Don't forget the orange hat!
Firearms deer season begins Nov.15 and continues through Nov. 25. For most it's a safe hunt, but every year dozens of hunters show up in area emergency rooms with injuries.
Dr. Larry Slaughter, an emergency room doctor at St. Mary's Health Center in Jefferson City, expects to treat 20 to 30 people for falls from tree stands. "They get up at two or three in the morning and get to their stand and sit there quietly and fall asleep, and fall out of their tree stands," says Slaughter.
He says those falls cause ankle injuries, broken ribs, internal injuries and concussions. The best way to avoid a fall from a tree is to use a safety harness.
For those hunters who stay in their stands the adrenaline rush of spotting their target could lead to more trouble.
Cardiologists warn it can trigger a heart attack or a lethal heart rhythm disturbance.
Dr. Eric Good warns hunters to know their risk factors for heart disease before heading deep into the woods. Those risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. He recommends hunters be prepared for an emergency by carrying a cell phone or CB radio, never hunt alone and know CPR.
Both doctors say gunshot wounds are rare compared to other injuries.
For safety, gun hunters are required to wear hunter orange vests and hats.
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