When is it Safe to Release Your Safety?

When do you release your safety?

  • When loading at the truck

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • After settled on stand

    Votes: 5 15.2%

  • Only when ready to shoot

    Votes: 26 78.8%

  • Other, please explain

    Votes: 2 6.1%
  • Total voters
    33
hm1996

hm1996

Moderator
Staff member
Hunt 0168 brought up a very good question in another thread. I think it would be a very interesting poll as he suggested.

hunt0168​


Some food for thought… I have mentored youth turkey and youth goose hunts for my gun club for years. One year, a friend of mine volunteered to mentor as well. He was a police officer at the time. He was paired up with a second mentor and the youth was a 13 year old with no prior experience hunting other than the safety course and range days at the club where we work with the kids and actually shoot.

Opening morning of the youth turkey hunt, they get setup before shooting time with the kid. The other mentor tells the kid it’s okay to take his shotgun off safe now that they were setup. My friend said he almost lost his mind! He told the kid, (and the other mentor) absolutely not, the Safety stays on until you’re ready to shoot.

So I ask you folks that take your guns off safe when on stand, in the same situation with a youth or inexperienced hunter, which stance would you have taken as a mentor?

By the way, the kid got a nice bird that morning.
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Other. I take it off and put it on multiple times after settled depending on the situation around the woods, my level of alertness, and if I have any company with me.
 
I voted when ready to shoot, but that’s not quite correct. When coyote calling it goes off once I get a visual. When turkey hunting a vocal gobbler, it goes off when I know he’s committed. Other than that the safety stays on.
Now you didn’t ask about loaded firearms, but all my weapons stay loaded and ready while driving unless the law prohibits it…like on WMA’s.
 
davidheart said:
Other. I take it off and put it on multiple times after settled depending on the situation around the woods, my level of alertness, and if I have any company with me.
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Yeah, me too. A lot depends on the "stand" or setup. When on a fixed calling stand, with the firearm pointed safely down range in a tripod, I will take it off early in the stand. But that's about the only setting in which I remove the safety until immediately before the shot.
 
Spurchaser said:
Now you didn’t ask about loaded firearms, but all my weapons stay loaded and ready while driving unless the law prohibits it…like on WMA’s.
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Good point about vehicles, Mark.
Because of the racks which hold firearms securely and pointed in a safe direction in my vehicles, and when hunting with a buddy whom I know minds his muzzle 100% of the time, I don't mind a round in chamber if bolt raised and safety on to provide double safety. In vehicles without such racks, I always unload in the vehicle.
While I definitely don't trust safeties 100% (I once owned a 700 Remington :cool:), I do believe in keeping a weapon on safe at all times until ready to fire.
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When I am 100% committed to pulling the trigger is when my firearms go live. If I have a gobbler on the hook and in sight, sure, I’ll go live while tracking him with the gun on his way to his death. If I don’t have a visual, I have my gun on safe.

I just see no added benefit to taking away the safety prior to identifying your target with 100% certainty. It hasn’t ever cost me an animal that I can recall. I would accept 100 missed opportunities at an animal knowing I never mistakenly pointed a live gun at a person thinking it was a target animal.

I’ve seen seasoned hunters turn into a complete pile of jittery jello when an animal appears, or after a shot is taken. You might say, lose control? I’ve seen them forget to take guns off safe, and jerk and flinch like crazy. I feel like this may be the reason many remove their arms from the safe position. I feel like these are the most dangerous types of all! Just my thoughts. I’m not calling anybody out, or saying they are doing it wrong. Just my opinion.
 
I'm nit going to lie... when I deer hunt or coyote hunt, I chamber a round when I park the truck, safety goes on.

When I'm 100% settled in the stand, the safety comes off and the rifle is physically in my hands. If I have to take a bathroom break, get something out of my pack, etc., safety goes on. Anytime I'm not in complete physical control of the rifle the safety is on.

If I have the rifle in the truck gun mount, safety is off when I'm on/behind the rifle. When I get down out of the truck for what ever reason, safety is on.

This works for me as I hunt alone.

The FIRST thing I do when I get back to the truck if stand hunting or stalking is unload.
 
Guys, when you sit down on a stand, your rifle is on sticks or a tripod and you have a round in the chamber, THAT is when the safety goes off.

Start your calling sequence.
Your TRIGGER FINGER becomes your primary safety.

When you are ready to move to another stand, clear your chamber.
Close the bolt on an empty chamber, stand up and walk to another stand.

New stand, sit down, get set, chamber a round, safety off and start your calling sequence.

53 years calling coyotes, no accidental discharges, no one injured.

Pay attention to details. Safety first, dead coyote(s) second.

Put fur on the ground.
Stop calf killers.
 
I shoot exposed hammer guns a lot. I treat a safety like a hammer, if I see my intended target I pull the hammer back, if the shot doesn't materialize ( duck hunting it happens a lot) I lower the hammer or put the safety back on. I might sit there a while with the rifle or shotgun ready to fire with the hammer back or safety off waiting for the shot. I do load at the truck now I've had a couple of clicks on empty chambers because I got to busy setting up the stand. I do not carry a predator hunting rifle in my hands, it goes in a scabbard on my back till I get to where I'm going to call.
 
223 said:
I’ve actually purposely NEVER invited people back to duck hunt due to taking the safety off before shouldering the gun !
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I’ve called guys out on goose hunts for the same reason. Literally hear the safety go off before giving the “Take Em” call in both layout and pit blinds. It’s a goose! And you’re typically not alone, so there are others to be concerned with. There’s a bit of movement and positioning just to shoot. The safety can wait until you’re in the shouldered position!
 
hunt0168 said:
I’ve called guys out on goose hunts for the same reason. Literally hear the safety go off before giving the “Take Em” call in both layout and pit blinds. It’s a goose! And you’re typically not alone, so there are others to be concerned with. There’s a bit of movement and positioning just to shoot. The safety can wait until you’re in the shouldered position!
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Exactly! Zero reason to do it any other way. As a kid I would have sat in the blind with an empty gun for pulling that stunt. That’s a for sure promise.!!
 
hm1996 said:
Hunt 0168 brought up a very good question in another thread. I think it would be a very interesting poll as he suggested.
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I chamber a round at my truck. Then put the safety on before I take a step. The safety is clicked to fire mode. Only when I'm ready to shoot. I've taken a few guys predator hunting. Two of the three. Swung their barrel past my head. While their rifle was loaded. Other than hunting with one of my brothers. I stopped taking another hunter. I just don't trust them anymore.
 
I also need to preference my choice (only when ready to shoot,) if I see/hear,smell a possible shooting opportunity I will release the safety if in a stationary position. Smell elk/deer or hear coyote, deer,elk.
 


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