Effective December 15, 2010, the Washington 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 Washington online course—the official hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Go to the new Washington course

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

3.14 Shotgun Sights

Unlike rifles, shotguns are pointed, not aimed, because they are generally used for shooting at moving targets. Shotguns generally have a small round bead on top of the barrel near the muzzle. Your eye is like the rear sight, and the bead is the front sight. That's all you need when using a shotgun to hunt waterfowl, upland birds, or rabbits. There are three basic rules for shooting at moving targets with shotguns.

Keep your cheek on the stock.
Keep both eyes open and focused on the target.
Keep swinging the muzzle through the target, pull the trigger and "follow through" (keep moving the muzzle with the target).

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Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: October 29, 2010
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