOND OR 8. IN FRONT OF TARGET - Use a camouflaged mannequin or human volunteer to set up behind a game target (e.g. gobbler, deer) to emphasize how camo blends in behind game even at close ranges. Have students identify whether they would take the shot before revealing camouflaged ‘hunter’ behind game target. Use blaze orange mannequin at a far off distance slightly obscured to emphasize use of blaze/hunter orange as a way of being seen beyond target. Place decoys (e.g. deer, turkey, hog) at top of hill to emphasize not shooting at game where the bullet travels far beyond and out of sight of shooter. Use some decoys in front of earthen backgrounds to show good shot situations, too. Emphasize to be aware of surroundings so as not to walk in front of another hunter’s muzzle while hunting or around vehicles, etc. Cover situations from waterfowl blinds so as not to set up or stand in front of another hunter’s firearm.
  3. VICTIM MISTAKEN FOR GAME – Stress the use of binoculars to clearly identify targets prior to raising the sporting arm to the target. Stress the use of appropriate (e.g. blaze orange) versus inappropriate clothing (e.g. browns for deer; red/white/blue for turkeys; black for turkey and hogs) that might resemble game animals. Test students on obscure decoys and/or mannequins in the brush using their loaner binoculars.
  4. STUMBLING/DROPPING FIREARM – Have students cross obstacles in pairs and individually; demonstrate proper field carries and what to do when a hunter falls with a firearm (maintain muzzle control during and after fall); and load and unload while being placed into different hunting scenarios (e.g. following each other on a trail during a deer hunt; walking abreast in a

III. TOP TEN ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS “Unwritten laws” & behaviors especially “when no one is watching”

  1. PHYSICAL FITNESS & PREPARATIONS – Are you in good enough shape to hike in altitude or even a hillside? Do you file a hunt plan and leave it with a responsible person? Do you have the proper boots and socks, head gear and gloves? Do you have sun screen, bug repellant and other necessary outdoor items? Do your prepare a survival kit (signaling, shelter and fire making) that includes a first aid kit for each outing? Is your vehicle properly maintained? Do you have enough water? Is your hunting gear and layered clothing ready and in good shape? These are just a few of the questions you must ask yourself before each hunt.
  2. LEARNING & PRACTICE – Have you learned all you can about the game animal, its behavior and habitat? Have you practiced your shooting and other hunting & outdoor skills enough? Have you enough knowledge to know the difference between what you plan to hunt and other animals that look like the animal you plan to hunt. Have you secured a quality, reputable guide, mentor and/or companion with which to hunt?
  3. INCREASED CHALLENGE, CONSERVATION & EDUCATION - Do you hunt where the animal has every reasonable chance to escape (i.e. fair chase)? Are you challenging yourself and advancing your outdoor knowledge and skills? Do you join hunting and conservation groups that contribute even more to habitat projects, education and mentored events? Do you enjoy wildlife/bird watching while hunting and strive to become a naturalist by educating others on the outdoors and nature’s way?
  4. PEER PRESSURE - Do you succumb to peer pressure and act illegally, immorally or unethically as a result? Do you hang with legal, ethical companions that hold to a high hunting standard?
  5. IMPROVED PUBLIC IMAGE – Do you clean up before heading to town? Do you cover animals when transporting meat and game back to home? Do you use vulgar language or otherwise act inappropriately when in the public eye? Do you inappropriately brag about game, especially in front of non-hunters? Do you consider non-hunting feelings when around a group? Do you dress professionally when representing or presenting on behalf of hunting groups and opinions? Do you teach others about the important role hunters play in conservation?
  6. SHOOTING WITHIN EFFECTIVE RANGE - Do you always strive to shoot within your effective range and at animals when they present the best chance for a killing shot? Do you limit your waterfowl and dove shots to known distances well within your shotgun range? Do you learn how to judge distances and carry a range finder with you while hunting? Do you use the correct ammunition for optimal penetration and hits in the vital organs? Do you employ good game recovery techniques and stick with them until the animal is found?
  7. CHARACTER, VALUES AND HIGH STANDARDS – Do you set a high standard for yourself and the other hunters with which you hunt? Do you exhibit quality character traits while hunting such

as sharing in the chores, leaving the hunting area better than you found it, picking up litter even if it wasn’t put there by you, helping and considering your hunting companions every step of the way? Do you hold values such as honesty, humiliation, hard work and pride in knowing you have done the best you can under the outdoor and hunting circumstances?

  1. PHOTOGRAPHY & SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD – Do you take only appropriate photos with respect towards the game taken? Do you emphasize the values of being outdoors, with family and friends and the overall experience versus ‘killing’ shots, ‘trophies’ and inappropriate photos/videos that shows disrespect for others and the resource/animals? Do you overly brag about the size/quantity of game taken, especially on public forums in social media? Do you give hunting a good or bad name through your media actions?
  2. THE “GIVE BACK” PHASE - Do you teach hunter education and/or mentor other friends and family members besides your own children? Do you advocate for the hunting heritage? Do you lead youth hunts or otherwise get involved in youth/mentor hunting programs?

Teaching Ethics - Strategies for Motivating Others to Act Responsibly

  1. DILEMMA METHOD – Posing “What would you do?” dilemma, “What if?” situations and “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” scenarios are effective ways to stimulate discussions of common experiences hunters face on typical hunts. Every hunter continually faces, safe, legal and ethical choices within every outdoor experience and it is how he/she responds to those situations and makes the right decisions as to how responsible they are and how accountable they are for their actions as a hunter. A good dilemma question gives the student a chance to make the most correct choice possible among a few choices given them by the instructor. Assumptions are typically made and added circumstances given – but an instructor should try to force students to make the best choice, then discuss the scenario even further with the group. Discussing ways to be proactive so as not to be put in a dilemma is the ultimate outcome of this method of “teaching ethics” (Ethics are caught – not taught!)
  2. “TRIGGER VIDEOS” - Films/videos such as “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” and “The Hunter’s Path” by Madison Productions are classic “trigger films” that depict the wrong actions/behaviors followed by a pause for instructor-led discussion, followed typically by the right or more appropriate actions that should or could have been taken by the hunters. Several states have made their own, and in today’s world of GoPro® and phone video technology, it would not take much to make your own trigger video to discuss in hunter education. As with dilemma method, each trigger sequence is a ‘typical’ unsafe, illegal or irresponsible action portrayed by a hunter, followed by the correct action that should be portrayed.
  1. POOR SHOT ANGLES – Take only high percentage, broad-side or quartering-away shots (e.g. big game) and/or proper head shots (e.g. birds/small game); avoid ‘risky’ target angles; try to ensure animal is not alerted to your presence
  2. POOR SHOT PLACEMENT – Understand the animal’s vital zones and focus your shot at a quarter-size ‘bulls-eye’ in the center of the vital zone on stationary shots; learn proper shotgun shooting skills (See #1.)
  3. FAILURE TO PROPERLY MARK DOWNED ANIMAL AND/OR USE DOG – Strategies for properly marking downed game using two reference points for big game (triangulating to visual/audible clues) or using one/two reference points for downed birds/small game -- both from the hunter’s position during the shot -- are useful; of course, a properly trained pointing/retrieving dog increases harvest rates considerably for birds and scent dogs/hounds for hogs and big game (when and where legal).
  4. TOO MANY SHOOTERS/SHOTS – Empirical data in waterfowl studies show that more than 2 wing shooters taking shots at one time and taking more than two shots, individually, while shooting at a flock or flush of birds, increases wounding loss; also, be sure to focus your shot only at ONE bird at the outer/back/upper end of the flock – moving forward if shooting at a second bird
  5. POOR GAME RECOVERY (BLOOD TRAILING) TECHNIQUES - Learn all you can through seeing, hearing and even smelling after a shot is taken; Learn how to WAIT enough time to allow most hit animals to expire before “pushing” them ( There may be some exceptions.); learn how to read signs (e.g. blood, spoor, tracks, broken foliage) of a hit animal and stick to the trail, no matter how long it takes to retrieve your animal; use and properly retrieve flagging material/toilet paper ( LEGAL REMINDER: Remember proper, legal tagging techniques to claim the animal as your own before backtracking to retrieve flagging tape.)
  6. FAILURE TO USE “SWATTER” LOADS OR TAKING FOLLOW-UP SHOTS – Using ‘swatter’ loads such as high-pellet count #6 or #7 ½ in waterfowl hunting or being ready to immediately take a follow-up shot on a big game animal that went down initially (but got back up) are useful strategies for reducing wounding loss {SAFETY REMINDERS: During the emotions/moments after taking a first shot, always be sure a “second shot” is ALSO safe prior to raising the sporting arm, and try to stay as calm and relaxed as possible until finding your quarry dead. (i.e. Don’t let your emotions cause an unsafe situation!)}

V. TOP TEN CARE of GAME Considerations “From Field to Table”

  1. BE SURE ANIMAL IS DEAD – Approaching downed game needs to be performed quietly and cautiously. Touch a seemingly-dead big game animal with long stick near the eyeball. For turkeys, be careful of legs/kicks (i.e. ‘spurs’). If an upland game bird or small game animal (e.g. rabbit, squirrel) is still alive, and you did not have a sporting dog to retrieve the animal, either step on it quickly (game bird) or pin it to the ground and dispatch it immediately. Note: Be sure to exhibit good hunting and firearm safety skills in the process, especially safe muzzle control. If trapping, learn how to properly dispatch and retrieve game from the various traps, acting carefully and cautiously at all times.
  2. PROPERLY DISPATCH GAME – Properly dispatching big game with firearm or knife is a feat which must be accomplished from time to time. One quick shot to the head, follow-up shot in the vital organs or knife cut to the jugular in the neck (only if properly instructed in such a technique) may be the quickest way to dispatch a large animal. For game birds, compression to the chest cavity or ringing/popping of the next vertebrae can be done quickly. For small game, the same separation can be achieved with a boot while holding onto of the back legs. Learn quick and effective techniques for dispatching game from an experienced hunter/guide.
  3. OBEY TAGGING REQUIREMENTS & EVIDENCE OF SEX Though tagging requirements are covered in Game Laws (Goal #2), it is important to consider proper tagging and evidence of sex requirements when taking care of game in the field, especially if evidence of sex has to remain “naturally attached” (e.g. Colorado)
  4. PROPERLY FIELD DRESS/ SKIN GAME – Field dressing and skinning game take practice and proper techniques. Unless you transport an entire animal to a game processing facility, you will need to skin large game afield or at camp. Wear quality game gloves (e.g. disposable) to protect from blood, cuts and, in some cases, wildlife diseases. Be careful to avoid cutting any part of the organs within the abdomen area of the animal, especially the stomach, intestines and/or bladder. Spoor, fluids or contents of such organs will taint the meat and make it “gamy tasting”. Avoid touching the scent glands with your knife edge, as this, too, will taint the meat, especially with rutting big game, collared peccaries (javelina) and furbearers. While skinning, avoid cutting through the fur from the outside. Instead, cut through the skin from the inside out. Note: As with tagging (Goal #2), know the game laws when processing game meat in the field, in preparation for transportation to the final destination.
  5. KNIFE SAFETY – Knife cuts are the most common type of hunting injury, though rarely get recorded as hunting incidents since most are handled immediately through direct pressure, Band-Aids and gauze, and are not reported to authorities/hospitals. However, some severe cuts have led to hunting fatalities, particularly in the large femoral artery (leg/groin). Great care must be taken while field dressing, skinning and processing game meat. Always cut in a