It just occurred to me that this title may be insensitive. That's OK; I'm insensitive. But I digress. Deer season is about to get under way, and I thought the following might be useful.

For about a dozen years, I hunted whitetails in South Carolina every year. Because I was hunting in a private plantation, and because South Carolina has extremely generous bag limits, I could shoot two deer a day for four days. This adds up to a fair number of deer. During that time I carried a number of different rifles, the smallest of which was a .257 Roberts, the largest a 7mm Weatherby Magnum. I could see no difference whatsoever in "killing power" between the various cartridges.

This experience has extended itself elsewhere. I've killed whitetails and mule deer as small as 70 pounds and as large as 300 with cartridges as small as the 6mm Remington and as large as the .340 Weatherby. No difference. Deer, of any size, are not hard to kill. There are animals that do require some horsepower, but not these.

If called upon to kill a deer these days, I will choose either a 6.5x55, or a 7mm/08, or if there may be a long shot, a .270. All you have to do is shoot good and the deer will drop.

As an overprotective modern parent who gets nervous when my kids ride bicycles to a friend's house, I would not teach my children to hunt if I thought it were dangerous. Better they have a gun in their hands, than, say, a skateboard. Hunting and shooting have low accident rates precisely because we place so much emphasis on gun safety. Although hunting should be fun, teaching kids to be safe shooters doesn't call for much sense of humor. Treat the topic seriously, and children will respond to the gravity in your voice.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1: DEMYSTIFY GUNS

Young boys, especially, find guns fascinating. Keeping guns forbidden and mysterious only increases their allure. Let your kids handle your guns with your permission and under your supervision. Show them how to check whether the chamber and magazine are empty. Let them point the gun in a safe direction. Teach them now that the only time they are ever to touch a trigger is when they want the gun to go off.

Take them to the gun club, where they will see targets smashed to bits. Show them the bloody holes your guns put into the animals you bring home. A friend likes to impress new shooters with the power of firearms by shooting a cantaloupe at 10 paces with a 12-gauge. The distinction between real and toy guns will be as clear as the difference between real and toy cars.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 2: GIVE THEM A BB GUN

Owning a BB gun can teach children good safety habits or bad ones. Kids of my generation roamed the woods with Red Ryders and no parental supervision. There's a better way. Give a child a BB gun a year or so before he or she is ready to start shooting .22s and 20-gauges. Store it with your guns and make a point of treating it like a real gun—which it is. Let your young hunter bring it along, unloaded, on short hunts with you. Insist that he carry it with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Pack a few BBs along for some safe target shooting at the end of the day.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 3: SPEND TIME AT THE RANGE

The more often you take your children shooting, the more practiced they'll become in handling guns safely. At the range, insist that muzzles point up, down, or downrange—always. Keep control of the ammunition yourself, and dole out shells one at a time. Kids will be scrupulously careful about muzzle control until they fire a shot. In the excitement of hearing the gun go off, they will turn to you, swinging the gun, or drop it down so it points at their toes. If the gun is empty, it's a teachable moment, not a potential tragedy. Insist on eye and ear protection, and emphasize its importance by always wearing it yourself.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 4: PICK FIRST HUNTS CAREFULLY

Your first real hunts should be for squirrels, waterfowl, deer, turkeys, or doves, sedentary hunts where the game comes to you. Leave your own gun at home. Sit right with your hunter, whispering advice and giving the go-ahead to take the safety off and shoot. Save upland hunting for last. It requires walking with a loaded gun for long periods as well as split-second shoot-or-don't-shoot decisions.

ASSIGNMENT NO. 5: LEAD BY EXAMPLE

You're trying to instill lifelong safety habits, and nothing you say speaks as loudly as your own actions when you and your child hunt together. Handle your own guns with extra emphasis on safety. While we're at it, boats, ATVs, tree stands, and motor vehicles can be just as deadly as guns if used carelessly. Your young hunter will learn all about them by watching you.

Photography is a huge part of our sporting heritage. Hunting, fishing and camping celebrate some of the most beautiful moments in nature. Our photo gallery displays some of those moments captured on film. But, we don't want to limit the gallery to just professionals. To pay tribute to all of our visitors we'd like to take our gallery and dedicate it to YOUR outdoor photos.

Send your best hunting, fishing or outdoor photos via email to Field & Stream Online for our annual Field & Stream Photo Contest. The top submissions chosen by the Field & Stream staff will be published here in our Photo Gallery shortly after the October 1, 2004 deadline for the world to see. Runners-up may also see their spot in the sun too.

If you haven't taken any photos this year that are worthy of submission, then get outside and start snapping some shots. There's still plenty of time to enter.

Submission Deadline: Emails must be dated by October 1, 2004

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO:

BY EMAIL