What You'll Learn
- Improving shotgun skills
- Pattern-testing procedures
- Best loads and choke combinations for waterfowl or upland gamebird hunting
- Estimating range and distance
- Game recovery strategies
- Increasing harvest rates
- Benefits of nontoxic shot
- Matching nontoxic shot shells with appropriate shotguns and chokes.
Free Steel Practice Shot and Clay Targets Provided
We provide free 12- and 20-gauge nontoxic practice ammunition to participants. Besides being nontoxic, steel shot is the cheapest nontoxic shot, (many times cheaper than even lead), 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 any other shot. We provide free clay targets, too.
What To Bring
You must have some understanding of waterfowl or upland game bird hunting, shotgun shooting, chokes, and ammunition.
Bring the following:
- Your shotgun
- Choke tubes (if applicable)
- Any other nontoxic shotgun ammunition you would like to pattern test
- Eye and ear protection
- Stool or chair
- Snack, lunch, and beverage.
Host A Workshop
Would your club or organization like to host one of these free workshops for your members and the public? Contact the Education Outreach Coordinator at 573-522-4115, ext. 3295 to set up a workshop.
Ready To Register? Check The Events Calendar Below
Workshops are offered at various locations statewide throughout the year. Call 573-522-4115, ext. 3295 to find out when a workshop will be offered in your area.
Effective Wingshooting Events
This basic program includes an introduction to wingshooting fundamentals, distance estimation, non-toxic shotshell ammunition selection for hunting, and shotgun patterning. The main goal is to help migratory bird, upland bird, and all other small game shotgun hunters improve their hunting skills with non-toxic shot.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has a regulation that now requires hunters at certain conservation areas to use non-toxic shotshells while hunting for waterfowl, doves, and various other game species. This class is designed to help hunters become more efficient and ethical harvesters of all game, especially waterfowl while using nontoxic ammunition. Instructors will teach participants how to choose the correct choke, load, and shot size for different game, how to estimate shooting distances, and how to effectively lead their target. For more information on the nontoxic shot regulation, you can visit https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/regulations/nontoxic-shot-regulations