New area hunters complete a full field test day

“I liked the field test the best,” Fynn Beasly told me. “I like learning the different things on the test and walking in the woods.” He was talking about the field test portion of this years’ Hunters Education class held at the Abbotsford Sportsmen’s Club. Fynn rattled off answers like an old IBM mainframe spitting out data for NASA back in the day. Considering his Grandpa taught Hunters Ed with the group for a long time, it was not totally unexpected.

“I liked learning how to shoot the guns, especially the .223,” said Jase Theilman right after he successfully completed his field test. “Do we get to shoot any guns today?” he continued.

The young hunters did get to shoot trap last Saturday after they took their test. Thanks to the wonderful support this Hunters Ed class and the instructors group enjoys from very generous supporters of young hunters and hunting.

“We’re so fortunate for the support our class receives,” Jenny Hinker, the lead instructor for the group, said. “Thanks to people like Dick and Michelle Lang and Dave and Vicki Orth the student tuition fees, ammunition, miscellaneous supplies needed for the class and maintaining the equipment, are covered.”

“We needed to completely replace all the shooting glasses and hearing protection the students use,” said Jody Apfelbeck, a long time instructor with the group. “Just the supplies to clean and maintain the equipment adds up quickly, and without the donations of our sponsors this would be so hard.”

“We’re so fortunate to have the supporters we do, but the students benefit the most,” Kurt Frome, a 25 year plus instructor with the group, added. “We can’t thank them enough!”

Just to get to the field test, the students need to pass the written test portion of the class. The highest test scores on the written test are entered in a drawing for a deer rifle and a gift certificate to a local sports shop donated by Jim and Dawn Hebda. Students need to score a 100% to make it into the drawing for that gun. It provides a lot of motivation to study hard in the compressed time frame of the class – they literally take the written test nine days after starting the class. Six students scored a 100% this year.

Hunters Ed focuses the majority of the class on hunting safely and everything that goes into doing so. The field yest demonstrates what they learned. Beyond the test they took, they shot a few rounds of trap, tracked a deer on a simulated blood trail, and they enjoyed a light lunch. Young hunters work up an appetite in the woods. To put the field test on it takes all 10 of the group instructors plus about three other volunteers. There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of things going on including live fire, so keeping the event safe and enjoyable requires a lot of organization and management. And a lot of people to do the testing and other instruction. Mike Kleparski, a long time instructor, got home from a work assignment at 8 p.m. the night before, and flew out the next morning at 7:30 a.m. Taylor Ensign and her husband Evan, both instructors, did their farm work early and brought their young baby with them so they could help with the field test. Ensign and her sister Jenny Hinker both had the baptisms for their young babies that afternoon.

Some of the volunteer instructors donate over 20 hours in a time frame of less than two weeks. Preserving the heritage, they all juggle hectic schedules.

“I liked the field test because it felt like a deer drive,” Caleb Hass told me. Caleb’s two brothers each shot turkeys that morning on the youth hunt and he planned to hunt turkeys that afternoon. “They better not have shot them all!” he told us.

“I like shooting the .22 the best,” said a young Derek Copp walking back to the clubhouse after his test. “My dad got me a .22 as a gift and I like shooting it. It’s fun hitting the targets.” Derek took the class with his two sisters and his dad. It looks like Dad might have been on the hook for more than one .22. Hey, I’ve been in that spot too.

Congrats to all the successful young hunters. A special thanks to Dick and Michelle Lang, Dave and Vicki Orth, and Jim and Dawn Hebda from all the instructors and thanks to everyone that made this class possible!

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HANDS-ON HUNTERS EDUCATION - A group of just under thirty new hunters took their final field test at the Abbotsford Sportsmen’s club on Saturday morning. They also had the opportunity to track a simulated blood trail (above) and shoot trap with a 20-gauge shotgun (below).

STAFF PHOTOS/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD