With Michigan’s firearm deer season starting Saturday, the DNR reminds everyone to put safety first. This?brief video offers firearm safety tips.

“Success is not always about filling your tag, it’s about safely enjoying the experience and sharing it with friends and family after the hunt,” said Lt. Tom Wanless, supervisor of the DNR’s Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section.

Wanless said that athough some tips seem like common sense, it’s critical for anyone hunting with firearms to consider safety basics each time they pick up a firearm.

All firearm deer hunters should:

• Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
• Be aware of surroundings – know your target and what is beyond it.
• Unload firearms when crossing obstacles and/or getting in or out of an elevated stand.
• Obey “no trespassing” signs; they are there for a reason.
• Obtain landowner permission to retrieve game that may have wandered onto private property.
• Wear hunter orange to increase your visibility to other hunters. Hunter orange garments must be worn as the outer layer of clothing (such as caps, hats, vests or jackets) and must be visible from all directions.

During the firearm deer season, all hunters and nonhunters are encouraged to wear bright colors, especially hunter orange, when recreating near woods or fields where hunting may occur.

Get more hunting and tree stand safety tips at?Michigan.gov/HuntingSafety. Season and regulation details are available through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

Report hunting violations, including trespassing, to the DNR Report All Poaching Hotline by calling or texting 800-292-7800.

Questions? Email?DNR-LED-RecSafety@Michigan.gov.

Freezer already full?

Hunters, if you have success this season, consider donating a deer or money to Hunters Feeding Michigan, a program that helps Michiganders get venison to feed their families. Your generosity can make a real difference to friends and neighbors who are struggling.

Questions about the HFM program? Contact Tom Weston at 517-388-6342.