As hunters suit up for deer season, tragedies like that of 17-year-old Spencer Perkins serve as grim reminders about safe gun-handling.
Perkins, a junior at Heritage Academy in Columbus, died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson late Friday after he accidentally dropped his shotgun, causing it to fire into his face, while dove hunting in Noxubee County.
Deadly accidents are rare, but even one death is too common, said Oktibbeha County Game Warden Greg Bell.
“Fortunately, there”s not very many accidents like that,” Bell said in between teaching a hunters” education class Saturday in Starkville. “Most everybody is pretty safe.”
Bell and another Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks conservation officer taught hunting safety principles to about 46 students between ages 10 and 55 in the 10-hour class.
“The focus is firearm safety,” he said of the class. “It”s the longest (part of the class) and by far the most important.”
Every county in Mississippi, including Lowndes, has at least three hunters” education classes every fall.
In the classes, which are prerequisites to receiving a hunting license, people learn how to protect themselves and others, Bell said.
Darren Coggins, Lowndes County game warden, said there has not been a firearm accident in the county in four or five years, partly because of safety training.
“We try to do things that are just common sense,” he said.
Common sense safety measures include making sure tree stands are secure, wearing hunters” orange and making sure of what you”re shooting at before firing.
“After you take the class, you know it”s common sense — it”s nothing tricky,” Bell said. “It”s using your head.”
Most hunting accidents involve tree stands, he added, urged hunters to wear harnesses to keep from falling.
“People get bored in the tree stand and start flipping their safety on and off,” he said, mentioning one of many safety hazards. “You can”t become complacent when it comes to handling firearms. The next thing you know, an accident happens.”
And once a hunter pulls the trigger, he said, “there”s no going back, no ”oops.””
The second most common hunting safety concern is hunters who get lost, Coggins said.
The classes specifically target children, who are the future hunters, Bell said.
“The more kids we have taking the class, the better,” he added. “The kids are the building blocks of future (generations) of sportsmen and sportswomen.”
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