Confronting Stupidity...

[OutPhaze]

Last week I decided to go ahead and get my California hunting license. I have been a licensed hunter since I was ten years old, (and shooting since I was about two!) so I did not think it would be a problem. I went to the KA dept of Fish and Game's web site, and low and behold there was a problem. (I should have known there would have been, after all this is California and nothing is as it should be.) The requirements for getting a KA hunting license are as follows.....You must produce a California hunting license from a previous year, or swear that you had one. Or, produce an out of state license issued within the past TWO years. Or, produce a hunter safety certificate. There is no "grandfather clause", and NO exceptions. My problem was the fact that the last license I had was from 2001. Technically, even though I have been hunting and shooting since I was two, and was a Range Officer at the Rifle Range, I had to take a hunter safety course. The stupidity of this was just too much to handle, so this is what I did......At one time I would have just signed the declaration stating that I had a Kalifornial hunting license in a previous year. But seeing as how stuff is becoming more and more computerized, I could just see this coming back to bite me in the moons one day. (And I really didn't want them to "Send In The Waco Killers" on me. ) So I went down to the Department of Fish and Game and greeted the lady very politely. I asked her to bear with me as I laid out on the counter 20 old hunting licenses (some going all the way back to 1969) from two states and Canada. Beside them I put my life membership card to the NRA, my FFL, my Range Officer ID, and my Concealed Carry License. I then told her my problem. She took all of this in, and then said...."Well, I'm not suppossed to issue you a license, because you are supposed to have to take a hunter safety course according to the law." And before I could say a word, she added, ...."But this is ridicules, I'm going to give you a license." So, I now have my California hunting license in my wallet, and I did not have to suffer through ten hours of BS....and be shown how to safely shoot a rifle.

 

[CZ 75 BD]

Welcome to THR...

as much as we like to rant about rules and bureaucracy, it is still humans that are in charge. So when we work with them things can be made to happen that might not otherwise.

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

Sometimes being nice to the right person has its benefits, too. Congrats on not having to put up the BS.

 

[scout26]

Welcome !!!

Congrats on getting a buearucrat to say "yes". They only thing they are able to do is say "no", hence their power.

On the other hand, I sat through the 20 hour course they have here in Illinois with my daughter earlier this year. As much as I thought I knew everything there is to know about hunting, I was surprised to learn how little I acutally knew. Nothing against my dad and uncles who taught me to hunt, but this class had a ton of great info. Not that I had been doing anything illegal or unethical, but it helped to clarify for me why I hunt, and gave me tools and information to help in discussion with anti's, and even more importantly with non-hunters.

I'm looking forward to taking the class again in a couple of years, when my now, 3 year old son, is ready to head out with me, to the deer and turkey woods.

 

[sumpnz]

As ridiculus as it did seem at times, the Hunter Ed class I took (20 hours - 4 weeks of Tu and Th classes plus a Saturday) was actually not too bad. It's mostly geared towards 10-14 year olds as they are required to complete the course before they hunt, but they seperated out us adults so that we got a more age appropriate level of instruction. I don't know how it is in CA, but at least here in AZ if you "graduate" from Hunters Ed you get a lifetime bonus point that's good for all of the big game species. Considering how few tags they authorize that can make a big difference in your ability to get drawn. I'd suggest you take the class anyway - you never know where you'll pick up a nugget of really valuable information.

 

[mustanger98]

I took Hunter Ed in GA last September. Mostly it was common sense, or what should be common sense, and can you see through how they ask the same ten test questions five different ways. I aced it.

 

[H&Hhunter]

As much as I like to rag on California....

I have to say here in Colorado there are no exceptions either you have a Hunter ed card or you don't get a license..PERIOD.

Must be them darn Californians moving into the state..

 

[Greybeard]

IIRC, the "grandfather date" for exemption from hunter ed. for Colorado is something like bithdate not later than Dec. 31, 1948, which exempts a few geezers. (But, even I ain't one of 'em - born in '52)

How do I know that? I get to listen to lotsa similar whinin' real regular each fall when a fresh batch of Texans gets ready to head that way - and many do not learn of the hunter ed. requirement until the 11'th hour. (And unfortunately, some of 'em get all the way to CO before they learn the real tough way.)

Seems like the last numbers I saw (for 2002?) showed that Colorado relieved about 18,000 Texans of some of their huntin' money that year. Followed by Kali at around 12,000 ...

So yea, it's not a bad course and can be a good certification to have. On some fed. lands, it is required even for those who were born two days before dirt was invented ...

 

[sturmruger]

Hunters Ed

I have a buddy that is really bad about keep stuff that he really needs. He took hunters safety here in WI when he was 15 which was about 12 years ago. I don't think he even made it two months before he lost his card. When he went to buy his license when they asked him for his Hunters Ed # he didn't have a clue what it was so he just made up a number. Every year since then he just make up a number. A couple of years back we went to a new system where we are all assigned a special number. As long as you have that number they don't ask for the hunters ed # anymore. He has somehow been able to keep a hold of his new number but they probably still have him on file with like 9 differeant hunters ed numbers. I still don't know how they DNR never caught up with him. Stupid system!!


Here in WI if you were born after 1971 you have to take a hunters education course. I learned quite a bit when I took and would love to take it again someday when I have a kids.