Congratulations to the June Class of 2008

June Class 2008

Congratulations to the June Class of 2008 for a job well done!

Last night 29 excellent students became the latest Firearm Safety Training certified students through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sponsored courses.

A special congratulations to the following students for their exemplary efforts:

• Best Essay: Morgan Sundrud
• Best Survival Kit: Leif Erickson
• Best Written Test Score: Matt Serratore

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.  The skills displayed by this group of students on the rimfire, shotgun, treestand and field test portions of Range Night proved 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!

June Class: Range Night, June 19th

Below you find a checklist of the items you will need to remember for Thursday’s Range Night aswell as an outline of the activities for the night.

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, or something orange above the waist.
• 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.

June Class: On to the Range…

Permission Skits

Everyone did a fantastic job tonight on the test.  All passed with flying colors.  Congratulations to Matt Serratore for the best test score!  Thank you for the excellent job on all of the “Asking for Permission to Hunt Private Land” skit presentations!

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.

I regret that we did not have time to get to 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.

With the cool temperatures in the evening hours, the likelihood bugs, 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!

June Class: 5th Night, June 16th

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.

Immediately after everyone has finished the test, we will have a short preparation period in your small groups in order to perform your “Asking Permission” skits, and then we will discuss them while talking about hunting opportunities and planning a hunting trip.

After I return your corrected tests and answer any questions you may have about them, we will have a show and tell period for your Survival Kits.  Don’t forget to bring your Survival Kit.

Then we will watch the interactive video Shoot, Don’t Shoot and talk about choices in responsible hunting.  If time allows, we will also work with the interactive Lazer-Ed Hunter Training video which incorporates a simulated firearm that fires a lazer and enables us to discuss responsible, efficient and effective shot timing and placement.

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 the four standard shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone).  At all times, we will continue to demonstrate muzzle control and practice the proper way to pass and accept a firearm from a hunting or shooting partner.

Assignment for Monday, June 16th

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.

June Class: 4th Night, Thursday, June 12th

Tomorrow night, after attendance, Bemidji area Conservation Officer Mike Hruza will be giving a presentation on the reasons for the need for firearm safety training, the reasons for laws, rules and regulations, and the hunter’s responsibilities.  He will also answer any questions you may have about Minnesota hunting regulations during this time so come prepared with anything you have always wanted to know or understand better.

Then we will review, correct, and discuss your homework assignment (Student Manual pages 73-102), including the Hunter Image, Ethics, and Responsibility worksheet pages 88-89.  We will discuss the five stages of a hunter (shooter, limiting out, trophy, method, and sportsperson), as well as discuss the characteristics of a responsible hunter, the hunter’s code, and to whom the hunter is responsible to present a positive public image.

The Hunting Dilemmas, worksheet pages 85-87, we will be doing as a group discussion project in class, but read the dilemmas ahead of time so you are familiar with and can begin thinking about the situations in order to provide some solutions to the dilemmas.

After discussing the hunter image, ethics, and responsibilities and the group discussion on hunting dilemmas, we will then take a look at the video we did not get a chance to watch last time, the interactive movie 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.

From there we will move into the Personal Preparedness section and discuss what you will need as well as be aware of should you encounter an emergency situation in the outdoors.  We will talk about mental and physical condition, the Rule of Threes (3 seconds, 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 blasts), survival skills and survival kits, first aid, hypothermia, and heat exhaustion.

We will review and correct the Rule of Threes blue box on page 92, and you should use the yellow box on page 93 to help you complete a list of the items you will include in your Survival Kit.  In class, we will watch the video Survival and answer the questions related to the movie on worksheet page 102.

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 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 Thursday, June 12th

Prepare for Thursday by finishing the following assignment in your Firearm Safety Student Manual:

• Complete worksheet pages 70-72 using your hunting synopsis, if you haven’t finished them already.
• Read through page 102.
• Complete worksheet pages 88-89, Blue Box on page 92, and use the Yellow Box on page 93 to help you build your Survival Kit.
• Review worksheet pages 85-87 and 102, we will complete these together in class. 
• Skip pages 83-84.

June Class: 3rd Night, June 9th

Tomorrow night after checking in your firearms and taking attendance, 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.

Then 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.  You may continue to bring a .22 long rifle caliber rifle with you to class for each remaining night of the course if you have one available to you.  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, June 9th

For Monday, June 9th, complete the following: 

• Read pages 43-72 (and complete 1-42 if you haven’t already done this).
• Worksheet pages 53, 57, 60, and, using your hunting synopsis, 70-72.
• Remember to bring your firearm to class with you again on Monday for hands-on practice of field carries and shooting positions.

If you haven’t worked on your survival kit, this weekend will be a good time to get started.  They will be due Monday, June 16th.  Be sure to check out the survival kit page for directions and scroll to the bottom of the page to find links to some great ideas for building your kit.  Try using the containers I provided to make your kit as compact as possible; the easier it is to carry, the more likely you will carry it with you wherever you explore.

June Class: 2nd Night, Thursday, June 5th

Starting tonight you will be able to bring a firearm with you to class throughout the rest of the course.  You may only bring a .22 long rifle caliber rifle and it must have a functioning safety mechanism.  You will need to transport it to class according to the Minnesota firearm transportation laws you read about in your homework assignment, and check it in with me when you get to class.  You will have to demonstrate that you can show me where the safety mechanism is and how it works, as well as open the action of the firearm to show me that it is not loaded.  You will never need to bring any ammunition to class.  I will supply ammunition for you the only night we will be using it – Range Day.

While taking attendance, I will also collect your Essays at the beginning of class.

We will start by going over your homework assignment that is due for tonight (pages 1-42 in the Student Manual).  We will review the types of firearm actions and firearm parts as well as look at the composition of the different types of ammunition.  There is a matching worksheet on firearms parts in your homework that we will also correct.

We will then begin to relate the hunter ethics we have started talking about to real-life field scenarios.  After watching the video Firearm Safety and the Hunter, we will discuss the questions and scenarios on worksheet pages 51-52 and 65 in your Student Manual.

Then we will look at some new material, such as field carries, crossing fences and obstacles, courteously accepting a firearm, safety in the treestand/blind, when to load and unload, and safe zones of fire.

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 practice the proper way to use the six field carries (sling, shoulder, trail, elbow, cradle, and two-hand ready) and practice the proper way to pass and accept a firearm from a hunting or shooting partner.