Hunter ed. Bill Signed

Ham Slam

Ham Slam

Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
1,471
Likes
113
Feedback: 14 / 1 / 0
Just heard Rommeny signed a mandatory hunter education bill. As an avid hunter I guess I agree with this. Perhaps it will cut down the number of peasant hunters at Bolton Flats.

Up until now you could get a hunting license with any firearm license.

My only question is does this bill include a mandatory bow hunting course.
 
http://www.goal.org/news/huntered.htm

I tried a link to the Bill prior to posting this tread and couldn't find anything. All I could find was the link above to GOAL's brief description of the bill. oh and it states current hunters are exempt.
I guess there will be no less hunters at bolton.
 
You could order up your permit and tags on-line before.

Also most of the other states would let you skip the hunter ed class, if you have ever held a permit in any other state. I knew someone who applied for the MA non-resident permit, only to use it's number on the form to get one in his own state without having to take the class.
 
derek said:
It's always been that way.
Click to expand...

Odd... Until I actually took the class (Required to get certified to teach them) I could never complete the on-line application. I forget the error I'd get, but it never worked for me.

And the class was always just required to get the First permit no matter the state. It's a Federal thing. They supply a lot of the material, or funding and the state sets up the program. Or something like that. I forget the details.

The biggest issues I ran into was:

1) Getting so many nights of the hall for a class that brought in NO income for the club.

2) Getting a 'chief' instructor to run the first class until one of 'us' gets so certified.

LOTS of demand for the classes, very little interest in actually running them.
 
Chris said:
LOTS of demand for the classes, very little interest in actually running them.
Click to expand...

In Minnesota the Dept. of Natural Resources ran the Hunters Ed classes all over the place.

It's a good class to take when you are 13 years old and looking to go deer or duck hunting.
 
derek said:
In Minnesota the Dept. of Natural Resources ran the Hunters Ed classes all over the place.

It's a good class to take when you are 13 years old and looking to go deer or duck hunting.
Click to expand...

...or are older and just getting back into it (maybe).
 
derek said:
In Minnesota the Dept. of Natural Resources ran the Hunters Ed classes all over the place.
Click to expand...

Were the people and locations compensated in any way? That seems to be the big issue. Instructors have to volunteer and the locations have to donate the space. Some clubs run a consession stand to get some $$ back, but these days it doesn't cover the cost of heat or electricity.

I don't know about most clubs, but Riverside is a nice mid-size facility and between utility costs, insurance costs, and a drop off in quality hall rentals (can't tell you the number of times we've had to domajor cleanups after a roudy party) it's been tough. You don't want to raise dues. And then, you have crap like changing fire codes and such that cost us about $8000 this year.

Hunter Ed class sizes are about 40+ people from what I've seen. I've run classes that large, and it's tough. Especially when you have a mandatory test to pass on the last night. In my class, you should have seen the excuses people had. Not to mention the blatant cheating that was going on.

There is no formal training like the NRA instructor program. And it shows in the various misinformation I saw in my class. Especially when it came to the legal issues.

I really like the idea of the Hunter Education and I did learn a lot about those game I have never gone after, but I wasn't very thrilled with the Massachusetts program.
 
Chris said:
Were the people and locations compensated in any way? That seems to be the big issue. Instructors have to volunteer and the locations have to donate the space. Some clubs run a consession stand to get some $$ back, but these days it doesn't cover the cost of heat or electricity.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the state had a set price it paid it's certified instructors. I had mine at the DNR office in my county.

Chris said:
I don't know about most clubs, but Riverside is a nice mid-size facility and between utility costs, insurance costs, and a drop off in quality hall rentals (can't tell you the number of times we've had to domajor cleanups after a roudy party) it's been tough. You don't want to raise dues. And then, you have crap like changing fire codes and such that cost us about $8000 this year.

Hunter Ed class sizes are about 40+ people from what I've seen. I've run classes that large, and it's tough. Especially when you have a mandatory test to pass on the last night. In my class, you should have seen the excuses people had. Not to mention the blatant cheating that was going on.
Click to expand...

With the state hosting them all over the class sizes were small, I had about 15 in my class mostly kids my age with about 4 or 5 adults. But the hunters ed course was mandatory if you wanted to go hunting before the age of 18.

I don't recall the test being that difficult. But it was 20 years ago so who knows.

Chris said:
There is no formal training like the NRA instructor program. And it shows in the various misinformation I saw in my class. Especially when it came to the legal issues.

I really like the idea of the Hunter Education and I did learn a lot about those game I have never gone after, but I wasn't very thrilled with the Massachusetts program.
Click to expand...

When it comes to legal issues MA and MN are pretty different in regards to firearms. And remember all the instructors were DNR agents.
 
I've been at BR&P when they were running one of the Hunter Safety classes.

Multiple days/nights, 60-80 attendees (very crowded room, not ideal for test-taking), take over entire building, nobody was allowed to use the range for hours before class thru end of class, all volunteers and no payment to the club or anyone else.

BR&P does it 1-2x/year. But I see why a lot of clubs wouldn't entertain this as it impacts membership with no revenue for the imposition.
 
Back
Top Bottom