Hunters safety Frustration

[Da goat]

Some of us need to remember not all parents out there are best qualified to teach there kids how to hunt. Some kids may go out and hunt after taking the class and remind there parents of laws and ethics. My son just finished his class and did fine. I also made him study the online course and I went through everything with him online before the class. I trusted him to sit in the class by himself. Half way through the week somebody asked me why I wasn't sitting through it with him. Everybody has different opinions but I felt if he is old enough to hunt then he can sit through class and pay attention on his own, I did mention that I prepared him greatly for the class, and when he gets out to hunt he will be with me. After reading the online course with him I learned a couple things, so I believe the class is needed especially when kids don't always learn best from there parents.

[Deep Forks]

I'm an instructor; this is my perspective.

Our classes typically have a higher ratio of young students that the one you referenced. We often have several students under 12, and some classes we've had four under age ten. Some of these students do exceptionally well: better than adults in some instances. They are attentive and eager to learn. If they are too small to safely handle firearms, that's an issue.

The state mandates the curriculum, but every one of our instructors feels very strongly about ethical hunting and sportsmanship, and we do emphasize it throughout the course.

Ethics is somewhat of a delicate subject because one person's ethics may not match another's. The classic example is often shooting a duck on the water. It's legal, but is it ethical? Most would say not, but what if the duck is crippled? Do you tell students to never shoot a duck on the water? Is baiting a deer ethical? Should I tell you or your children never to do it? I'm sure some instructors would say that using a GPS and a laser rangefinder is not ethical. Some would say that shooting a deer at more than 300 yards is not ethical. Where do you draw the line, so that every instructor provides a consistent message?

Yes, the primary emphasis is firearm safety. Having a hunter shoot someone has severe consequencs, not only for the shooter and the victim, but every hunter. The story of the Washington bear hunter that shot and killed the hiker a few years back because he mistook her for a bear has echoed around the world, and nearly resulted in shutting down a month of bear season.

It's important to remember that the hunter education program in Washington is not designed to teach everything there is to know about hunting. The program would be far too long. There is some thought being given to offering some courses / training beyond the basic program. Several states are doing that.

I do hope that you find a course that your daughter enjoys. If she were in my area (King County) I'd encourage you to enroll her in one of our courses.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

  Very well said.  

[PA BEN]

“Attitude is reflection of leadership.”
  Your attitude toward the class will pass to your kid. I have 5 daughters; all went through the class at age 9. It’s a hoop you jump through to hunt in Washington. You will take over while out hunting. Trust me your kids will keep you in line when you bend a rule while out hunting.

[jtw]

I went throuh it recently with my little brother. Honestly i learned a lot. Before the class i had gotten so set in my ways that i didnt realize how bad i was slipping. I originally taught my bro gun safety, but now he nails me. Im glad i went through it and have no qualms about others having to.

[Wazukie]

I remember the day when there was no firearm safety training nor a field test to go through it.  I say just play their game and get on with life. 

[quadrafire]

“Attitude is reflection of leadership.”
  Your attitude toward the class will pass to your kid. I have 5 daughters; all went through the class at age 9. It’s a hoop you jump through to hunt in Washington. You will take over while out hunting. Trust me your kids will keep you in line when you bend a rule while out hunting.

My 12 yr old daughter just finished up the class about 2 wks ago. We have been out grouse hunting and it is so nice to have her along.
Her class ranged from 9-55 yrs of age. When my son took it 2 yrs ago it ranged from 9-75yrs. The younger kids seemed to do better than the older on the testing portion, but if they are small they seemed to struggle with the gun handling portion, but at least they learned it whether they will use that particular firearm or not.
I don't see any reason to have classes divided by age.

[ctwiggs1]

we had a long time deputy in the class when I took my boy through - he kept quite and didn't talk a whole lot, did his test and checked the box off.

Funny part he was armed the whole week, in the school lunchroom where we took the class.
Seems so stupid to have to waste this guys time with hunters safety.


Same with LE having to get CWP to buy a handgun or wait 5 days, I've seen armed LE with a duty gun on their hip not allowed to buy a handgun and walk out with it 

Yeah, a buddy of mine got home from Iraq and wanted to go deer hunting.... NOT!  Had to go through hunter safety first.  Really?  AN INFANTRYMAN?!

Love this state sometimes.

[10thmountainarcher]

Dude as an infantryman myself, the qualifications we have are not on par with hunter Ed.  I wouldn't trust most the guys I work with in the woods... (scary to think of combat with this group).  Most privates don't take anything serious, and us others think we know it all.  We get rifle marksmanship and not a whole hell of a lot of safety.

[sebek556]

as retired infantry,  my scariest and funniest hunting stories come from guys I worked with  I.E. sitting in a tree when bam, buddy shoots 200 yards away.. then text me to see if I saw that deer that was right in front of me.. nope, he climbs down and meets up with me at the trail the "deer" was on, said it was laying down and he shot it and it never moved!  Turns out to be a dirt mound with a leaf on it... needles to say he hunted on his own after that, but I always checked to see where he was hunting...... he also didn't think it was as funny as the rest of us when I mounted his "deer" for him in a ziplock bag and brought it into work 

[newbie76]

I think hunters ed is a croc. Have the parents teach their kids and give them a pass or fail. Geeze, you can home school your kids, so whay not be able to home school them on hunters ed ? When our State Patrolman showed up here 10 years ago I asked him if he hunted, he said, "no I have to take the hunters ed course". But he can arrest you, he can shoot you, but he can't hunt.............STUPID  !!!

Yea but he did take many many hours atbthe basic patrol academy.

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[CAMPMEAT]

I think hunters ed is a croc. Have the parents teach their kids and give them a pass or fail. Geeze, you can home school your kids, so whay not be able to home school them on hunters ed ? When our State Patrolman showed up here 10 years ago I asked him if he hunted, he said, "no I have to take the hunters ed course". But he can arrest you, he can shoot you, but he can't hunt.............STUPID  !!!

Yea but he did take many many hours atbthe basic patrol academy.

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I think I understood your post. All LE should be exempt from stupidity.

[NBhunter]

My   


It is up to you as the parent to fill in what you perceive as the gaps in the formal education.   Formal Hunter’s ed can only address the very basics and should be a supplement to a much broader education instilled by the parent.

 

[follow maggie]

I've been hunting for 20 years and just took the class a couple weeks ago at Bremerton Trap/Skeet so I can shoot pheasants in North Dakota. I learned a couple things, it's a good class. It's proven that places that require hunter ed saw declines in accident rates.  I think it's a good thing.

[Mudman]

Its a joke.  Its simply a firearm safety course to keep the liberal sissys content.  It could be so much better but what Ive seen isnt.  It was much better years ago before the Leg. fixed it.