Stay Safe This Hunting Season: Essential Hunting Safety Tips from Rock Creek

Hunting season is here, and that means early mornings, crisp air, and plenty of time in the great outdoors. Whether you’re heading out for deer, duck, or turkey, it’s important to make sure safety comes first. At Rock Creek, your local convenience store for fuel, snacks, and last-minute hunting essentials, we want to help keep you safe and prepared this season.

1. Always Treat Every Firearm as if It’s Loaded

One of the golden rules of hunting safety is to treat every gun as if it’s loaded. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times, and never point your firearm at anything you don’t intend to shoot. Double-check your safety switch before loading or unloading, and keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire.

2. Wear Blaze Orange

Visibility is key when hunting. Make sure you’re wearing blaze orange clothing—such as a vest, hat, or jacket—so other hunters can easily spot you. Many hunting accidents happen because hunters mistake movement or color for game. Don’t take that chance—be seen, be safe.

3. Know Your Target and What’s Beyond It

Before you take a shot, identify your target clearly and make sure you know what’s behind it. Never shoot at sound or movement. A split-second decision can have life-changing consequences.

4. Check Local Regulations and Seasons

Before heading out, review your MN state hunting regulations for legal hunting hours, required permits, and bag limits. Stop by Rock Creek to grab a local hunting guide, or check the latest updates online before your trip.

5. Pack Smart and Stay Prepared

You never know what conditions you might face in the woods. Be sure to pack:

• A first aid kit

• Extra water and snacks

• A map or GPS

• Flashlight and batteries

• Emergency blanket

• Fully charged cell phone or radio

You can find many of these items right here at Rock Creek—your one-stop shop for hunting snacks, coffee, medicine, and supplies.

6. Practice Tree Stand Safety

If you’re hunting from a tree stand, always use a full-body safety harness. Inspect your equipment before climbing and maintain three points of contact when going up or down. A simple slip can cause a serious fall.

7. Let Someone Know Your Plans

Always tell a friend or family member where you’re going and when you expect to return. In case of emergency, this simple step can make all the difference.

Stop by Rock Creek Before You Head Out!

Whether you’re fueling up your truck, grabbing a hot coffee, or stocking up on trail mix and jerky, Rock Creek has everything you need for a successful and safe hunting trip.
We’re proud to serve local hunters and outdoor enthusiasts every season—so swing by for everything you need in one convenient stop.

Stay safe, stay prepared, and happy hunting!

Opening Fishing Weekend in Minnesota

If you have spent time up in Northern Minnesota, you know dearly that there are two very sacred times of year. One is deer hunting season, and the other starts this weekend. Opening Fishing kicks off promptly every spring, and fishermen and women pile into their boats and onto the lake for the first time since the ice formed in the fall. If your family is anything like mine, you make your plans and start the countdown for next year the second you hook the boat up to leave. A full circle thing for us is that we have been going to Itasca for Opening Fishing Weekend for the last 20+ years. Owning Rock Creek has made the area feel even more like home than it already did through the countless memories at opener in the past.

You never really know what to expect from this weekend. When you commit to one lake, you only hope the year starts well. It’s always helpful to learn patterns that help your odds of catching fish. Knowing specifics about when, where, and what the fish are biting on can seriously up your game. If you were to get really crazy with it, you could keep some statistics every time you go out, and eventually, no matter the day, you could check and see where to go and what bait to use. Unless you fish to live, we all know that, yeah, it's nice to catch them, but most of the time, fishing isn’t about fishing. It’s about family, friends, patience, stillness, God, creation, conversation, good snacks, and if you’re lucky, a nice tan.

Speaking of getting tan, it’s looking like we won the weather lottery this year, so bronze skin may be achievable even if the fish aren’t. This weekend is always hit-or-miss weather-wise. I remember one year, we watched ice flow from the lake, over the rocks, and it was so cold they probably made it all the way to the Gulf. Other years, I remember going swimming and selling lemonade on the docks. Regardless of the weather, it’s always such a great time. If you and your family are hitting the lakes this weekend, we wish you the best of luck.