The safety on any firearm is an important device, not just a push button near the trigger.  It is a mechanical device intended to prevent the unintentional discharge of ammunition intentionally placed in the firearm’s chamber.  This does not mean that a safety’s purpose is guaranteed, so you should never rely on a safety to keep a firearm from firing.

In amongst all the handling of firearms our students do, being able to location and operate a safety is something expected.  A fair amount of firearms has a button near the trigger that operates as the safety.  If it is pushed one way, generally it will show some degree of red, meaning that is the position the safety must be in when the shooter is intending to squeeze the trigger.  Other firearms may have a slide button of some sort and will show an “S” when in one position and when moved will show a red dot or otherwise cover up the “S.”  While the color red will always mean the safety is off and the firearm is ready to fire, on the slide type safety, seeing the “S” indicates the safety is on.

Do our students benefit from hands on training?  Bob and I have prided ourselves on our classroom interactivity of having real firearms available to students to pick up, inspect and learn about.  We have always felt it to be one of the most important aspects of learning firearms safety in our classes.  But does it make a difference?

We got our answer one Saturday last spring.  In between the spattering of rains Bob and I headed to the Minnetonka Sportsmen’s range to enjoy a bit of shooting.  One of the reasons for the trip to the range was to bring a young friend there so he could shoot ‘big bore’ rifles for the first time.  Coincidentally, this young friend had recently completed a Firearms’ Safety class successfully, but was limited on his range day to shooting a .22 rifle and a shotgun. He had expressed an interest in doing some shooting with the big guns (maybe he meant Bob and I?), so we headed to the rifle range right away.

I made a disrespectful error last night and I am offering my apology.  Last night was the first class of this season and it was not only challenging for the students, but for us, the instructors as well.

In hindsight though, it went quite well considering our new electronics and a new room layout that required a lot of adjustments.  However, in the last few minutes of class time, I made a comment to parents that had snuck into the back of the class, meant as a humorous, but polite reminder to the parents, that our classroom policies ask that parents not registered as students wait outside of the classroom until the students are dismissed.  To any parent that may have found this comment offensive, I apologize.  As we discussed in class, respect towards others is an overriding theme to ensure the future of shooting and hunting sports.  A sportsperson’s disrespectfulness will affect the opinions of many more people than the expected, respectful attitude.  It is far from my intention to be a bad example of a sportsman. 

It looks as though we are going to have a good sized class for the 2011 spring class.  Bob and I are excited to announce that thanks to the generosity of the VFW, we have a new projector and a large screen for viewing the video portions of the class.  Compared to what we have been using for the last nine years, this year will be like watching a movie in the theatre instead of watching it on grandma’s 40 year old television.

We have many things planned for the class and a lot of information will flow through our website.  With this in mind, you should bookmark www.mnfas.com as a favorite.  Homework will always be posted on the site, normally on the Friday following a class, for the upcoming class.  Information about the range day test will also be posted, including a general map of the location.

Well, the class went off without problem and as instructors, we learned a few things again.  Our students, hopefully, learned a lot, and by the test results, field day activities and comment cards completed by the students, they did a good job and enjoyed themselves immensely.  As instructors, what more can we ask for?

As is normal, as the range test day drew near, the excitement from our students increased exponentially.  We have always dedicated at least 45 minutes of the class before the range test to go over the expectations, rules and answer the hundreds of questions the student raise.  And this year was no exception; questions abounded and everyone was able to leave the class well prepared for the experience.  I wonder how many students were able to sleep well the night before?

There are a whole lot of variables that must be executed properly in order for a person to get lost on a hunting outing in Minnesota.  The fortunate thing is that even if all the variables occur and you find yourself lost in the woods, you have a 90% chance of being found within the first 24 hours after you are missed.  The flip-side to this enlightening fact is that once you are lost, you had better have survival plans for at least the next 24 hours.

It seems inclement weather always plays a role in getting your directions messed up when you are in the woods.  Nature provides a great compass with the sun most of the time; we all know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  Using this knowledge and other simple observations while in the woods, you can generally chart your exit route or direction of travel based upon the estimated time of day and the location of the sun.  But without the sun, a walk through the woods can be more challenging, especially if you are not overly familiar with the property.

Well, our last class included a lot of classroom time, namely the speaking/listening stuff that we all know isnt' as fun as the hands on.  But, with hunting comes responsibility, not only to yourself and others, but to wildlife itself and the land.  Being a good hunter involves being respectful, law abiding, ethical and knowledgeable.

Some may ask, "who needs to know about habitat, carrying capacities and the like?"  Well every hunter should know about these things and understand not only the benefit of the environmental conditions, but use them to your advantage.  Take for example habitat; it would seem like a waste of time to go hunting for pheasants in a large mature forest.  First off, that's not normal habitat for a pheasant, plus carrying capacity for pheasants in an area like that isn't very high.  Believe me, after all my years hunting, I won't say that you can't find a pheasant in a mature woods, just saying it isn't likely and if you do, there won't be many.