Effective January 1, 2010, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Oregon online course—the official hunter education course of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Oregon certification.

Shotgun Ammunition

Shot Sizes

Shot size is adaptable to the game being hunted. As pellet diameter decreases, more shot can be placed in a standard shotshell load. The smaller the shot number, the larger the shot size.

Cutaway view of shotshells

gauge: Term used to designate bore diameter of a shotgun; gauge is determined by the number of lead balls with diameters equal to the diameter of the bore that, when combined, weigh one pound.
shell length: The length of the shell after it has been fired.