DNR Urges To “ACTT” On Hunting Safety

With firearms deer season underway, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is urging hunting safety.

While the DNR says hunting is a safe sport with only a small fraction of hunters ever involved in a hunting incident, safety is always an important point of review.

With that in mind, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division reminds all hunters to review the ‘Four Primary Rules of Firearms Safety’ before heading to the woods.

The following checklist, comprised of only four items, is covered in all hunter education courses and easily can be remembered with the acronym ACTT, or A-C-T-T.

The “A” stands for always treating every firearm as it it were loaded.

Meanwhile, the “C” stands for always controlling the muzzle of the firearm at all times.

The first “T” stands for being certain of the target and what is front of it and beyond it.

Finally, the second “T” stands for keeping your finger outside of the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.

Wildlife Resources Division Hunter Development Program Manager Walter Lane said handling a firearm is a responsibility and all who do should take the time to review safety precautions.

State officials said that during the most recent hunting season, Georgia reported 33 hunting incidents, 15 of which involved firearms.

For more information on firearms safety, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/education or contact the Wildlife Resources Division Hunter Education office at 770-761-3010.