Online core training question

[ibehuntin]

My son is ready to do his core training. My question is has any one used huntercourse.com online and what are your thoughts?

[GoatGuy]

I'm personally not a fan. But I also have a biased opinion. The price of the online training $80 really does not do anything that self study of the CORE Manual doesn't for $20. How old is your son? I would encourage you to have him take the course from a CORE Examiner with a good reputation. Firearms safety is impossible to learn online or even from the book. I have administered several CORE Exam Challenges for individuals who have done the online course and they failed miserably. One pointed the firearm right at me in the process of loading it and didn't realize his mistake until I told him to put the firearm down because he just failed. Taking the class from a good examiner will benefit your son far more than the online study, a good relaxed classroom atmosphere with lots of student engagement and an enthusiastic teacher will nourish learning and spark questions and dialogue that the online course just won't do. If lack of courses or time is an issue I suggest self study of the CORE Manual.

Have you seen the online training? I think it just came 'online' in the last couple weeks.

[ibehuntin]

As I understand it, the practical portion of the core exam must still be completed with a core examiner. My son is just about 13.The online material seams to fit the fit the core program. As far as I'm concerned if you have completed the cfsc training it should superceded the core practical and you should not be required to do again or pay for it. But thats my just my opinion.

[Gateholio]

I think the online course is very good, especially for those who may live in a more remote area. I agree that it doesn't take the place of a classroom experience, as students usually have endless questions, but the online version is a great tool.

More instruction and education is always a good thing, but to be honest I taught myself how to shoot, how to handle firearms, how to handload and how to hunt safely. I took the PAL course when it came out hoping I would learn something, but I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. Beginners get much more out of these courses than those experienced with firearms. I challenged the CORE course, too. I don't think I am any smarter than anyone else, but whenever I have gotten interested in something I go at it all out. One of the reason I stopped "dabbling" in many different activities, which is good and bad depending on how you look at it. :)

I guess to answer the OP's question, I would say get yoru son to take the course with an interesting instructor if possible, and if not possible then do the online course. You don't save any money doing the online course and he won't have as much opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with the instructor and other students.

[Gateholio]

As I understand it, the practical portion of the core exam must still be completed with a core examiner. My son is just about 13.The online material seams to fit the fit the core program. As far as I'm concerned if you have completed the cfsc training it should superceded the core practical and you should not be required to do again or pay for it. But thats my just my opinion.

That's hard to argue with, but firearms handling is part of the CORE course as not everyone has taken the PAL course and some won't for a time.

I had a group of guys that had done the PAL course a month earlier. I talked to them a bit and it was agreed that we would simply take less time on firearms and spend more time on the rest of the course. They still had to do the practical test, so we basically did a review of that aspect of the course. In the end, it was a very good course as we focused on what they didn't know, rather than what they already knew.

If everyone did the PAL course prior to the CORE course it would be great. Firearm safety is fairly straightforward but ethics, animal ID and understanding the regulations are not.

[ibehuntin]

I'm not against the core course in any way, its just that some instructor's are much more capable of capturing the minds of youth than others. My son has grown up smothered in hunting and probably handles a gun better than most his age. I also know that at his age if instruction is not interesting, interest and attention will be lost quickly. Also courses don't always fit into the busy lives of people and online, selfpaced may be a option. I'm not saying that the firearms portion should not be part of the core course, only that if you already have done the cfsc and are in possession of a pal you should be considered qualified in the handling of firearms, not that this affects youth hunters/students.

[brian]

That's hard to argue with, but firearms handling is part of the CORE course as not everyone has taken the PAL course and some won't for a time.

The CORE course I took didn't have any firearm training if you already had a PAL. The instructor tacked on an extra half day or day for all the non-PAL holders at the end.