McClory: Here are some treestand safety tips

Archery hunters are conducting their final equipment preparation for opening morning when they will dress in their camouflage clothing and climbing tree stands before first light for the start of the 2010 Massachusetts deer season on Monday morning, Oct. 18, for 4 weeks. With bowhunting in full swing a mention of treestand safety is in order. If you are a serious bowhunter, chances are you spend a lot of time hanging in a treestand 15 feet up. Because a deer’s primary survival instinct is smell, getting off the ground is critical. When the wind is right, your scent will be away and drift over the deer. This is a great advantage to a bowhunter. All of this assumes that you have done your scouting homework and have located a good crossing area that will allow you to be close to your target ? a must when bowhunting. Remember that, unlike a firearm, the acceptable shooting range is measured in feet versus yards. Of course there are some important safety issues. The most serious problem associated with treestand use is the risk of falling. Treestand falls are increasing as the popularity of treestands increases. If you choose to hunt from one, use a safety belt, especially when climbing. The majority of falls occur when climbing up and down the tree or getting in and out of the stand. As soon as you get into your stand, strap in. A body harness is better than a plain safety belt, but a belt is better than nothing. Attach it high around your chest to avoid injury from the belt if you fall. Use a rope to raise and lower your bow; never try to carry your bow up and down trees.On Oct. 9, sea duck hunters set racks and blocks of decoys in the harbor for their opener, and on Oct. 15 the coastal waterfowl season for regular ducks opens. If you plan on hunting ducks you must have a valid hunting license as well as a federal duck stamp, a state duck stamp, and a HIP number. This free registration number may be obtained by calling 1-800-WETLAND (938-5263). A hunting license is needed in order to register for the free HIP number. Paper license holders must write the HIP number on the line just below the hunter’s signature. And if you turkey hunt, the fall 5 day season starts on Oct. 25 in wildlife management zones 1-9 and zone 13. I hope these dates help you plan your fall hunting adventures. If that’s not enough to keep you busy, autumn anglers will be happy to learn all of our local trout ponds were stocked last week.If you are looking for a new hunting area, you may want to check out some of the 6,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat that was protected by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in the past fiscal year (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010) for a total investment of $10,490,000. These acquisitions were well distributed around the Commonwealth, with 57 parcels in 44 towns conserved both for the benefit of wildlife and the public’s use and enjoyment. These new fish and wildlife lands will be added to the list of over 180,000 acres currently under the care and control of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW). All lands are open to fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife observation, boating, hiking and other passive wildlife related recreation. Support for the land acquisition program comes from several sources. The primary funding mechanism is the Commonwealth’s open space bond authorization. Fishing, hunting and trapping license buyers contribute a $5 fee to the Wildlands Fund for wildlife habitat acquisition as an additional revenue source.Deer hunters are reminded that antlerless deer permit sales will begin Oct. 12, for surplus permits remaining in Wildlife Management Zones (WMZs) 10, 11, 13 and 14. There are no surplus permits available for any other wildlife management zones this year. Hunters will be allowed to purchase one permit per zone per day. The cost is $5 per permit. Permits will be sold in MassWildlife’s Westborough, Ayer, West Boylston, Pittsfield, and Belchertown offices.