First Time Hunter Course
 

I read on Facebook, that there is now a crackdown on the people that simply checked the box, on their WIN application form, indicating that they previously held hunting licenses or took hunter safety courses with no proof of either. On Facebook, this has been twisted and misinterpreted so badly that some people now believe that every hunter in Alberta must now complete a First Time Hunter course. Some people are failing to understand the first statement defining a first time hunter. If you held a hunting license in Alberta or elsewhere, you are not required to complete a course. If you have held hunting licenses , and have been applying for draws every year, for 20 or 30 years, you are shown as having been in the system before the requirement came into effect, and that is proof that you are not a first time hunter. It is actually entertaining to see the mad panic that is developing on Facebook, because people are misinterpreting the requirement.

Reading comprehension, and understanding the nuances of the words, may, shall, and must, is a major stumbling block for far to many people.

You must remember those of us who were taught to read and understand things like the electrical code, have a huge advantage over somebody who struggles with grasping what’s written in the Sun, Journal, or Herald. The ability to grasp legalese, and pay attention to where the punctuation is placed, and understand that the use of a period in such cases may play a bigger part than what was taught in grade three.(CEC rule 14-100)

It seems that the vast majority of the people on the Alberta Hunting Addicts page, have no reading comprehension skills. :) One person was going on and on about his 68 year old father, that has hunted every year, having to take the course now.

I wish i could read some of this stuff but i tried to get added to the page and it is always denied

That is why the Sun, Jounrnal, and Herald are written to a grade 5 reading level.

As for AHA, there’s some real hum dingers on that site, lots of them remind me of the guy driving through the city with a deer strung up on a gambrel on the back of his truck.

It ain’t really worth getting wound up about. I just use it for the entertainment value.

Don't know if only the dumb ones post on that site and the smart ones stay silent. Either way if one was to judge hunters only by what gets posted on AHA it's no wonder non hunters think hunters are mentally challenged illiterate goons. Great PR ambassadors for the hunting community....NOT.

I seen that post this morning about the course.

Aha is good for a laugh when watching posters loose their mind over a rule they have interpreted their way or how their mentor said it was or plain wrong. Even after someone posts a screen shot of the regs and that particular rule. It still goes on and on, like they don't want to see the actual rule.

How does one find this Alberta hunting addicts Facebook page? I have a Facebook account but am basically an idiot when it comes to Facebook. When I search Alberta hunting addicts on Facebook I can’t find it. When I do a google search for it and click on the link, it says the page isn’t available.

That was my experience - tried twice. I guess me profile looks too anti for them, lol.

I hope they are doing a crackdown. I know a group of young fellas who thought they'd be smart and check that box. Years later it came back to haunt them. One guy got fined for each tag he had ever purchased. Forget what the dollar value was, but the fine was in the thousands.

Might be the same ones...but they had to forfeit each animal they harvested over a 9 year period. Basically they were deemed ineligible for all of them and as a result had to forfeit to the crown.

LC

I can remember people bragging about lying on the application, I guess they may not be bragging for long.:):)

What's Facebook?

Just like buddy arguing that all lease holders can limit the number of hunters on their lease.

I seen that one too

After starting the thread, and then arguing that the rumors about the course being mandatory for all hunters, the OP apparently has learned that he was incorrect, and has deleted the thread. :)

I am sure that the F&W staff will be pleased, as I was told by the head office in Edmonton, that they have been on the phone for two days straight reassuring people that the regulation has not changed, and that only first time hunters require the course.It didn't help that AHEIA, was telling people that the course has been mandatory for all hunters since 1964.

Dang what year did it actually come into effect elk? In Alberta for first time hunters.

According to the regulations, if you were a first time hunter as of April 1, 2010, you are required to take the course.

The thread on AHA is still up there, this is what F&W has to say about things,

“As with most application processes, there are instances where applicants provide false information or circumvent the eligibility criteria. If an officer suspects there is an eligibility concern, they may initiate an investigation to confirm ones eligibility and may require a hunter to prove their eligibility.

Section 15 of the Wildlife Act defines the offence of applying for, obtain or hold a licence when ineligible, this is a $115 specified penalty:
Ineligibility for licence or permit
15 A person who is not eligible to hold a licence or permit shall
not apply for, obtain or hold a licence or permit or a document that,
but for that ineligibility, would be a licence or permit.

Should a subject use or harvest wildlife with an ineligible licence, then the licence would be considered null and void and a hunt without licence offence would apply and result in a court appearance:
Hunting without licence
24(1) Subject to subsection (3), a person shall not hunt wildlife
unless the person holds a licence authorizing the person, or is
authorized by or under a licence, to hunt wildlife of that kind.”

I can no longer find the thread. It does appear that this nonsense is the result of some people lying on their WIN application form, but it blew all out of proportion and led to some people making incorrect assumptions about a Hunter Education course being mandatory for all hunters. I know the person that started the thread on AHA from my previous career, and it doesn't take much to confuse him. It certainly didn't help when AHEIA sent out misleading e-mails that were posted to support those incorrect assumptions. As for those people that lied on their WIN application form, I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for them.

Thanks elk. For some reason in my head I thought late 80's or early 90's. Don't know why. Either way I am not effected. I have never taken the course. Remember my brother taking it in high school here in Alberta, way before 2010. I wonder if they still teach it in high school.:confused:

Even though my father was n instructor, I never took the course, because I had already graduated. In tday's society, there would likely be a huge outcry , if anyone tried to teach the course as a school class.

They do teach it in outdoor ed classes. My daughter took it in high school. Would have been about 4 years ago. May have changed since then but this was at a small community school.


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I was a Hunter Ed Instructor in !998. It was Mandatory at that time.

Right from the Hunting guide.

So no, not all hunters are required to have passed the course, to be able to purchase hunting licenses in Alberta.

My daughter is taking it in grade 9 in their outdoor ed class right now.

I am surprised, is this in a rural area?

Not all Hunters were required to take the mandatory course at that time. It was for first time Hunters only

Sylvan Lake, and public high school

Exactly, but the e-mails from AHEIA that some people were posting on Facebook, did not specify that it was for first time hunters only, so people were assuming that it was for all hunters. That just added to the panic, that had already started.

I see that the thread is up on AHA again, but minus some posts, so the site mods must have had it offline for some cleanup.