SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 13 Andy's Hunting Guide It was August 2014 in the beautiful Kalahari district of Namibia. My wife and hunting buddy, Margie, was carefully placing her Merkel 6.5x55 atop the shooting sticks, in preparation for a diffi cult shot. We had just stalked across semi open grassland to a point 160m from a small herd of very suspicious Oryx. As she drew a breath she whispered to herself, "In line with the front leg and in the bottom half, right!" The shot rang out and the animal dropped cleanly, the end result of so much practice and study. Most people think study is unpleasant, but in our case, watching numerous hunting DVDs as well as many repeats of "The Perfect Shot" by Kevin Robertson was a real joy. Pointing out the best aiming points on numerous species, from many differing angles, makes decision making easier when the pressure is on. If you normally hunt small to medium game such as rabbits, goats and foxes, the small calibre, high velocity rounds we mainly use have a catastrophic effect on the nervous system, and exact bullet placement is less critical. If you haven't hunted larger game animals often such as pigs, deer, buffalo or camels, it is important to have a good understanding of their anatomy and use this knowledge to place your shot well. Dr Kevin Robertson is a Veterinarian in Zimbabwe as well as a Professional Hunter and author. The most important point in all of his teachings on bullet placement for the perfect shot is as follows: The bullet must pass through the centre of the gap between the two front legs, preferably in the bottom half of the body. The attached photos show a Birchwood Casey deer target with the organs in place. This is fi ne but the real animal hasn't got these markings on its hide… You need to place a brown paper overlay to cover the kill zone markings. Take your shots from fi eld positons at the covered target and then remove the overlay to reveal the results. This method was used for a number of shooting accreditations I have run and the results were very embarrassing for many of the shooters that were tested, with failure rates of 80%. It is our responsibility as ethical hunters to ensure a good animal welfare outcome, i.e. a clean dispatch and as little suffering as possible. As part of the improvements planned for Silverdale Range, I want to install life size, animal shaped targets made from conveyor belting, with an audible gong situated behind the vital kill zone. Shot at from fi eld positions at up to 120m, you will know if you have affected a good killing shot. Unfortunately, your friends will let you know if the gong doesn't ring. Get a copy of Robertson's book or DVD, buy a couple of deer targets and brown paper and test yourself out. It could be you muttering those last second reminders while viewing the trophy of a lifetime. See you out in the paddock. Andy Mallen Knowing the kill zone: don't just aim for the big bit

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