When I was 12yoa I took a home study Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course. Basically, reading textbook and doing worksheets. Then tests were mailed to a moderator (my father) who supervised the exam. I thought it was allot of content at the time but was proud of my accomplishment and felt I was armed with the knowledge any average hunter would have. I was very excited to apply for my win card but I was rather surprised that the clerk at Canadian Tire didn't care about my certificate of completion. Nor was I required to provide any evidence that I completed the course, I just checked the box that said, "yes I have completed a hunter training course".
I soon discovered that NONE of my friends/cousins had actually taken the course. They just checked the box, and figured it was good cause their dads would teach them everything. This was rather upsetting. It was also upsetting when I realized that the "Dad version" of the hunter training course was allot different then the "Alberta conservation and hunter education version". For example, in the [I]dad version[I] there is only one species of Grouse, Fool Hens. Another difference is that in the [I]dad version[I] ungulates weigh 2x as much, and bears weigh 3x as much. At first I would try to identify the different birds, but I soon learned not to be a geek. This hunting season, I sat on the roadside with my Bino's and watched someone shoot a 3x3 mule deer, high five their buddy, walk up to it with a big smile and suddenly become very nervous and scared looking.
So yeah, the online hunter training course is good because people at least do SOMETHING!
A Note on Record Keeping:
When I was 18yoa my younger cousin and his friends had an encounter with a Fish & wildlife officer. I was not involved at all. He took their guns and their parents had to come pick the guns up at the fish and game office, no biggy. However, somehow it came up that none of these young men had actually taken the hunter training course, so they had to take the online course before they could hunt again. His older brother who was not involved with the incident also had to take the online course. several months later when I was trying to apply for draws at wholesale sports the clerk said, "you cant apply for draws, you are not eligible to hunt". I ended up contacting the local fish and wildlife Office, they told me I needed to take the hunter training course, by some miracle I found my original certificate of completion and faxed them a copy and I was able to apply for draws that year.
So, how did the fish cop know that my 16yoa cousin hadn't actually taken the course?
Better question, why didn't the local fish and wildlife office know that I actually had taken the course?
My theory: One of the 16 year old kids admitted to the Fish Cop that he hadn't taken a course, followed by confessions from the rest of them. Then they figured that anyone with the same last name or maybe living in the same area must have also Not taken the course, so they froze my account.
It just doesn't make sense. Needles to say, i dont fall for government conspiracy theories cause I don't think the government is competent enough to pull of a conspiracy theory.
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