Bow Hunting Workshop 9th to 11th September 2011

July 11: Game Council NSW in conjunction with the Australian Bowhunters Association (ABA) are conducting a weekend course encompassing all aspects of bowhunting. Learn to bow hunt better with instructors from the ABA and Game Council NSW. The course covers bowhunting for deer, goats, pigs, rabbits, hares and foxes, camouflage and shot placement, bowhunting equipment and bush craft, GPS navigation and reading forest maps.

The 2011 Bow Hunting Workshop will be held at the Orange and District Bowhunting Club at Orange, NSW, 259kms or 3.5 hours west of Sydney from 9th to 11th September 2011. The Club is located at Clifton Grove on the Ophir Road about 13kms north-east of Orange. Just follow the directions with most intersections being sign posted with Bowhunting Workshop signs. Heading into Orange from Bathurst on the city's outskirts, turn right at the Ophir turn-off onto Lone Pine Avenue near the Prime TV studio complex for 2km until the T intersection and turn right onto the Ophir Road for 4km and turn right into Banjo Patterson Way and follow it for 7.5km until you come to the Orange Bowhunting Club on the left.

Try and aim to get to the venue by say 4.30pm on Friday 9th September 2011 to allow time for you to settle in, unwind and become acclimatised in this really lovely environment. The weekend starts with a getting to know you barbecue dinner at 6.30pm Friday and concludes after lunch around 2.30pm on Sunday 11th September 2011. Camping at the Orange Bowhunting Range is available free with toilet facilities but no shower facilities are available. Alternatively, a range of accommodation options are available in nearby Orange or call the Orange Visitors Information Centre on 02 6393 8226 for assistance.

The workshop course cost to attend all the weekend's events is just $160 for each participant with an R-licence or each Junior under 18 participant. The cost will be $220 for participants without an R-licence and this fee will include the cost of an R-licence to be completed at the course. Payment can be organised through the Game Council NSW Orange office on 02 6360 5111 or info@gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au

Barbecue dinners on the Friday and Saturday nights will be supplied by the Game Council. All other food and drinks can be purchased from the Orange Bowhunting Club who will provide catering including breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea as well as a bar open on the Saturday night. Alternatively, participants can bring their own food and drink.

You will need to bring camping equipment, warm clothes, warm bedding such as pillow, sheets and blankets or a bedroll, towel, toiletries, wet weather gear, sunscreen and hat, your bowhunting gear but no broadheads, pad and pens, camera, iPad or laptop, your autograph book for presenters to sign as a memento of the Bow Hunting Workshop and optional food and drink supplies.

This course will be structured around a small group format with all sessions on Saturday and Sunday conducted in groups of up to 12 people with one instructor. On Friday and Saturday night, several PowerPoint sessions will be run for the whole workshop group. On Saturday afternoon, a bow technique and range session will also be held for small groups and course participants should bring their hunting bow and sufficient arrows for the range session. The Game Council and Orange Bowhunting Club may be able to supply some bows and arrows for participants who do not have their bow. Only arrows with target points will be used on this course and absolutely no broadheads are to be brought to the weekend!

Presenters include Andrew Moriarty, Brian Boyle, Daryl Venables, Grant Hughes, Mick Watts, Ron Contreras, Corey Morrow, Greg McFarland.

Topics cover an introduction and welcome, hunting laws in NSW, navigation and GPS, scouting forests for deer, written permission, SIX viewer, traditional archery, bowhunting equipment, camouflage and animal vision, bow tuning, anatomy and shot placement, finding game and optics and glassing, using trail cameras, caping, skinning and butchering demonstration, shooting techniques and range session, R-licence tests, campfire chit-chats, bowhunting overseas, knife sharpening demonstration and care, hunting from blinds and tree stands, hunting small, medium and large game, bush craft and survival, open session with questions and answers, discussions, feedback.

This year's Bow Hunting Workshop is unmissable. Join Game Council and the Australian Bowhunters Association for a great weekend of expert advice and practical demonstrations. Hurry as places will be filling fast, so book now!