By Tim H. Martin
How to take safe grin-and-grin photos:
Each year, Buckmasters' editors receive photos of hunters with their trophies. Many are unusable because the firearm has been propped on the animal's side with the gun muzzle pointed back toward the hunter.
Even if the gun is unloaded, no one is behind the trigger and the bolt is open, there's a strong likelihood Buckmasters will not use a photo for publication if the firearm is pointed in a questionable direction.
Just the other day, I received a photo — and this still makes me shudder — of a father and son who placed both rifles on the boy's deer with both barrels pointed directly toward the son.
In the heat of the moment, the dad committed a cardinal sin of gun safety instead of taking the opportunity to teach his son a valuable lesson in firearm safety.
Understandably, holding a gun and hoisting an animal's head simultaneously is awkward, especially if the hunter is a child. But there are safe ways to include your beloved firearms in your great grip-and-grin photos.
Here's what you do:
Roll the animal up on its brisket and have the hunter kneel behind it, propping it up with one knee. This will keep the deer from rolling backward, and the hunter can better control the animal's head with one hand. Next, hand the firearm to the hunter and let them prop the butt end on the ground, holding it one-handed with the gun's muzzle pointed skyward. It's safe and it looks nice.
If the hunter still has difficulty, free up both hands. Hang the firearm by the gunsling on the hunter's shoulder once he or she is in position for the photo.
Should problems persist, have someone hold the hunter's gun and include that person in the photo.
Your only other option is to simply not include the firearm, which is far better than having a muzzle pointed toward the hunter.