Carol Metcalfe’s breath looked like a puff of gunpowder in the crisp morning air on Oct. 15 as she squinted to align her target in the sights of a .357 revolver.
She steadied her arms, took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. Her arms kicked back slightly from the force and a big smile crossed her face.
“I like the sound of the gun,” she said with a laugh.
Rick Wyatt, executive director of the Saskatchewan Association for Firearm Education, said Metcalfe is one of approximately 1,000 adults who participate in Saskatchewan hunter education and firearm safety courses each year.
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“I had grown up on the farm with brothers and a father who used firearms so when we were younger, we were introduced to them in the farm life,” Metcalfe said.
She put recreational activities on the backburner while she raised her daughter and established a career. Now 45 years old, Metcalfe had the opportunity to take the firearm safety and hunter education course.
“I decided to start picking up some things I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Metcalfe.
Hunter education programs are offered in each province to anyone 12 years old and older. Wyatt said approximately 4,000 youth are involved in the course each year in Saskatchewan alone.
“The priority is always on safety and safe handling,” Wyatt said. “They also learn about conservation, wildlife identifications, (and) what to do with their animal once they’ve got them.”
First time hunters must complete the provincial program to buy hunting tags. Those individuals cannot use a firearm when alone or buy a firearm unless they have taken a federal firearm safety course or are accompanied by someone who has.
Wyatt said in 1960 there were 106 hunting related accidents and 14 were fatal. The courses have helped to nearly eliminate the incidence of firearm accidents, he said.
“Now, we’re actually quite shocked, and disappointed if we have a fatality during the hunting season,” Wyatt said.
Greg Sabiston is one of 700 volunteer instructors who teach courses in towns throughout Saskatchewan. He offers a combined provincial and federal course to his students from the Warman, Sask., area.
The gun enthusiast offers a unique twist to his course. Sabiston is one of few instructors who still bring students to a shooting range for practical experience. He said it’s no different than learning to drive a car.
“To me, it’s extremely important that you get out and do the practical because the two go hand in hand,” said Sabiston.
“It would be a waste of time trying to teach you firearm education without taking you out and showing you the proper way of handling a gun and watching you go through it.”
This fall, Sabiston and a fellow instructor from Martensville near Saskatoon brought 24 students to the Saskatoon Muzzle Loading Club near Grandora, Sask. His 15-year-old daughter Mindy helps with certain aspects of the course.
“When we go to the gun range I help out and teach them how to load the muzzleloader and how to aim and stand,” she said. “That’s basically all for now.”
Mindy took the hunter education and firearm safety course three years ago and is more interested in target shooting than hunting.
“Guns aren’t what the TVs are showing,” said her father. “They can actually be used for shooting competitions and stuff like that. So in other words, I’m trying to get the bad name away from them.”
Metcalfe said adults should not be deterred from the course because many youth are involved.
“The kids aren’t fooling around and they were very serious about what they were learning,” Metcalfe said. “It also helped, I think, (make) connections between adults and youth.”
