By Grace Jacobson / News Director

With a half-million hunters set to head-out on Minnesota’s fields and woods for Saturday’s firearms deer opener, the DNR wants to remind hunters to make safety a top priority.

According to the DNR, the leading cause of injury among hunters is tree stand accidents. They say “as many as one in three hunters who hunt from an elevated stand will fall and sustain a serious injury.”

The following safety tips from the DNR will help you stay safe this season:

1. Check your stand to ensure it’s in good working order.
2. Inspect your safety harness before your hunt, and wear it when you’re in the stand and when you’re climbing in and out.
3. Always maintain three points of contact with the steps or ladder of your stand.
4. Treat every firearm as if it’s loaded.
5. Always control the muzzle of the firearm.
6. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
7. Put your finger on the trigger only when you’re ready to shoot.
8. Wear blaze clothing when it’s required.