A new shooter can often wonder where to begin in hunting. First off they need to attend a hunter education course to learn safety, responsibility and ethics. After completing a certification course, they are free to hunt, but where do they start?

My favorite way to kick off the hunting season is a dove hunt. My very first wingshooting experience was a dove hunt with a 16 gauge single barrel and a tobacco field. I think I managed to put three doves on the ground with two boxes of shotgun shells. At the end of the afternoon, I had a sore shoulder and a love for the fast flying birds that fly so hard they squeak.

We all know the gun range mantra of “eyes and ears” and, when we’re at the shooting range, many of us wear this protection without fail. However, it is not uncommon for a hunter to head to the woods without hearing protection in place.