Stories from Hunter Ed

[El Jason]

Not as active the last few years, but I’ve taught Hunter Ed and Bow Hunter Ed for about 27 years.

Thanks to all who help out.

 

[the nikster]

Many years ago I took my family to Europe for a job I had. I contacted the State of Idaho to try to get my daughter into HE before we left but there was nothing doing.
They said she could be the first to try out a new ‘online course’. We accepted and she attended from Estonia via dial up. Man that sucked. But she passed.
When we returned to Idaho, the state came calling, said I owed them 1.
Asked me to teach. I taught about a dozen classes before life got in the way.
1 adult female sent me pics of a bear she got a couple months after graduation with a thank you card.
I had a 13 year old boy who knew all the information but mentioned killing people too many times and then was a wreck on the range despite all my efforts. He passed the written exam but failed the class. His mom was ruthless and mean. No regrets

 

[RealMuddyboots]

I do have a funny story about the IBEP course. My uncle and I were bowhunting in the Catskills and he shot a doe but little back. So little snow which gave us an edge. We trailed her all over the place then she started to fall down a lot. As we got closer, we heard yelling ahead of us. Another "hunter" had found her laying there and literally peppered her with 6 arrows. Seriously? WTH? She was already down! So my uncle said that it was his deer based upon he trailed it to where she dropped. It was still a kill shot barely in liver but she went about 1/2 mile. Well the hunter got belligerent which I had to intervene. Not worth it, she is sliced up with 6 more arrows. So we just left.

The following year I was doing a course and a guy kept coming up to me with his buddy and both swore they knew me but couldn't place where. At lunch I was eating with couple other guys and one of the those two whooped. goes off big time. Wouldn't you know it ethics was next on agenda. So as I was going thru ethics, I used last years scenario as part of the discussion. As I was going thru the scenario I noticed the two were heads together. In an instant, they both stood up and left. I wasn't going to name them but wanted to use real live scenario for class to ponder. I guess they figured out where they met me....

The class discussion was real interesting and I believe the real scenario brought life to a mundane subject matter. The answers were all over the place. When I told class the scenario happened to my uncle and I last year, it got quiet cause it was recognized it was real. One of the things I felt was important to convey was no deer is worth anyone's life. I thought it was a great moment.

 

[F250]

During our hunters Ed class we use “dummy guns” they are an example of the different actions. They look, feel, and function like a live firearm except the firing pin has been removed or made inoperable. We also use dummy ammunition that either has a fake primer or doesn’t have a primer at all. Our DNR has regional locations that store all of the supplies for instructors and before classes one of the instructors gathers all of the supplies they need. For the class I just got done teaching I have to get dummy guns from multiple locations since there are so many students to make the gun handling exercises go easier. Before I take the guns to the hunters Ed class I look them over just to know if there’s anything I need to be aware of. I opened up the break action shotgun and I find a shell jammed down into it with a dimpled primer and I can’t get it out. I had to get a cleaning rod to go through the muzzle and force it out backwards. The more I think about it, the more upset I’m getting. I have no idea who used them last. Even though the gun is inoperable I think as instructors we should be held to a higher standard for safety and this isn’t acceptable. What would you do if you found a firearm you are supposed to use for hunters safety like this? Am I overrreacting?
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If that was one of the DNR guns, you need to report that to the head of the Hunter Ed Division… where you picked it up from , where, and when. That’s Bullchit !!! Good on you for checking things over !!

 

[Gellar]

If that was one of the DNR guns, you need to report that to the head of the Hunter Ed Division… where you picked it up from , where, and when. That’s Bullchit !!! Good on you for checking things over !!

I’ve learned over the years they at least need to be cleaned. Sometimes I think I’m the only that wipes them down even. I’ve also taken several to our local gun shop to have sites fixed on them and replaced many of the cases. They make us use their guns but they take shitty care of them.