Wildlife Identification

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Wildlife Identification

• Mr. Ham
• GHS

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• Becoming a responsible hunter means being able to
  identify wildlife.
• THIS SECTION IS BASICALLY FOR REFERENCE TO
  STUDENTS.
• Instructors should briefly discuss huntable
  species in Arkansas white tailed deer, turkey,
  ducks, etc.
• Protected species in Arkansas elk, wolf, cougar,
  ruffed grouse, red fox, etc.
• Students must be able to identify the male and
  female of the species to be legal during
  sex-specified hunting seasons.

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Eagle Awareness

• Eagles and birds of prey are protected by state
  and federal law.
• It is illegal to possess and eagle or to possess
  any of an eagles body parts.
• Notify law enforcement officers immediately if
  you find an injured or dead eagle.

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Game Care

• Field dressing game is important because it helps
  prevent spoilage of the meat.
• Three causes of meat spoilage are heat, dirt, and
  moisture.
• Proper game care will enhance the flavor of the
  game.
• It is illegal to waste game.
• Basic Dressing Gear
• Knife
• Whetstone

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• Ax or folding saw
• Rope
• Game bag

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Specialty Hunting

• Muzzleloading
• Selecting firearms and accessories
• Rifles
• Pistols
• Shotguns
• Give special attention to antique black powder
  shotguns, especially those with Damascus barrels,
  since they may not be safe to shoot.
• Types of black powder
• Fg is coarse powder for muskets, large-bore
  fowling pieces, and some cannons.
• FFg is for muzzleloading shotguns, big bore
  rifles, and pistols of .45 caliber and larger.

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• FFFg is commonly used in cap-and-ball revolvers,
  and in rifles and pistols of less than .45
  caliber.
• FFFFg is used only for priming the pan of a
  flintlock.
• Accessories
• Patching material
• Powder horn or flask
• Ball starter

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• Powder measure
• Ramrod and ramrod accessories patch worm,
  cleaning jag, etc.
• Capper or cap holder
• Possibles bag

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Loading

• Before loading, wipe out the inside of the barrel
  to remove fouling and oil.
• Fire several percussion caps on unloaded gun to
  clear ignition nipple and channel OR, for a
  flintlock, clean the touch hole to be sure it is
  open (dont fire priming powder in the pan as a
  test).
• Under Arkansas regulations a muzzleloader without
  a percussion cap on the nipple or priming powder
  in the pan is considered a legally unloaded
  muzzleloader.

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Safety considerations

• Use only black powder or Pyrodex. NEVER use
  smokeless powder.
• Never fire a muzzleloader unless the ball or shot
  is firmly seated against the powder charge.
• Never pour powder from a flask into a barrel. Use
  a separate powder measure.
• Black powder is very explosive. Never smoke while
  using black powder.
• Black powder can cause firearms to rust. Properly
  clean and maintain your muzzleloaders. If you
  shoot it, clean it.

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Handguns

• Most common types of handguns
• Revolver
• Semi-Automatic
• Break Action (single-shot)
• Parts of a handgun
• The best safety on a revolver is to keep the
  hammer on an empty chamber.
• Cleaning, storage, and transportation.

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Bowhunting

• Bowhunting skills improve all hunting skills.
• Bowhunting requires much practice shooting.
• Bowhunting equipment
• When purchasing archery equipment, the bow and
  arrows must be measured to fit the bowhunter.

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• Types of bows
• Straight limb or long bow
• Recurve bow
• Compound bow
• The draw weight is the number of pounds of energy
  required to pull the bowstring to 28 inches.
  Arkansas requires draw weight of at least 40
  pounds for hunting bows

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• Arrow parts and construction
• Broadhead blades must be razor sharp.
• Shaft
• Fletching feathers or plastic vanes that help
  the arrow fly straight.
• Nock a slot at the base of the arrow that
  attaches the arrow to the bow string.
• Spine the stiffness of the arrow shaft.

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• Arrow Length the measured length from the base
  of the broadhead to the bottom of the nock slot.
• Arrows must have the same weight, spine,
  fletching, and length to shoot consistently.
• Bowhunting protection equipment
• Arm guard
• Shooting glove or finger tab.

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• Quiver
• Sights
• Bow handling
• Always check the condition of equipment before
  using.
• Never dry-fire a bow (never shoot or release a
  bow string without an arrow).
• Practice proper target identification.

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• Never shoot an arrow straight up in the air.
• Always use a quiver to cover broadheads.
• Check string for wear.
• Check arrows for bends, cracks, loose or broken
  points, cracked nocks, and damaged fletching.
• Always use a safe backstop when target shooting.

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• Always store bows and arrows in a rack and in a
  safe location.
• Check compound bow bolts, wheels or cams, cables
  etc.
• Apply string wax to the bowstring before use.
• Fundamentals of bow shooting.
• Master Eye your dominant eye.
• Stance

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1. Gripping the bow
2. Nocking the arrow
3. Draw, anchor, and aim
4. Release
5. Follow through
6. A responsible sportsman will NEVER shoot at a
   game animal that is farther that they can
   accurately and consistently shoot with a bow,
   crossbow, or firearm.

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• Tree Stands
• Safety
• Main cause of accidents from an elevated platform
  is the lack of knowledge and poor construction of
  stands.
• Use a rope or cord to pull your gun or bow up
  into the tree stand or lower the gun or bow to
  the ground.
• Always unload your gun or bow while getting up
  into or down out of the tree stand.

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1. Always use a safety harness to prevent accidental
   falls.
2. Check firearms for obstructions.
3. Use caution whenever moving about in the stand.
4. If weather or physical conditions get bad, get
   down out of the stand and onto the ground.
5. Some prescription drugs can cause drowsiness, so
   dont climb into a tree stand after taking them.
6. Thoroughly check the condition of the tree stand
   before using it.

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• Types of Tree Stands.
• Climbing
• Ladder
• Tripod
• Crossbow and its use
• Believed to have been invented 2,500 years ago in
  China.
• Became the most devastating weapon of war in
  Europe.

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• The claims of incredible range are exaggerated.
  The crossbow is a legitimate hunting tool and
  allows others to hunt that cannot draw a
  conventional bow.
• Generally, crossbows are not as effective as most
  conventional bows.
• The arrow used in a crossbow is called a bolt.
• Review the components of the crossbow in the
  manual.

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• Arkansas regulations require that all crossbows
  used for hunting have a mechanical safety.
• Shooting the crossbow
• Place cocking stirrup on the ground with the
  stock end resting in your midsection.
• Place both hands on the string and pull the
  string back until it locks into the trigger
  mechanism.
• Slowly release hand pressure on the string until
  you are sure it is securely locked.

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• Be certain the safety is in the SAFE position.
• Loading the crossbow
• Place the point of the bolt forward under the
  sight bracket and the shaft flat on the flight
  groove.
• Slide the bolt back under the bolt retainer until
  it contacts the string. Make sure the entire
  length of the bolt is laying flat on the flight
  groove.
• The bolt must be long enough to clear the front
  of the flight groove and should have a mass
  weight of at least 500 grains.

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• Firing the Crossbow
• Release the safety
• Point in a safe direction.
• Pull the trigger.
• Be certain to keep fingers away from top of
  flight groove and string while shooting.
• Sighting In
• Shoot at close range.
• Lowering the rear sight lowers the point of
  impact of the bolt, and raising the rear sight
  raises the point of impact.

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