Tips & Tactics

Don’t Overlook Eye Safety

Don’t Overlook Eye Safety

By Bob Henry

We all want to be safe when we’re out there hunting and return home without any injuries.

After a recent accident, I wanted to share a safety tip with Buckmasters members and everyone who hunts. Hopefully, my story will prevent them from going through the same awful experience I just went through.

Earlier this season, when I got down from my stand I was trying to slip away from the area as silently and stealthily as I could.

As I made my way through the dense woods after sundown, I managed to catch a cedar limb right across the face.

In the darkness, even while using a flashlight, I never saw the branch that severely scratched the pupil of my left eye. Ouch!

My doctor worked me in early the next morning. He instructed me to stay out of the woods, or any other potentially dusty or dangerous place, for a while to allow my eye to heal properly.

Don’t Overlook Eye SafetyUnfortunately, there is a likelihood my vision could be permanently impaired due to ocular scarring from the incident.

All of this could have been avoided had I packed in and worn a set of clear safety glasses to use in the darkness.

The sad thing is I own several sets of safety glasses and am coached weekly at work about protective equipment. It just never occurred to me to use my safety glasses for hunting purposes. 

If you don’t already wear some sort of glasses, please heed my advice and purchase a pair of safety glasses to carry in your backpack. Just slip them on as soon as you begin your hike out of the dark woods.

And if you hunt with kids, make sure their eyes are protected, too.

Safety glasses also come in handy when you have to saw limbs above your head. Sawdust seems to have a way of getting into your eyes anytime the limb saw comes out.

You can find safety glasses at just about any store that carries hardware. And they are a lot cheaper than a trip to the doctor!

– Photo Courtesy Bob Henry 

If you have a unique or special tip you’d like to share with Buckmasters fans, please email it to huntingtips@buckmasters.com and, if chosen, we will send you a cap signed by Jackie Bushman, along with a knife!

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