I passed hunter's ed

I've just finished the two-week, 14-hour course for Hunter's Education required for a hunting license here in North Dakota. The students ranged from former law enforcement officers to 12-year-old boys and girls.

I didn't actually have to take the course, I'm grandfathered in due to my age but you'd have to be a damn fool not to take a free course in hunting safety, gun handling, game identification and laws etc, no matter how familiar you are with firearms.

And, though I've done a lot of shooting with a wide variety of guns, I realized that my early, informal instruction was mostly at the hands of teachers with military backgrounds, and the technique is sometimes different.

Those of you who know the military method of handing over a rifle during "inspection arms" or crossing a fence with one know what I mean.

I aced the test and am waiting on my certificate in the mail.

Am I going to go hunting?

I dunno. I don't own any hunting firearms and am kind of hinkey about keeping them in the house with small kids. I do have a lock (gratis for passing the course) but I'd feel more comfortable with a gun safe - and they're expensive.

Also, though I love game meats I wouldn't even consider going hunting alone as a rookie hunter. I'd want an invite from someone who's been doing it for a while.

But the primary reason I took the course is, this is hunting, fishing and trapping country for sure. If I'm doing journalism here, I have to know what they're talking about.