badluck

I am currently taking a hunter education course with my son. I went through it 4 years ago and at that time thought it was a good course. I took it at a different place than he is taking it and the presentation of material was very good and very understandable to the novice. The course he is in is 100% opposite. The instructors jump from one thing to another and back again many times a night and I don`t know if I would be able to pass the test when time comes let alone an 11yo. I know the course is probably not intended for 11yo kids but his passion is growing for the sport and asked me to get him into it. I was more than happy to sign him up. But, now that he is there I don`t know if he will make it. I know he can take it again but it will kill him to not pass it. I really don`t think the material is over his head and he does very good at the range as far as safty and because the material is presented at a level that is probably over my head he probably will not pass and will have to redue the class. I guess I am just b**ching but that feels good every now and then ya know. Any opinions on having to take hunter education??? Good or Bad???? Worth it or worthless????

Thanks
Hack

mauser06

its mandatory here and in most states...here they seem to be pretty much common sense..i took it when i was 11 so i could get my liscense when i was 12 and i passed only missing one..it was pretty easy...im sure from the sounds of it it would confuse the heck out of someone that doesnt know the material well...if he fails dont worry take him somewhere else...they do have some worth though..exspecially to young hunters it helps them learn why things are done they way they are and things like that...good luck

timbercruiser

Myself and a friend have hosted the Florida hunters education course for the past few years and in my opinion they are very well presented. From my observation though, less than 13 years old is not a good idea for the course.

halcon

I have done hunter safety in a couple of states and it was always a volunteer position . I don't know of any state that pays the people who give classes .Unfortunatly under those conditions you just aren't going to get only qualified people to teach it . A lot of them are very good and most I have known try to do a good job . If you feel the instructor needs help why don't you volunteer some of your time to help him . BTW Yes I do feel that it has been a great help bringing the amount of hunting accidents down since the states started to require it .

hoythunter48

I took it at age eleven also. I think you had to konw the amount of blaze orange to wear, types of actions on guns, gun safety, field dressing, and game identification.

"She said if I hit that fishin hole today, she's be packin all her things and she'd, be gone by noon....I'm gonna miss her, when I get home."

nntramp

Most states I understand are directed at 11-13 year olds, I would just make sure that you look through the book and talk the main points over with him yourself. Does the class have alot of youngsters, or older hunters getting ready to go out of state in it? If it is youngsters ask the instructors to gear it down a little.

Tree climber

talk to the instructor and explain your thoughts that it is a little over the kids heads.see if you can help him with the class.
then go over everything with your kid to help him understand what he will need to pass.
In Fla. you have to have the class to be able to hunt.

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

uncle matt

Badluck,

Congratulations! I can see from your posting that you understand the learning process as utilized by humans. You are very, very correct to feel that by jumping around from subject to subject and point to point that your son possibly ( probobly? ) will not be able to gather the information and catalog it in his memory in a manner which he will be able to readily recall the information for that test.

Congratulations! This is another wonderful opportunity for you to share some QUALITY time with your boy. Here's how. Take careful notes during class by keeping an individual page for each subject or point. Then later you and your son can maybe find a quiet place in the woods, perhaps an area you hunt ( where you can do a little double duty by scoping out any possible activity? ) and you can go over things together. Maybe quiz one another.

This may seem like having to "unnecessarily" take the class "twice", but hey it's not that long of classes anyway. Look at it as a solid short term investment into something that will pay dividends for the long term (lifetime).

Maybe when (if) the class instructor notices you flipping from page to page taking noted he'll ask why you keep flipping back and forth and you can tell him, "Cause that's how you present the material-back and forth". I would not be nasty or smart about it because as someone else posted they are probobly a non-paid volunteer and I think it's a noble contribution to donate the time to assure our kids can enjoy the thrill and fellowship that hunting is.

I would bite your tongue as hard as necessary to not let your son know of these "bad" or "unapprovimg" feelings about the way classes are presented. Kids are sharper than ever these days. Don't worry about the test or sell him short of his abilities. He'll probobly do fine on that exam!

What if he passes and you fail?!?!! We'll do postings on that if the time comes. LOL

I've taken the class twice ( in Illinois ) with my nephews (so as to set a good example for both of them that took it, and hey why not? I had to drive them there and it didn't make a bit of sense to drop them off, drive home and basically have to just turn right around to go pick them back up.) and passing the exam wasn't a problem for them (or me) at all. They were 11 and 12 year olds at the time.

Hey aren't just kids great?

CalNewbie

California's class is an eight hour session with a pass/fail test at the conclusion. My instructor made it a point to teach to the test, the test came from the book, so he strayed very little. There was useful information, but not much that I couldn't have gotten from reading the booklet on my own. I've learned more by lurking on this and other boards than I got out of the class.

TREEDOG

man class took 2 days, it was fun, sure it was common sense mostly but it is great for the younger guys wanting to hunt. afew of the idiots i saw there i woudlnt wanna bewithin 2 miles of the woods they hunted in. one kid showing how to cross a barb wire fence with a rifle, fell over the fence with his rifle in his hand (before they shown him how lol). If all these classes only save 1 life or prevent 1 injury then yes, there worth the time.