Bad Hunter Education Experience

[LopeHunter]

While I haven't had the same experience as you I did have a bad taste after both of my experiences. The first was with my son on the last day (field day). All we were told to do was bring your guns to the range. We show up to the Logan gun Range along with another father son combo only to be greeted by some wanna be drill sergeant who tells us he cannot inspect our weapons because they are not in a case. It isn't said nicely but loud and really rude. He goes on to insult myself and the other father saying that we have no business walking with guns outside of cases. What a putz. Because we had brought the guns in the truck unloaded and without a case we didn't know what to do. Another dad walks up and hands us a blanket and says that they will accept it if it's wrapped up in a blanket
The part that makes me mad is the way he talked to me and the impression he had on a 12 year old. I saw our instructor there and told him what happened and asked him why he hadn't told us to bring a case and he apologized and said he didn't think it mattered.
The next experience was with my daughter recently. It was during the portion when the warden comes and talks. The warden in her class went off on trail cameras and said that he has a big stash of them. He said that he tears down everyone he sees I'm thinking that there are people who just for fun put those up and are not using them to pattern or track animals for the purposes of hunting but just to get pictures. I felt he was out of line and didn't handle that issue properly.
I like most think the instructors are great and for the most part do an excellent job. In these instances it wasn't instructors but some that were part of the days program. You can either make or break a child's spirit and you have to be careful on how you instruct and criticize.

As for game cameras being removed, that is the law on certain types of pubic property. If someone does not like the law then they can get involved in the system to try and change the law. Just because Uncle Terry and Cousin Mary were not good at following laws should not be a pass for them or anyone els. Law enforcement takes an oath to uphold the law. How many blinds, chairs and game cameras have to clutter up our lands? How many trees need to be illegally cut, nailed and literally screwed for our hobby? Drive over the speed limit, get a ticket. Leave crap on public lands that have rules designed to keep out abandoned property then either LEO or someone else will remove it.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Unfortunately as volunteers and even as paid FWP personnel, Hunters Ed instructors bring their own personal bias and opinion to the course. It is good for parents to participate with the adolescent students to ensure that all perspectives are discussed so that students can make up their own minds when it comes to those more controversial issues. I wish the course could be confined only to what is firm information and related to what will be tested, but at the same time much of the discussion about personal experience and helpful hunting tips is good to hear and learn.

My grandson's small group instructors were very clear about transporting unloaded rifles or shotguns in a case and about labelling with an identification tag. It was evident at the range as students checked in and had guns inspected that some had not been informed about the gun case requirement. However, one who had gotten the word and remarked that he did not think it was a big deal was reprimanded and required to find a gun case. The requirement was described as a range rule for the day for all students.
It's too bad that not all instructors emphasized the rule, since obviously it was enforced.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Thanks again to everyone for their input and responses and a special thanks to Ben Lamb who helped bring the issue to the attention of the powers that be at MFWP who did contact me. I still want to look into this a little bit and compare notes with the other father I know who was there when I get home. But from what I learned today the class my daughter was registered for was some kind of abbreviated class that required extensive preperation and they had to pass the test right away to quality. The problem is that none of this was mentioned on the site I registered her on. To be fair I did receive an email sometime after we registered indicating that additional details had been posted......with an apology for the delay. Apparently the additional details probably outlined the advanced requirements, but due to my travel schedule I didn't have time to review it. I guess I just assumed that a " Hunter Education Classroom Course" included instruction prior to the test.

I take responsibility for the mistake on my end but am still concerned that both my wife and daughter as well as the other father and daughter we know came awayvery turned off by the whole experience. We have already picked a new course to enroll the girls in and they will be ready to go come next hunting season.

Glad to see this is getting resolved, but all thanks should go to FWP. They saw the post and acted swiftly to take care of the problem.

 

[Tom]

The full course should go much better, especially if you can go with her. Good luck.

 

[birddog32]

Never in my life have I heard of that kind of nonsense. I'd call and raise hell.
Better yet, go down to the Dept in person and raise all kinds of hell.

That^^^^

 

[Tom]

The Montana online course is great. There's a quiz every section and you can review what you miss till you get it right. If you have to quit it remembers exactly where you were when you come back. At the end of the whole course, there are practice tests. You don't have to pay unless you want the certificate for field day. There are little videos through the course. Even to clean and site in a rifle, etc. I Highly recommend that course.

 

[Lawnboy]

As for game cameras being removed, that is the law on certain types of pubic property. If someone does not like the law then they can get involved in the system to try and change the law. Just because Uncle Terry and Cousin Mary were not good at following laws should not be a pass for them or anyone els. Law enforcement takes an oath to uphold the law. How many blinds, chairs and game cameras have to clutter up our lands? How many trees need to be illegally cut, nailed and literally screwed for our hobby? Drive over the speed limit, get a ticket. Leave crap on public lands that have rules designed to keep out abandoned property then either LEO or someone else will remove it.

I understand your point but putting up a camera is only against the law in certain situations. This officer said he takes them down whenever he sees them. FWP uses them all the time. Look on their website. The point was that he spouted off something that was only partially true in front of impressionable kids. Here's the law:

Motion-Tracking Devices and/or Camera Devices
It is illegal for a person to possess or use in the field any electronic or camera device whose purpose is to scout the location of game animals or relay the information on a game animal’s location or movement during any Commission-adopted hunting season.

 

[louh]

My daughter took a state ran class in Redmond Oregon some years ago and the drill instructor they had was so brutal that my daughter has refused to hunt with me ever since. some time after the class one of the femail instructors came to my daughter and apoligized but she still has such a bad taste for "hunting people" that she will not go with me. If I ever run in to that guy their is going to be trouble. what he took from me was not his to take.

 

[louh]

sory not sure that got posted to the right place