We are seeing an unseasonably large number of campers in the bush at the moment.

At this time of the year we deer hunters typically have the bush more or less to ourselves. Missed opportunities over the Easter period, coupled with relatively mild weather and school holiday periods have made bush unseasonably busy.

It's fantastic to see so many people out enjoying the great outdoors - what is not so great to see is the increase in rubbish being left behind in the bush.

We know that most hunters respect the bush and do the right thing - as regular users of the bush we have a chance to be ambassadors for both hunting and for the sort of behaviour we expect to see. We also know that there are huge numbers of new hunters out there, amongst the other campers, who might not know what seems obvious to most of us.

There are three basic principles for keeping campsites in good order. It's second nature for most of us, but perhaps we can pass some of it on to the others we encounter in the bush.

Campfires

We need to be aware that, even in winter, you can be booked for leaving a campfire unattended.

Leaving your rubbish in a campfire is a big no.

• Glass does not burn in a campfire
• Tin cans do not burn in a campfire

Leave your campfire site, with nothing in it but ash when you leave.

Rubbish

What you bring into your campsite, you need to take home with you. It isn’t fun having a big bag of smelly garbage in the back of your vehicle, but it is a necessary part of camping until you can find a bin to dispose of properly.

Human Waste
If there are toilets, use them and leave them clean.

No toilets?
Then you need to go well away from a campsite and water source.

Dig a deep hole and then cover it completely.

If you are using a portable chemical toilet, the contents will turn to a slurry-like state thanks to the chemicals.

If you can’t pour into a toilet (preferred method), or a dump point (another preferred choice) then you may have to bury it, again, a long way from a campsite – but you need to still dig a deep hole and cover and disguise the hole afterwards.