Online Hunter Education Certification

[Don Meredith]

Well, it's finally here. If you can't find a convenient hunter education course near you, you can now take the course and exam online.

For more information, go to the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association web site and click on the Education button in the lower right corner.

[Stinky Coyote]

Very Cool!!!!!

[aulrich]

I have one of my 11 year olds that's chopin on the bit to get going, I just ran out of excuses. Got to love it!

[mikevander]

I've Just Completed the On-line Course it was excellent much better than going to classes.

[geezer55]

I can see the place for taking the Alberta Hunter Education Course on-line because of work schedules, the location of where you can take the course and you can study at your own speed, but the idea of being able to take the test on-line is idiotic. First words out of my wife's mouth were "great, now they can cheat." Those were also my first thoughts also. When I accompanied my son to the course, when he was twelve, if I remember right they handed out three different tests so if you cheated you may have copied from a different test then the one you were writing. I know we want to get hunters out there but shouldn't we want well taught hunters out there.

Well I guess, when it comes to kids taking it, the parent should be there taking it with them, helping, like all mentoring it should come from the parents. If you let your kid cheat, well then you are letting both them and you down together.

This was not directly pointed out to you geezer..just my personal feelings on it.

[geezer55]

I wasn't allowed to "help" either of my sons or my wife (one was 12, the other 13, won't tell my wife's age) when it came time to take the Alberta Hunter Training Course test, my mentoring came beforehand while they were taking the course. I wasn't allowed to "help" either of them when it came to their driver's licence or my oldest when it came to his firearms course. If you can't pass the test without help, how educated of a first-time hunter are you?
I was talking to a non-hunter (mid-twenties) that wants to take the Alberta Hunter Training Course before next years season, told him about the on-line course and test and the first words out of his mouth were "then all I have to do is copy from the text when writing the exam."

[Versatile]

Is there a time limit for the exam? I know when I did my boating test online there was a time frame for the test. Not saying it wont stop cheating but it may help in some cases.

Originally Posted by geezer55

I wasn't allowed to "help" either of my sons or my wife (one was 12, the other 13, won't tell my wife's age) when it came time to take the Alberta Hunter Training Course test, my mentoring came beforehand while they were taking the course. I wasn't allowed to "help" either of them when it came to their driver's licence or my oldest when it came to his firearms course. If you can't pass the test without help, how educated of a first-time hunter are you?

As I was trying to say...the "help" you give them comes before the test, not during...it's called being a mentor to your family. . Nice way to miss the point though

[geezer55]

Troller, Sorry for the misunderstanding. I thought by "taking it" you meant taking it you meant taking the test. I agree all help should come while taking the course not while taking the test. I have no problem with the course bring offered on-line but I do have a problem with being able to take the test on-line. I don't think anyone, youth or adult, should be allowed to take the test unsupervised. I wonder how many re-writes there will be when people learn that a re-write cost $25.00.

[aulrich]

I just started the course last night with one of my sons (11). The online test for us is a real benifit, because I will be helping him, let me give some context.

At this point he is really struggling with reading (the school has coded him with a learning disability), at this point he would never pass the test if I did not read it for him. Last night I could see him getting scared, and intimidated then I told him that we had lots of time, don't need it till draws are due and that I would read the test for him, the relive was obvious. Then we had a good laugh over my statment that I would not help with answers because it is my ***** that would get shot or my wallet that would pay the fines if he was not safe

Now as a side benifit it is real easy to get him to sit down and do some extra reading every night he really wants to go hunting.

There will always be cheaters you can't throw the baby out with the bath water to stop them. I have seen plenty of "helping" during in person tests too?

[Dean]

Is this the course needed for firearms acquisition permit? If so can it be challenged on-line? By challenged I mean can you take the test without going through the course?

[Don Meredith]

No, firearms acquisition is a different issue. You must successfully take the Canadian Firearms Safety course or challenge the exam. Contact AHEIA (web link in original message) for course or exam dates and times (click on the conservation centres).

[Setterman]

I have been an Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education for almost 10 years. The online course is a great substitute for those individuals who can not connect with instructors in there area but it is no substitute for an actual course. In order to run a course it must be a minimum of 20 hours where the students learn all sorts of different aspect to hunting and conservation. The hands on learning that takes place is not available from the online version. If i was a parent I would make my child attend a course. I have had many students with learning disabilites and I try and accomadate by providing readers and so forth. The real issue about cheating does not revolve around how the course is delivered but how many people just lie on their WIN applications and say they have taken the course. I am sure that AHEIA keeps records of who takes the course but do F&W ever check these records???? My experience with AHEIA has been great as they truly believe their motto of " Making wildlife and wildplace part of the value system of all Albertans".

[mackenzie71]

My son just completed the online hunter ed. course. I went to the AHEIA and got him a book for 15.00. He chipped away at ita couple of hours a night. By the time he was done all the chapters and the final exam, he passed with a 98%.

One thing I found odd was my son pointed out a couple of questions on the final exam that were no where to be found in the book.
You get 90 minutes to complete the 100 question final exam. It took my son about 65-70 minutes.

I sat with him through each chapter. Some of the stuff in the course was a good refresher for me as well.

[GeoTrekr]

A couple of the questions on there are from the Alberta Hunting Regulations, that's probably why you couldn't find them in the book.

[aulrich]

As I go through the material I have one minor beef, the wildlife pictures in the identification sections need to be true color not shades of green. with biggame it is not as required but the birds it would be helpful.


Now it is something I can add easy enough (google is a great tool).

[mountainmike]

Am I correct? The online course costs $70? How old does my boys need to be?

Thanks Mike

[dougie_ boy]

i just finsihed my first year hunting and got two whities but i would say that even thogh i took the lesson i think my dad (buck) will likely put my sister through

[BUD]

I just want to take the test and get my fac lic , l already have the pol ,already have guns , cant find any answers.
Also why should l have to take a course , l,ve been hunting and handling firearms for 55 years , and why should l pay 70 to a hundred bucks to sit down and write an exam with questions NOT pertaining to non resticted weapons , l will never own an ak47 nor a pistol , nor do l want one.
A straight simple exam pertaining to hunting and the weapons hunters use is what we need , and a fee of 25 bucks to cover the cost of the 2 dollar paper that its written on is all we should have to pay, its ridiculas.
Why should l be put in the same catagory as first time hunters.
Time to change this system.

[Don Meredith]

Bud,

Don't confuse this course with the firearms course. They are different. This course has to do with hunting generally. Firearms are mentioned but you can't qualify for an FAC with it.

You do not have to take the firearms course. You can challenge the exam (at least last I heard, you could). Contact AHEIA for places and times to challenge the exam. And there is a separate exam for restricted vs. non-restricted firearms.

[BUD]

Originally Posted by Don Meredith

Bud,

Don't confuse this course with the firearms course. They are different. This course has to do with hunting generally. Firearms are mentioned but you can't qualify for an FAC with it.

You do not have to take the firearms course. You can challenge the exam (at least last I heard, you could). Contact AHEIA for places and times to challenge the exam. And there is a separate exam for restricted vs. non-restricted firearms.

ok , sounds good , thank you.

[u_cant_rope_the_wind]

just Doing some thinking on all this
and I have a question for everyone
why not take the course and the test
whats it gonna hurt ?
what do you have to loose? Conservation and Hunter Education Training Program
$70.00

try it maybe we might learn something and test ourselves
let alone the new comers to the field??????????????????
I,m sure we all could use some refresher courses,
unless we think we are so good that we couldnt learn some thing new, never mind remember something we have forgoten about



This comprehensive, easy-to-use online hunter certification program covers important hunting topics, including;



Module 1 - Role of Hunter

Module 2 - Hunting Ethics

Module 3 - Wildlife Management &

Conservation

Module 4 - Wildlife Identification

Module 5 - Clothing & Equipment

Module 6 - Firearms

Module 7 - Bow Hunting

Module 8 - Survival

Module 9 - Field Techniques

Module 10 - First Aid

Module 11 - Hypothermia

Module 12 - Legal Responsibilities

Module 13 - Physical Fitness

Final Exam



This course is a Provincial requirement for all first time hunter’s in Alberta and as such complete certification is required with an 80% pass mark on the final exam. Certificates will be issued by mail upon successful completion of the program. This online course may be taken from any internet enabled computer and can be paused and returned to at any time

[mountainmike]

Has anyone taken the online course? Just wondering how long it is? Time wise for my sons? I get them every 2nd weekend.....could it be done over a weekend? One last Question, is there a min age requirement?

Thanks MIke

[Janitor Pants]

Once you buy the course you have six months to complete it, it gives you a user account and keeps track of the modules and quizzes you complete. From what I could tell, there was unlimited rewrites on the quizzes as you had to score 100% on each of them. The final exam is a one shot deal, you need 80% to pass and have 90 minutes to complete it.

I did this course over a saturday afternoon, and the final exam took me approximately 15 minutes at which point I received a passing mark of 99%.

Overall it is quite a good course I thought, I already knew most of what was on the test having spent my life around folks that do hunt, but as I have never hunted before I thought I should get it so I can go hunting this fall.

On a side note, they were extremely quick getting the certificate and badge out to me. I got a phone call on monday confirming my year of birth as I had accidentally entered it wrong, and on wednesday I had the certificates and badge in hand.

[mountainmike]

J Pants thanks for the info Mike

[g-tard]

Well taking the test on-line kicks the crap out of people lying about having had a hunting licence in another province and getting a win card issued with full privilidges. At least on-line there is traceability.

[Take Em!]

The people who have a problem with this being online are obivously missing the point. Yes it is easy to cheat.. yes it is easy to get someone else to write the exam for you... yes there is the possibility that the people who now pass will not be as educated as previous individuals... but at the end of the day this increases the oppurtunity to get people registered and out there hunting! THAT IS A GOOD THING! Besides, lets be realistic here, that course doesn't give you the ins and outs of hunting anyways.. those are best taught by an experienced grandparent/parent/friend. No one goes and writes the exam and goes out hunting without being with an experienced hunter first anwyays.. they wouldn't even know were to start! That course isn't going to teach you that... at least it didn't for me when I was a kiddo. This online course makes it easy for me to get some of my friends involved though. They didn't want to take the time to go on the weekend course or grab the book and go down to the wildlife office and write the exam but with it online it is easy to do from home. Who cares if they have the book open when they write the exam.. they are still going to have to come out to the field with me and that is when the real hunting education begans...

[haggis95]

Took the course on-line last weekend. I enjoyed the info, and learned a lot about the ethics of hunting and conservation philosophy behind hunting: law of invesity, law of compensation, you can't stockpile wildlife etc. It helped hunting make sense in a bigger picture.

I've done lots of wildlife spotting, bird-watching, hiking, and wilderness first aid so that helped provide me with a background.

I didn't see or use an opportunity to cheat.

I passed with 99% - there was a regulation question I missed that wasn't in the course.

I'm waiting for my certificate eagerly, and am now studying for the PAL and RPAL.

In the mean-time I joined a gun clun, and am having fun shooting 9mm semi auto handguns.

Love this site by the way!

I took the exam online and suprised the **** out of myself by getting 100% without cheating. I thought about cheating to be honest but why bother? The Q?s are 90 commen sense and the study guide is very thorough so you really dont have to be a genious to ace this test.
I thought I got at least 5 questions wrong that i kinda had to guess on but i guess the study guide did better for me than I thought.
Cass