A Few Spots Left for June

I picked up the registration forms and sign up sheet for June from Barry at Community Education this morning and I’m happy to report that we have another nearly full class.  There are 27 names on the sign up sheet leaving three spots, or possibly a few more depending on the number of parents attending, for the June course which starts Monday, June 2nd.

Check the dates!  The course runs Monday and Thursday evenings for three weeks.  There are only the July and August courses remaining.  Get in, get signed-up, get the training, and get it done.  Then, let’s go hunting and shooting!

Congratulations to the April/May Class of 2008

Congratulations to the April/May Class of 2008 for a job well done!  You were a terrific group of students who made for a fantastic way to start the year!

Last night 23 students became the latest Firearm Safety Training certified students through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sponsored courses I instruct at the Bemidji Trap & Skeet Club and the Gordy Buchanan Memorial Range.  The four remaining students will attend the June Class Range Day.

After Minnesota’s newest hunters showed off their Survival Kits, they successfully demonstrated responsible, safe, and knowledgeable actions in the Field Test and the Live-Fire Rimfire Test as well as in the Treestand Safety Demonstration and during the Shotgun Trap Range Live-Fire.  An early sunset on this spring evening cut our Range Night short and I regret we were not able to include large-bore rifle, muzzleloader, and archery for this class, but judging by the skills displayed on the rimfire, shotgun, treestand and field test portions this class will be ready for a successful and safe 2008 hunting season!

Good luck to all the graduates on their hunting, shooting, and outdoors adventures!

We Go Tonight…

Rendezvous at the Range!  That’s right, it’s Range Night!

I’ve been keeping my eye on the weather and it looks like we will have fine weather tonight with temps around 55-60 with partly sunny skies.  It may be a little cool, so remember to dress accordingly.

If you are still not sure how to get to the Gordy Buchanan Memorial Range, click on The Maps page at the top of this site to find a couple different maps with directions.

Here is a list of things to remember about tonight:

• Dress acoordingly.
• Wear a blaze orange hat if you have one.
• Bring your Survival Kit.
• Bring eye and ear protection if you have them, or else I will provide.
• Bring a .22 long rifle caliber rifle with a functioning safety mechanism if you have one, or else I will provide.
• Do not bring any ammunition, I will provide.
• Bring a beverage and snack if you will need it.
• Always listen to and follow the directions of the Rangemaster.
• Absolutely no horseplay, this is a live-fire event.
• Respect your fellow classmates.
• Perform all aspects of the Range Night activities by following the responsible, informed, safe, and knowledgeable practices of an ethical hunter.

A brief outline of the night:

1. Attendance.
2. Share, discuss, and pictures of Survival Kits.
3. Class picture.
4. Live-Fire Activity directions and explanations.
5. Field Test Activity directions and explanations.
6. Treestand Activity directions and explanations.
7. Start a rotation of the above activities.
8. As long as everyone passes all of the activities, and I expect all of you will, each student will be issued their temporary Firearm Safety Certificate, do not leave without it.
9. Trap range shooting.
10. Rifle range shooting.

See you all tonight at 6:00PM at the range.

Spots Still Open for June’s Course

There are still plenty of spots open for the June course.  I just talked with Barry over at Bemidji Community Education, and the sign-up list for June currently holds 14 names.  You can find the dates for the June course as well as July and August on the 2008 Courses page at the top left.

I would encourage anyone interested in taking the Firearm Safety Training course to try to get into the earlier courses.  Many people put it off to the last minute and then rush to find a course to get certified before the fall hunting season opens.  For this reason, the August course fills fast!  If your schedule allows, get in to the June or July courses.  The early birds who filled the April/May course are now just Range Day away from being certified and ready to go!

Many instructors, myself included, do not offer fall courses because they are also huntersand want to spend as much of the precious hunting season in the treestand, duckblind, or wherever there passion leads them.  Get in, get signed-up, get the training, and get it done.  Then, let’s go hunting and shooting!

On to the Range….

Everyone did a fantastic job tonight on the test.  All passed with flying colors.  Congratulations to Ben Thompson for the best test score!

Everybody was doing a fabulous job in the hands-on portion of class as well.  Everyone looks comfortable displaying all of the field carries and shooting positions, and you are doing a fine job of passing/courteously accepting a firearm.

Thank you for the excellent job on all of the skit presentations, and to the few who were able to present their Survival Kits.

I regret that we did not have time to get to all the Survival Kits, but this will give you extra time to work on them and we will look at all of them on Thursday night at the range.  So don’t forget to bring them with you again.  I will post a tentative plan for the Range here before Thursday to let you know the intended schedule for the evening.

You are all ready for responsible, knowledgeable, and safe firearms handling at the range.  I want to reassure anyone who may be nervous for Thursday to simply continue practicing all of the things we have discussed in class and you will do a fantastic job.

The early forecast for Thursday looks good for the range.  We are predicted to have partly sunny skies and about 55 degrees.  With the cool temperatures and all of the shooting we will be doing Thursday, it may be wise to dress in layers like you learned about in the Personal Preparedness chapter of the Student Manual.  Remember to wear a sturdy or thick shirt and light jacket for a little padding from the firearm recoil.

More information to come before Thursday – check back!

5th Night, May 5th

Tomorrow night is Test Night and Survival Kit Night!

Before we take the written test we will review and correct your homework assignment (Student Manual pages 103-136).  Some of the questions on the worksheets in this assignment will be on the test, so have the assignment completed and ready to discuss.  The Wildlife Conservation and Management Terms worksheet pages 129-130 are the ones which include test questions.

I will also review any questions you may have about the test before we take it, so come prepared to ask questions if their is a topic you are not understanding.

The written test is 50 questions, mostly multiple choice with some matching and true/false.  If you’ve paid attention in class and done the reading and worksheets in the homework assignments, you will do just fine.  There is no time limit so you can take as much time as you will need to finish.

You will be performing a short skit with your group on how to properly ask for permission to hunt on private land later in the night.  So if you finish the test early, review page 135 in your Student Manual and come up with some ideas for your skit.

We will have a show and tell period for your Survival Kits immediately after everyone has finished the test.  Don’t forget to bring your Survival Kit.

Then we will watch the video The Hunter’s Path and talk about choices in responsible hunting, hunting opportunities, perform the asking permission skits and discuss them, and talk about planning a hunting trip.

We will talk about what will be expected on Range Day night and what you will need to be prepared for the most important night of the course!

Don’t forget to bring your firearm as well.  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.

 

Assignment for Monday, May 5th

By Monday night, complete the following:

• Read through page 136 in your Student Manual.
• Fill in the blue box on page 106.
• Complete the worksheets on pages 129 and 130 (there will be questions from these pages on the test).
• Pages 135 and 136 we will discuss in class, but review them ahead of time.
• Your Survival Kit is due Monday night!

The written test is Monday night as well, 50 questions of mostly multiple choice, with some matching and true/false.  Be prepared to ask any review questions you may have before we take the test.