Effective Wingshooting, the CONSEP Way...
Want to improve your shotgunning skills, deepen your commitment to conservation and reduce hunting expenses? Sign up to attend an upcoming CONSEP program.
What is CONSEP?
The Cooperative North American Shotgunning Education Program helps shotgun shooters, waterfowl and upland game bird hunters sharpen their skills in marksmanship, distance estimation and equipment selection, regardless of the shot material they choose to use. CONSEP-trained hunters can also contribute more to conservation and reduce hunting expenses. How? Read on.
| Event and Date | Location | Reserve by: |
|---|---|---|
| Effective Wingshooting - The CONSEP Way
Friday, September 17 – Saturday, September 18, 2010 |
Charles A. Green Conservation Area | Friday, September 10 |
| Effective Wingshooting, the CONSEP WAY
Friday, October 8 – Sunday, October 10, 2010 |
Andy Dalton Shooting Range | Thursday, October 7 |
Better Shooting, More Conservation Results—and Reduced Expenses!
Hunters have long been leaders in conservation, helping Missouri develop regulations, improve habitat and control wildlife populations. With CONSEP training, Missouri's wing shooters can become more efficient shooters, making fewer marginal shots and reducing the numbers of wounded game. This improvement in resource conservation can increase the breeding population. Further, learning to use nontoxic shot with confidence can save game birds and wildlife from lead poisoning, especially in wetland areas. In addition to boosting your wingshooting performance and conservation results, CONSEP can help you save money on expenses--fewer wasted shells means more money in your pocket!
| Waterfowl Species | Minimum | Typical hunting conditions | Minimum desired pattern density (hits/30" circle) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small ducks over decoys |
6 steel* 6 tungsten allow |
6 – 4 steel 6 – 4 tungsten alloy |
135 |
| Medium ducks over decoys |
6 steel* 6 tungsten alloy |
6 – 3 steel 4 – 6 tungsten alloy |
115 |
| Large ducks over decoys |
6 steel 6 tungsten alloy |
6 – 6 steel 4 – 6 tungsten alloy |
85 |
| Large ducks Pass Shooting |
2 steel | 2 – 1 steel | 85 |
| Small geese | 2 steel 2 bismuth 4 tungsten alloy |
BB – BBB steel 2 bismuth 2 tungsten alloy |
60 |
| Large geese | 2 steel 2 bismuth 4 tungsten alloy |
BB – BBB steel 1 – BB bismuth 2 – BB tungsten alloy |
50 |
Close range is less than 35 yards; all shots should be limited to less than 45 yards. Velocity on all loads should be a minimum of 1,225 FPS.
* Note: Small shot (#6) is an excellent choice for close range swatter loads
for finishing cripples.
What Will I Learn at CONSEP Seminars and Workshops?
Effective wingshooting, the CONSEP Way Seminar
- Learn shotgun wing-shooting fundamentals and proven techniques from Department instructors
- Get fact-based information on wildlife data, hunting and shooting techniques, shotshell technology and choke and shell selection
Effective wingshooting, the CONSEP Way Workshop
- Evaluate and improve your personal wingshooting skill level
- Assess and improve your range-estimation skill
- Measure and improve your equipment (gun/choke/load) combination and performance
- Get free steel shot free
- Learn how to use steel shot to improve overall marksmanship skills
Free Steel Shot
Because many CONSEP workshops occur on wetland areas, we shoot only nontoxic steel shot and provide it free of charge to participants. Aside from being nontoxic to wildlife, steel shot is the cheapest nontoxic shot, it holds the tightest patterns and has the shortest shot strings. If you can learn to shoot steel shot effectively, you can be more effective with lead or any other exotic nontoxic shot.
Why Use Nontoxic Shot?
Since March 1, 2007, twenty-one conservation areas have had a nontoxic shot-only regulation for all hunting with a shotgun. These conservation areas are larger wetland areas where potentially sizeable numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds concentrate in the fall and spring. The nontoxic shot regulation will reduce the incidence of lead shot ingestion, which is often fatal to all birds, including doves and scavenging birds, such as eagles that feed on waterfowl with lead shot in the carcass. Mounting evidence points to lead poisoning occurring in more than 30 species of birds other than waterfowl.
The nontoxic shot rule will apply to all hunting with a shotgun including dove, turkey, quail, rabbit and squirrel. Since 1991, waterfowl hunters in Missouri have used nontoxic shot for all duck, geese and rail hunting. Read more.
