Safety Tip – Captain of the Camp

I’m not much on going to the hunting camp for two weeks with about five or six guys anymore. Been there, do it… I’m more of a solitary hunter these days. But, spending a week or two with a bunch of friends or family is a tradition that is hard to break for many people.

Keeping in mind that safety is always the most important thing when you’re dealing with guns, it’s a good idea to appoint or elect one person to be the “Gun Captain” as I call it. This person is responsible to ensure that at the end of each hunting day, all guns are unloaded and safely stored and left there until they’re ready to be used again the next day. It’s a good way to “check twice” that all guns are safe. The hunter checks his or her own gun and then the Captain does it again. I like seeing all camp guns kept in the same place too.

I’ve seen hunting camps where there are 7 or 8 guns lying around, some laying on a bed, on a table, some leaning against the wall of a tent… with breeches closed most of the time too. All it takes is for an “accident” to happen, as they are called. Then, the great traditional hunting trip is not that much fun anymore. Just like a professional kitchen who has a Head Chef that is ultimately responsible for everything that goes on, a “Camp Captain” has the same responsibility with the guns.