·        Firearms Must be Stored Safely

·        Ice-Fishing Houses in Most Areas Must be Moved by Feb. 25

Firearms Must be Stored Safely

PIERRE, S.D.—With most of South Dakota’s hunting seasons closed, hunters should be taking extra precautions to make sure that their firearms are stored safely.

“The owners of firearms are responsible for safely securing firearms in their homes,” according to Curt Robertson, HuntSAFE coordinator for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “While accidents have decreased in the last 20 years, a consistent review of safety procedures involving guns and ammunition is always a good idea whether you’re a longtime or a first time firearms owner.”

Robertson notes a few easy-to-follow firearms safety rules that include:

·        Always unload sporting firearms carefully and completely before taking them into the home. Never load a sporting firearm in the home.

·        Always make absolutely sure that firearms in the home are securely stored in a location inaccessible to children. Ammunition should be stored in a separate location, locked and also inaccessible to children.

·        Always place firearms in their proper storage location immediately after returning from a hunting trip or a day at the range.

·        Always re-check firearms carefully and completely to confirm that they are “still” unloaded when they are removed from storage. Accidents have occurred when a family member has borrowed or loaned a firearm and returned it to storage while it was still loaded.

·        Always remember that it is your responsibility to make certain the firearms in your home are not casually accessible to anyone--especially curious young people.

Open communications about firearms safety is crucial if there are children in the home. Most fatal accidents in the home involving firearms occur when youngsters—often children who do not live in the home—discover firearms that adults thought were inaccessible. “If a child approaches a firearm without safety knowledge in advance, it is an invitation to tragedy,” Robertson said.

Parents and guardians must explain firearms safety procedures to their children. Those procedures include:

·        Never handle firearms without permission.

·        Never play with firearms.

·        Never touch a found firearm; immediately tell an adult.

·        Obey all safe handling rules.

“The rights of firearm ownership also come with important responsibilities,” Robertson said. “Communication about firearms safety will ensure that tragedies can be avoided.”

--GFP—

Ice-Fishing Houses in Most Areas Must be Moved by Feb. 25

PIERRE, S.D.—Anglers who have been ice fishing in South Dakota had better mark Feb. 25 on their calendars. On midnight of that day, ice-fishing houses must be removed from most public waters in the state.

Ice houses on Deerfield Lake in Pennington County and on public waters in Grant, Roberts, Day and Marshall counties are exceptions to the Feb. 25 deadline. The deadline in those areas is midnight on March 5.

“The deadline is set for the safety of anglers,” explained Dave Wicks, law enforcement specialist with the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Ice conditions and the weather are both unpredictable at this time of year. Thinning ice and heavy snow can make removal of an ice house hazardous this late in the winter.”

Wicks reminds anglers that getting ice houses off of public waters also means getting them off public land like shorelines, public beaches or any other public water access facility. “Written permission from an authorized GFP representative is required before you can leave an ice-fishing house or any other property on land that is owned or leased by the department for more than five days,” Wicks said.

After the deadline, ice on some public waters in South Dakota may still be strong enough to support an ice-fishing house. Anglers may use portable ice-fishing houses in those areas but they must be removed from the ice each day.

--GFP--