Take a flashlight just in case

Many Alabama hunters will grab their bow and head into the woods Thursday morning for the start of the archery deer hunting season.

Those who head into the woods early and leave while it's still daylight, are not likely to have any trouble making it home. Some of those who wait until the afternoon to go into the woods and try to squeeze a couple of hours of hunting between work and dark could have some problems.

It is getting dark earlier every day and someone who gets too caught up in the first day of deer season and allows the sun to set while they are still in the woods could become lost.

It amazes me that every year we have hunters who get lost in the woods after dark, spawning a man hunt. When found, the hunters typically report they did not have a flashlight and began walking in circles trying to make their way out of the woods.

Flashlights and batteries are inexpensive. Even if you plan to be out of the woods while the sun is still high, stuff a small flashlight and extra batteries in your pocket or ditty bag. Plans often change once you are in the woods and a flashlight could become the most important item you are carrying if the sun sets before you are able to make it out.

If you are not familiar with the area you will be hunting, take a GPS receiver or map and compass along, too. There are some areas of the Tennessee Valley where it's easy to get turned around even at high noon.

If you get lost in the woods and don't have a map or GPS, walk into a hollow, find a stream or creek and walk along it until you find a road or other landmark. Walking along a creek or stream will prevent you from going in circles as you try to make your way back to civilization.

Cell phones are useless in many areas that are good for hunting, but a two-way radio is useful if you need to call for help from the woods.

Always tell someone where you will be hunting and when you plan to return home. If you make it out of the woods safely and decide to stop on the way home, call anyone waiting your arrival so they don't become worried when you fail to return at the time you had planned.

Staff Writer Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.