Doug Leier: Hunters should put safety at the top of their list

As fall seasons get into full gear, hunters naturally think about licenses, limits, tags, gear and maybe taking a youngster afield. All of those things matter, but if one item belongs at the top of every hunter s list, it is safety. Every hunt should start there and end there. Doug Leier is an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Reach him at [email protected]. The 10 firearm safety rules are familiar, and they should be. Treat every firearm as loaded. Control the muzzle. Know your target and what lies beyond it. Keep barrel and action clear. Unload firearms when not in use. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot. Those rules might sound like something repeated so often they become background noise. That is exactly when they matter most. Familiarity should never replace attention. A loaded firearm deserves the same respect every time, whether it is carried through a stubble field, rested beside a blind or handled while crossin