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Course Outline

  1. Always control the muzzle of your firearm.
    • Always point the muzzle of your firearm in a safe direction.
    • Never point at a person, or where a person might be found, such as a building, vehicle, or even the next room.
  2. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
  3. Assume the gun is loaded.
    • Make it a habit to immediately check any gun you hold and make certain it isn’t loaded—even if you’ve been told it isn’t.
    • Checking a muzzleloader requires a different procedure, described in Chapter Two.
    • Don’t prime or cap a muzzleloader until you’re ready to fire.
  4. Know your target and what is beyond it.
    • Be absolutely sure of your target before shooting.
    • Never shoot at a “skylined” animal.
    • Bullets from a muzzleloading rifle can travel long distances and fall with enough force to kill a person.

Other Shooting Precautions

  • Only one hunter should aim at a target.
  • Don't shoot unless you know what's beyond the target. Never shoot at a "skylined" animal.
  • Don't shoot if someone is in your zone-of-fire.
Unsafe shot: Both hunters aiming while one hunter is in front of the other
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  • Topic 4 of 4
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