Shotgunning Education Handbook
Be a better game bird hunter
Please note: This document regularly refers to Tom Roster’s 2009 Nontoxic Shot Lethality Table Adapted to Australian Game Birds. Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to electronically reproduce this table. If you require a hardcopy, please contact the DEPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.Contents
- Introduction
- Foreword
- Modern hunting
- Overview
Section 1: Know your game and regulations
- Regulations
- Game identification
- Ethics and Code of Practice for game bird hunting
- Hunting Guide
Section 2: Understanding your tools and environment
- Shotgun
- Ammunition - chokes and loads
- Selecting appropriate choke and shotshell combinations
- Hunting environment
- Blinds
- Camouflage
- Using decoys
- Tips for successful decoying
- Effective calling
- Safety considerations
Section 3: Sharpen your skills
- Effective shooting skill range
- Pattern testing
- Range estimation
- The Subtending Method
- Shooting techniques
- Practise properly
- Retrrieval strategies
- Recovering downed birds
- Using a retrieving dog
Section 5: Caring for your game
- Care in the field and transport
- Game bird dressing
- Tips on food handling, processing and storage
- Care in cooking preparation
- Summary - Improving success and reducing wounding losses
- Appendix 1 - Comparison of 12 guage choke constrictions and description
- Appendix 2 - A general guide to international shot sizes
- Appendix 3 - A comparative guide to imperial and metric shotshell load weight conversions
- Appendix 4 - Quail hunting in Victoria
