The shooting test consists of live firing with a .22 rimfire rifle at targets 50 feet from the shooter.

Rabbit
Squirrel
Bulls eye

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Shooting Test: a shooting proficiency test consisting of live-firing a .22 rimfire rifle is required to pass the Hunter Education Course. Animal targets are placed 50 feet from the shooter and are shot at. Students must fire 10 shots in the prone position, 10 shots in the sitting or kneeling position, and 10 shots from the standing position. 50 percent or 15 shots must be in the kill zone of the animal targets.

The purpose of this test is not only to see if the student can shoot a .22 rimfire rifle, but it also helps to teach where the vital areas are on game animals. However, it is acceptable for an instructor to shift the kill zone of the animal on the target to capture a student's best shot grouping.

If I remember right you actually shoot 35 rounds. 5 at the bull for practice and ten from each shooting position. If you're out of the "kill zone" but still grouped well, I'm pretty sure the instructor will pass you.

 

Correct. But as far as I've heard, nobody has ever failed the course because they failed the shooting test. I know two instructors (probably more) who require the shooter to return for another test at a later date.

The real purpose of the test is to emphasize the importance of marksmanship and teach students to evaluate their own proficiency.

 

I've been teaching both the traditional and online hunter education courses for the last 12 years. In that time I have only failed one student on the shooting test and it was not related to their ability to hit the target. The student failed because they would not follow the firearm safety rules. Most instructors will work with the students until they can proficiently hit the target well enough to pass the course. Often times its simple fixes that make all the difference. I had a field day this last Saturday were a young girl shot her first 15 shots and hit the target once. Long story short she was shooting right handed trying to look through her scope with her left eye. Once I taught her how to determine her dominant eye and had her switch to left hand she hit 13 out of the next 15 shoots in the required grouping . I will be putting another field day together in the next couple of weeks. Let me know if your interested. It will be held in Provo.

 

My dumb kid fired his "test" shots at the warm up target... then proceeded to fire his remaining bullets back into the test target... I was watching the real targets for holes and nada. Once I figured out he was still shooting the wrong target I yelled at him and told him to shoot the score targets. He gave a sheepish smile and proceeded to drill those. Luckily he had enough remaining shots to get passed... but just barely. LOL

For the prone shots the range instructor had people laying on sharp coarse gravel, I hurried and unzipped my rifles padded soft case all the way, spread it out and had him lay on that for cushion.

-DallanC

 

Great info! Thank you! I wasn't too worried about her passing, but I wanted her to be prepared either way.

Oldephraim, I will let you know. I'm going to try to get her finished up with her online stuff ASAP. Let me know if you come up with a date.

Thanks again!