Zones of fire while hunting
There will most likely be times when you will find yourself with other hunters to the right and left of you when hunting. In this situation, safe hunting requires that you know your zone of fire.
goHUNT 101
Archery | Firearms | Hunter Safety | Hunting Techniques and Game Care | Landowner Tags | Shooting and Marksmanship | Tree Stands | Wildlife Management and Hunter Ethics
Safe firearm handling in the field
The number of hunters with you and the terrain determine how you can safely carry your firearm in the field.
The 10 rules of firearm safety
Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
Firearm safeties
Definition of a firearm safety
Common causes of firearm incidents
Most hunting-related incidents occur when hunters behave in a careless manner or forget the basic rules of firearm safety. Look at incident reports involving hunters and you'll likely find one or more of the following mistakes.
Slug types and distances
Rifled shotgun barrels and chokes are becoming increasingly popular since they increase the accuracy of shotgun slugs. This style does an excellent job in harvesting game at reasonable ranges. Another key factor for accuracy is the type of slug used.
Types of chokes
There are three types of shotgun chokes:
Understanding chokes
A choke helps hold a shot string together, controlling the shot string’s spread when it leaves the barrel.
Understanding gauges
Shotguns are generally measured by gauge rather than caliber, differing from handguns and rifles. The gauge is determined by how many lead balls sized to the exact diameter of the bore it takes to make one pound. For example, one pound takes 16 lead balls the same diameter...
Understanding a smoothbore barrel
A shotgun used for shot features a smoothbore barrel with no rifling inside. Shotguns are highly accurate for shorter distances, though they can be used for both short and long distance shots.