One of the challenges in teaching Hunter Education is keeping the attention of participants with varying levels of experience. Let's face it, most adults show up for the class thinking that it will be a total waste of time and something they are only taking because they are forced into it. Something that I always do in the classes that I teach in order to help remedy that situation is by breaking the class into small groups and giving the class a "pre-test" of questions to answer and discuss. The questions are based on a wide range of hunting-related topics, and are designed to show just how many opportunites there are for learning for the person who wants to be more dedicated to the sport. Several of the questions are also open-ended, meaning there is no right answer, but more a matter of opinion. While some instructors like to dodge such issues, I choose to use them as talking points on the importance of hunters to be respectful of the viewpoints of others. One question in particular deals with the differences that sometimes occurs between what is ethical and legal.

Here are the questions on my pre-test. Feel free to ask why I decided to ask any of them.

1. True or False. The face or dial of a compass always points north.

2. True or False. It is illegal to shoot doves while they are resting in a tree.

3. How should you judge the width of a buck’s antlers to ensure he satisfies the TPWD 13-inch rule?

4. According to TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “point” on a buck’s rack?

5. What is the first step in preparing soil for a food plot?

6. True or False. Both shotguns and rifles can be used to harvest turkeys in East Texas counties.

7. What constitutes “legal shooting hours” for Texas hunters?

8. When hunting deer, what constitutes a funnel?

9. Name two wildlife conservation organizations.

10. What identifies those who are/are not required to take a hunter education course in order to legally hunt in Texas?

11. True or False. Hunters are required to wear hunter or “blaze orange” clothing when hunting private land in Texas.

12. Why do some firearm owners avoid using multi-piece cleaning rods?

13. Identify the public road that emergency personnel would travel last before reaching the area you hunt most often.

14. Hunting requires knowledge and learning in several different subject matter areas. Identify at least five of them.

15. What should you do before leaving to hunt alone?

16. Which shot size is larger, #6 or #4?

17. Identify a preferred, natural food source for white tailed deer.

18. True or False. Feral hogs cannot be legally hunted at night in Texas.

19. Under TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “spike” buck?

20. What is your definition of a “trophy” buck?

Interesting. Several open ended questions with no definitive right or wrong answers.

Dan in Spring, wanna post the answers? Those are great questions,some of which I can't answer.

Would be helpful for anyone new to hunting,or just as a refresher.

I'll try..

1. True or False. The face or dial of a compass always points north.

False, the needle points to magnetic north

2. True or False. It is illegal to shoot doves while they are resting in a tree.

False
3. How should you judge the width of a buck’s antlers to ensure he satisfies the TPWD 13-inch rule?
According to TPWD, ears at alert position

4. According to TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “point” on a buck’s rack?
entending one inch from the centerline of the antler/main beam
5. What is the first step in preparing soil for a food plot?

find the right spot/clear brush

6. True or False. Both shotguns and rifles can be used to harvest turkeys in East Texas counties.

False, I think, spring only and shotgun only I think...
7. What constitutes “legal shooting hours” for Texas hunters?

Depends on the animal, but based on sunrise/sunset
8. When hunting deer, what constitutes a funnel?
any terrain feature that tends to group or direct deer

9. Name two wildlife conservation organizations.
Alphabet soup, NFS, TPWD, AS, DU, NWTF, ...
10. What identifies those who are/are not required to take a hunter education course in order to legally hunt in Texas?

Birthday.prior to Sept 1 197?
11. True or False. Hunters are required to wear hunter or “blaze orange” clothing when hunting private land in Texas.

12. Why do some firearm owners avoid using multi-piece cleaning rods?

13. Identify the public road that emergency personnel would travel last before reaching the area you hunt most often.

14. Hunting requires knowledge and learning in several different subject matter areas. Identify at least five of them.

15. What should you do before leaving to hunt alone?
Leave a detailed plan of route, times, and stick to it
16. Which shot size is larger, #6 or #4?
#4
17. Identify a preferred, natural food source for white tailed deer.
WOW, surely they get this one...
18. True or False. Feral hogs cannot be legally hunted at night in Texas.
False

19. Under TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “spike” buck?
Having ONE unbranched antler
20. What is your definition of a “trophy” buck?

One that makes me smile after I shoot it.

I want the answer to 12. And 11 is false I believe. Its mandatory on public land,144sq inches front and rear as well as cap I think. Not a bad idea on private land though.

As I do in the class, I will let others have the first chance at providing the correct answers and/or correcting some of the answers provided earlier.

FWIW I only hunt dove and ducks.


1. True or False. The face or dial of a compass always points north.
- False, the needle always points North

2. True or False. It is illegal to shoot doves while they are resting in a tree.
-False, is it ethical is a different question.

3. How should you judge the width of a buck’s antlers to ensure he satisfies the TPWD 13-inch rule?
-the antlers must extend beyond the ears at rest.

4. According to TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “point” on a buck’s rack?
-extends an inch or more from the main beam

5. What is the first step in preparing soil for a food plot?
-choose a site with appropriate soil for the crop

6. True or False. Both shotguns and rifles can be used to harvest turkeys in East Texas counties.
-IDK, I live in Central Texas

7. What constitutes “legal shooting hours” for Texas hunters?
-Depends on the game. sunrise to sunset for the most part but 30 minutes before sunrise for waterfowl

8. When hunting deer, what constitutes a funnel?
- an arroyo or other land form that causes deer to work in a certain direction

9. Name two wildlife conservation organizations.
-Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl

10. What identifies those who are/are not required to take a hunter education course in order to legally hunt in Texas?
-Born before Sept 1, 1970

11. True or False. Hunters are required to wear hunter or “blaze orange” clothing when hunting private land in Texas.
-False

12. Why do some firearm owners avoid using multi-piece cleaning rods?
- Get stuck in the barrel or scratch the lining

13. Identify the public road that emergency personnel would travel last before reaching the area you hunt most often.
- It's a secret, but I know it's name.

14. Hunting requires knowledge and learning in several different subject matter areas. Identify at least five of them.
-How to tell time, read, identify game, ballistics, animal behavior

15. What should you do before leaving to hunt alone?
-Leave details with a relative on where you are.

16. Which shot size is larger, #6 or #4?
-#4

17. Identify a preferred, natural food source for white tailed deer.
-Acorns

18. True or False. Feral hogs cannot be legally hunted at night in Texas.
-False

19. Under TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “spike” buck?
-one or more unbranched antlers

20. What is your definition of a “trophy” buck?
-One my child shot on their own

Before anyone gets too deep in thought on #8, let me throw this out. What about a gate in a fencerow that's left open for a period of time? Leave it open and pretty soon you'll have deer walking through it. It's man made, not natural, but still a funnel. You can do the same thing by pulling down the top wire on a tight fence.

As I said, lots of open ended questions with numerous possible answers.

1. True or False. The face or dial of a compass always points north.
- False, the needle always points North

CORRECT

2. True or False. It is illegal to shoot doves while they are resting in a tree.
-False, is it ethical is a different question.

CORRECT

3. How should you judge the width of a buck’s antlers to ensure he satisfies the TPWD 13-inch rule?
-the antlers must extend beyond the ears at rest.

PARTIAL CREDIT - The TPWD identifies the INSIDE spread of the rack as being at or beyond the outside edges of the ears when in the "alert" position, which may be somewhat different than when at rest. But I agree, outside the outside edges of the ears is safer.

4. According to TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “point” on a buck’s rack?
-extends an inch or more from the main beam

PARTIAL CREDIT - As measured from the outside edge of the mainbeam (not the centerline)

5. What is the first step in preparing soil for a food plot?
-choose a site with appropriate soil for the crop

PARTIAL CREDIT - Perform a soil test. Getting the soil pH right DOES make a difference.

6. True or False. Both shotguns and rifles can be used to harvest turkeys in East Texas counties.
-IDK, I live in Central Texas

Shotgun only for Eastern birds in East Texas.

7. What constitutes “legal shooting hours” for Texas hunters?
-Depends on the game. sunrise to sunset for the most part but 30 minutes before sunrise for waterfowl

CORRECT - Legal shooting hours vary by the wild game you're after. You can legally hunt hogs and coyotes at any time of the day or night.

8. When hunting deer, what constitutes a funnel?
- an arroyo or other land form that causes deer to work in a certain direction

CORRECT - Sadly, this is one that few people ever get. After all, who really "hunts" deer anymore. Most of us are just waiting for one to show up and eat so we can shoot it.

9. Name two wildlife conservation organizations.
-Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl

CORRECT

10. What identifies those who are/are not required to take a hunter education course in order to legally hunt in Texas?
-Born before Sept 1, 1970

INCORRECT - If you were born on or after September 2, 1971, you are required to take Hunter Education.

11. True or False. Hunters are required to wear hunter or “blaze orange” clothing when hunting private land in Texas.
-False

CORRECT - It is only required when hunting public lands.

12. Why do some firearm owners avoid using multi-piece cleaning rods?
- Get stuck in the barrel or scratch the lining

CORRECT - The joints on multi-piece cleaning rods can scratch the inside of a barrel, impacting the accuracy of the gun. Long, one-piece rods are worth the investment.

13. Identify the public road that emergency personnel would travel last before reaching the area you hunt most often.
- It's a secret, but I know it's name.

Adults often ask why I put this question on the test. When they do, I ask him if they, much less their son or daughter, actually knows the name or number of the road that a 911 operator would want to know. Just think about it. Most of us know how to get to our hunting places by memory. But could we identify that remote, dirt road if our lives literally depended on it?

14. Hunting requires knowledge and learning in several different subject matter areas. Identify at least five of them.
-How to tell time, read, identify game, ballistics, animal behavior

PARTIAL CREDIT - Marksmanship, Archery, Gunsmithing, Woodsmanship, Wildlife Behavior, Basic Survival, First Aid, etc.

15. What should you do before leaving to hunt alone?
-Leave details with a relative on where you are.

PARTIAL CREDIT - And when you expect to return

16. Which shot size is larger, #6 or #4?
-#4

CORRECT

17. Identify a preferred, natural food source for white tailed deer.
-Acorns

Of course the #1 answer is always "corn".

Follow-up question - Which types of acorns do deer prefer most?

18. True or False. Feral hogs cannot be legally hunted at night in Texas.
-False

CORRECT

19. Under TPWD antler restrictions guidelines, what constitutes a “spike” buck?
-one or more unbranched antlers

CORRECT - But remember, "unbranched" means no more than a single point at the end of the mainbeam. Any other points more than one-inch in length makes it a branched antler.

20. What is your definition of a “trophy” buck?
-One my child shot on their own

OPEN ANSWER - Any legal buck as decided by the hunter who chooses to harvest it.

In researching the definition of a point in regard to antler restrictions, it seems like TPWD offers a different definitnion, one inch from the edge, does not specify which edge.

I also know that it says centerline somewhere for TPWD, but don't have time to look right now

The TPWD has an excellent video that it makes available to every Hunter Education instructor. It does a great job in clearing up any confusion that hunters may have concerning these guidelines.

Oops. I am exempt (1969) so I don't worry about it too much. I'll take the class with my daughter pretty soon. I'll have the card for out of state hunts.

Ones on the ground

On #3 I thought it was the two innermost antlers or brow tines that were used to determine a 13" spread...

Now that would be a monster!

This is good info.

I had to correct the "master test" (the one the instructors use to grade the others) when my gf, her kid and her SIL took the class.

Well Dan, here's a direct quote from the Outdoor Annual....

Definition of a point: A point is a projection that extends at least one
inch from the edge of a main beam or another tine. The tip of the main
beam is also a point.

Here's a link to it on their website...

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/definitions/

Doesn't say outer edge, centerline, just edge.

Picture they use shows inside edge....

I do apologize, SPREAD is measured from centerline according to Harvest Data Records..... that's where I got centerline from...

Still can't find where it says outer though...

My reference to the "outer" edge is clarify that it is not measured from the centerline of the mainbeam, as some might choose to reference.

Of course the "point" not to overlooked is the difficulty in being able to estimate such a small distance when looking at a deer's antler, with the open eye or through a scope, at a distance of 50 yards or more, in the early morning or late evening light, and not make a mistake. As is the case with many other shooting situations, if in doubt, always choose with benefit towards the animal, rather than the hunter.

Great video I guess if it's that clear! Wish they would come up with a set of definitions and stick to them throughout the agency....

Point is one that varies, so is spread, Spike also has various meanings

If I was hunting deer I would be more interested in aging the buck than counting points. I thought that was the purposed of managing land, to let the younger bucks grow a little even if they were 8 pointers and take out the older bucks and spikes and thin the does.

Funny you should mention that. Another video that I show in my classes is one the TPWD started making available sometime last year entitled "Don't Shoot Young Big Bucks." It offers basic instruction on judging the age of deer based on their body characteristics.

Still, because the current antler restriction guidelines on spikes are based on unbranched antlers and points, I feel it necessary to cover it that same way in the classroom.