Well, not exactly. But as I started thinking about blog/podcast segments and what I am interested in, I think that Thursday is a great day to talk about things you might do this weekend like shooting, hunting and the outdoors.

A few months ago, my son joined a school sponsored trap team. That team is hosted by the local Elk’s lodge. One thing lead to another and I am now involved with the Elks and running the local gun range. One of the things that trap team is doing is putting on Hunter’s Safety this weekend.

Back when I was kid, I took hunter’s safety. It was a summer pursuit where my brother and I attended class for half a day for about a week at the local Boy’s and Girls club. Now, with the advent of the internet and online learning, you can largely complete the course with an on-line learning experience. That being said, most states (including mine) do not consider the online experience complete without a ‘field’ day. So that is what we are going to do this weekend.

This event is a bit self-serving because safety training is required to participate in the upcoming trap season. But, there are a lot of reasons to take Hunter’s Safety.

  • Hunting – Youths under the age of 18 are required to present a Hunter’s Safety certificate to obtain a license (in my state). Some states require adults to pass a state specific hunters safety course to get an out of state license.
  • Safety – The class covers many aspects of hunting equipment including basics of firearms and archery tackle. Knowing how the specifics operate and fundamental firearms rules makes a person more well rounded and aware of potential dangers. This event will use live fire in a supervised environment to hone those skills.
  • Ethics – Hunting is rooted in tradition. It is a fun and rewarding pursuit that brings a meal to the table with a story and a memory. But to have a positive outcome the when and where are important.

Even if you are not a hunter or a gun person, I still highly recommend these skills as a well rounded person because there are more than 200 million guns in this country and you never know when you might run into one. The NRA offers a free course for a number of states https://nra.yourlearningportal.com/Course/HuntersEdActivityInfoPage and links to your state if not currently approved.

Right now is the tail end of waterfowl and small game season, we will be getting into spring bear and turkey within a few months and the big game season is looming this fall, especially if you are wanting to put in for lottery type tags. Happy hunting and building memories.