Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hunter's Safety Course

I believe it should be required that you take at least 4 writing and/or english courses in a fully accredited 4-year college before you share your thoughts in writing. Too many of the general public just cannot express themselves properly without it.

I was not required to attend a hunter safety course, but my underage son was, so as his transportation, I decided to attend witrh him so I would keep an eye on what he was taught.
It was held at the local Gander Mt., and while they had examples of most of the weapons discussed, it seems they did not have a bolt action shotgun, a combination gun, or a SXS shotgun among the store's wares. On day two, I brought in mine for display. The instructors loved me, and asked me to help out on all future classes at that location, but it was unpaid, and as a single income household, that was not an option.
The instruction was good overall, but they did say harvest instead of kill. (I did inform them, that no one planted any of the wildlife).

Good for him. He's lucky to have a father mentoring him in hunting. Wish mine had.

Thanks.

I was fortunate enough to take him and my daughter hunting for the first time 2 years ago. He and my daughter both got nice bucks.

Tremendously rewarding. They both enjoy hunting now but my son is pretty nuts about it. My daughter enjoys it, but I think the alone time with Dad is the priority in her eyes and hunting is a situation that produces that. I have a great picture of her skinning her buck a couple years ago. Very impressed that they both helped skin and process their deer.

This year they are going to have to help field dress too, unless it's a situation where it isn't safe or we are running out of time.

There's a really easy solution to that.

Already tended to that with my boy and the lead instructor.

Problem is, there were a number of participants that wouldn't know any better.

I think you missed my point. The solution is to volunteer your time like all HE instructors do, and make the course better by presenting the right information.

It's really cool to have people tell you how much they enjoyed the class.

I didn't miss it at all. Much of the crap they espouse is dictated by the higher ups. Had you read thoroughly, you would've seen where I wrote that. Other things were simple slip ups by the instructors.

When the FWP dictates a majority of the bullcrap, unless I get elected governor or get the governor to appoint me to the FWP board, not much I could do.

I also wrote the following:

Well, I've been doing it for 10+ years now and I can tell you unequivocally that no one dictates what I say in the classroom or requires that I disseminate "misinformation, factually incorrect direction, or poor judgment" as you call it. There's certain information we have to go over, but it's up to us to makes sure that what we present is good information. We develop our own presentations and we have a fair amount of freedom in that. If CP&W came out with a "requirement" that we teach students to open their actions for anyone they meet in the field, I (and the rest of the guys I teach with) would modify the "requirement" and teach what we know to be sensible and right. And if they wanted to, they could remove us from the program for not toeing the line. But I'm 99.5% sure that wouldn't happen because we're all volunteers and they need us to make the program work.

So if you're really concerned about the class and concerned about making sure all the information presented is factually correct and in good judgment, there remains one easy way to ensure that.

Or you could just complain about it on an internet forum and see if that helps any.

Where exactly have you been "doing it" for 10 years? Betting not Montana.

Did you not read again?

I stated where the one instructor, older guy I liked, constantly was catching and correcting himself when he used the term weapon. He admitted to me that using the term weapon, was verboten.

And when I mentioned that the instructor admitted he didn't like the open action thing, but he told me that was explicitly listed in the documentation he was provided that they were to teach this.

But hey, you keep living in your world make-believe world and hack on me for sharing my experience. And jump to conclusions that aren't there. You have a track record of doing that. Guess we shouldn't expect any different from you.

LOL, I see I struck a nerve. Normally I'd say that's a good thing because for most people it makes them think.

Obviously I don't teach the course in Montana because I don't live there. My state of residence is right under my name (and you say I'm the one who doesn't read). But if you think Montana has a corner on requirements that don't sit right with its Hunter Ed. teachers you'd be badly mistaken.

We have a few "requirements" right now that don't make it into our classroom. And since this went over your head the first time, I'll repeat it--we're all volunteers and the state could not run its program without us. It's no different in Montana. So if CP&W wants to come into my classroom and kick me out of the program for not doing it their way, they are more than welcome to. I have better things to do than teach new hunters things I don't agree with. My attitude has always been that if the bureaucrats at CP&W want the course taught "just so," then they can teach it themselves. But the fact is, they can't teach it themselves, and we all know that. So I continue to teach it my way. Who knows, maybe one day they will come into the class and kick me out, if so that's fine with me. The guys who taught your class could do the same but they choose not to.

So what I'm telling you is not "make-believe," it's fact. And I'm not "hacking on you for sharing your experience," I'm hacking on you for whining about something that's well within your power to fix. All you need to do is volunteer your time, same as everyone else.

This reminds me of coaching my sons' basketball teams. Some parents would volunteer and help however they could. Others never did. When the latter would comment on their sons' playing time, or offer advice on things that might be done differently I had a standard reply that involved them volunteering their time. They never took me up on it but at least they got the message which was, "if you want it done your way, there's an easy way to make that happen."

And by the way, I believe the avoidance of the word "weapon" originated in NRA courses, not with the state of Montana. We had a new instructor who wanted to implement that in our class, he was a former NRA instructor and he said that's how they teach it, at least in the class he taught. The rationale being, a weapon is used against people and a firearm is used for hunting. We did not use that concept in our class.

Yes. I went with son