MO Missouri Porch

Hunting & Fishing

Staying safe — field & water

The whole point of a day outdoors is to come home and do it again. A few habits — handled the same way every time — keep the field and the water safe for you and everyone around you. Here are the ones that matter most.

Start with the firearm

The four firearm rules

These four never change, and they work together — if you follow all four, an accident has nowhere to happen. Learn them cold and treat them as automatic. The full version, with range and handling practice, lives in Target Shooting.

  1. Treat every firearm as if it's loaded.
  2. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
  4. Be sure of your target and what's beyond it.

Be seen

Hunter orange

Hunter orange isn't required for 'most firearms seasons' — it's required in specifically listed situations (the firearms deer portions, bear hunting, the firearms elk portion, and managed firearms deer hunts), with limited exceptions. Check the current orange rule for your exact activity (details in the Hunting and Target Shooting hubs).

Because the rule names specific situations rather than blanket "firearms seasons," check what applies to your exact hunt in the Hunting guide before you head out.

Up in the tree

Tree-stand harnesses

Tree-stand falls are a major — and historically a leading — source of serious hunting injuries. Wear a full-body harness (a fall-arrest system), stay connected from the ground up, use a haul line for your gear and your unloaded firearm, check your stand every season, and tell someone where you'll be.

On the water

Life jackets and the water

On the water, wear a life jacket — many fatal boating drownings involve people who weren't wearing one, and children under 7 must wear one while aboard a vessel unless they're inside a totally enclosed cabin. Beware cold water and moving water, and get off the water at the first thunder. Full rules are in the Boating and Weather hubs.

The full boating rules are in Boating, and when to get off the water — thunder, cold snaps, fast-rising creeks — is in Weather.

Plan for the rest

Weather, wildlife, and a plan

Dress in layers and watch the heat and cold (see Weather); watch for ticks and snakes (see Wildlife); and always tell someone your plan and carry a charged phone.

For ticks, snakes, and the critters you'll share the woods with, see Wildlife; for heat, cold, and storms, see Weather.

Always check before you go

Missouri Porch explains the system; the Wildlife Code is the law.

Last checked: 2026-06-18. Missouri Porch explains how the system works. The Wildlife Code of Missouri and applicable federal law are the authority; the current MDC summaries, species pages, and posted area rules are the practical guide — and they can change. Always check your species, season, water, and location before you go.

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