SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 19 good practice to reload your rifl e, hold over the animal for a few moments before then unloading your rifl e and moving on to confi rm your kill. An animal may fall immediately as the shot is fi red then suddenly springs up and darts into the bush. Do not chase after the animal. Wait 15 minutes for the animal to either expire or bed down before beginning your search. Follow up and despatch any injured or wounded game before moving to the next target. Ethical hunters obey the unwritten and moral laws as well as the written ones. Invest some time in attending a course in fi eld dressing and butchering animals then get out there and practice for yourself. It may not come naturally to you straight away, but with time, patience and perseverance comes the reward. Take care of your game meat by keeping it clean, cool and dry. Calico game bags are inexpensive and light weight, an essential for any hunting pack. Also, remember that there is no way you can harvest the animal unless you have a knife! The most important of all… Permission! Make sure you have the express permission from the land owner or manager to shoot on that property. Failure to obtain permission is one of the main complaints landowners have against hunters. The consequences of being caught illegally hunting are simply not worth the risk. Our responsibility as ethical hunters extends to: • the landowners • the land, the native fl ora and fauna • the hunting community, and • the game we hunt. SSAA NSW HUNTER'S CODE OF ETHICS Ethical, safe and responsible hunting 1. I have a responsibility to be aware of and comply with all relevant legislation relating to hunting, animal welfare and the use of fi rearms. I will obey all game and fi rearm laws and regulations and will insist that my companions do likewise. 2. I will consider myself an invited guest of the landowner, seeking his/her permission and conduct myself so that I may be welcome in the future. I acknowledge that a fi rearms licence does not automatically authorise me to hunt on any land, and I will not hunt on any land unless I have the permission of the landowner. 3. I will obey the rules of safe fi rearms handling and will courteously but fi rmly insist that others who hunt with me do the same, and I will do my best to acquire those skills of marksmanship and hunting which assure clean, ethical and sportsman like kills. 4. I will not fi re at a game or pest animal unless it can be clearly seen and identifi ed. I am responsible for every shot I take and understand that I must never pose any discernible risk of injury to any person or damage to any property. 5. If an animal is wounded, I will take all reasonable steps to locate it so that it can be killed quickly and humanely and to achieve a humane kill I will: • Ensure that the target animal is within the reasonably accepted killing range of the fi rearm/ammunition or bow/ arrow combination being used. • Ensure that the fi rearm/ammunition or bow/arrow combination being used is appropriate for the type and size of animal targeted. • Always use hunting equipment (fi rearm/ammunition or bow/ arrow combination) that can be reasonably expected to humanely kill the animal that I am targeting. • Only fi re when confi dent of hitting and killing the animal or bird. 6. I will support conservation efforts that support sustainability for future generations, and will pass along attitudes and skills essential to ensuring long term sustainability of Australia's natural and cultural heritage.

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