Tomorrow night after checking in your firearms and taking attendance, I will start by collecting any Essays that still need to be submitted. I will not know until class time if we will be able to do our hands-on portion of the class with the late April snowstorm blanketing us with a healthy layer of fresh snow. However, bring your firearms anyway as we may move our hands-on portion of the class indoors.
Then we will review your homework assignment due for tomorrow night (pages 43-72 in the Student Manual). We will review and correct the treestand worksheets on pages 50 and 53, and review and correct the hunting synopsis worksheets on pages 70-72.
At 6:30, Bemidji Conservation Officer Stacey Sharp will be joining us to give a presentation and discuss the hunting rules and regulations and safety in the field. His presentation will last about 45-50 minutes with plenty of time for answering any questions you may have for him. This is the time to ask any question you may have about the hunting regulations, so come prepared to participate and get your questions answered directly from one of Minnesota’s Conservation Officers.
After Officer Sharp’s presentation, we will finish going over your homework assignment by determining your dominant eye, discussing sight alignment, sight picture, and sight adjustment and reviewing and correcting the worksheet on page 60.
Then we will discuss the six fundamental steps of shooting (position, sight alignment, sight picture, breathing, smooth trigger action, and follow through), and introduce the four standard shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone).
Then we will have a class discussion while viewing the interactive video Shoot, Don’t Shoot. This video presents several hunting and shooting scenarios and we will be discussing whether you would shoot or not shoot in each scenario and explain what the correct choice is and why.
We will also talk about the progress you are making on your Survival Kit, and I will give you your assignment to prepare for the next time we meet.
Then we will spend the last half hour of class time with hands-on practice with your firearms. We will review and practice the six field carries (sling, shoulder, trail, elbow, cradle, and two-hand ready) and try out the four standard shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone). At all times, we will continue to practice the proper way to pass and accept a firearm from a hunting or shooting partner.
