Alberta Hunter Education Practice Exam

Alberta practice questions

1. 1Your partner moves from behind you to your right side while you are carrying a loaded rifle at trail carry. What must change?

   1. ANothing, trail carry is always acceptable
   2. BYour carry position, so the muzzle stays clear of them as you both walk
   3. COnly your walking speed
   4. DYou should unload and stop hunting
   Show the answer

   BYour carry position, so the muzzle stays clear of them as you both walk

   Safe carry is relative to where people are, not a fixed grip you choose once. When someone changes position, the carry that was safe a moment ago may now sweep them, so the carry changes with them.

2. 2You engage the safety, set the rifle in the truck, and arrive to find the safety off. What does that tell you?

   1. AThe rifle needs a gunsmith before it can be used
   2. BThat a safety is a mechanical part which can be moved without you knowing, so muzzle control is what actually protects you
   3. CThat the safety was defective from the factory
   4. DNothing, safeties move in transit and it does not matter
   Show the answer

   BThat a safety is a mechanical part which can be moved without you knowing, so muzzle control is what actually protects you

   Nothing is wrong with the rifle. Straps, cases, and road vibration move safeties all the time, which is exactly why the safety is a backup to muzzle discipline rather than the thing you depend on.

3. 3What is the safest way to hand a firearm to another person?

   1. AMuzzle first so they can grip the barrel
   2. BOpen the action, show it is unloaded, then pass it with the action open
   3. CToss it gently
   4. DPass it with the safety on and the action closed
   Show the answer

   BOpen the action, show it is unloaded, then pass it with the action open

   Both people must see the empty chamber. An open action is a visible proof of condition, which a closed action with the safety on is not.

4. 4What does a ricochet risk assessment mean before taking a shot?

   1. AChecking your scope is zeroed
   2. BJudging what lies beyond and around your target, including water, rock, and frozen ground
   3. CCounting your remaining rounds
   4. DTesting the wind
   Show the answer

   BJudging what lies beyond and around your target, including water, rock, and frozen ground

   Bullets deflect off hard flat surfaces at shallow angles. Water, rock, and frozen ground are all common ricochet surfaces in Alberta, and the deflected round can travel a long way off your intended line.

5. 5What is the most reliable way to tell a mule deer from a white-tailed deer at distance?

   1. ABody colour
   2. BThe tail and the ears: mule deer have a thin rope-like tail with a black tip and large ears, white-tails have a broad tail raised white underneath
   3. CAntler colour
   4. DWhether it is alone
   Show the answer

   BThe tail and the ears: mule deer have a thin rope-like tail with a black tip and large ears, white-tails have a broad tail raised white underneath

   Colour and behaviour vary with season and individual. Tail shape and ear size are structural and hold up at distance and in poor light.

6. 6Before releasing a shot at a game animal, what must you positively confirm?

   1. AThe species, its sex where the licence requires it, and what lies beyond it
   2. BOnly the species
   3. COnly that it is legal shooting light
   4. DOnly the range
   Show the answer

   AThe species, its sex where the licence requires it, and what lies beyond it

   Identification is not just species. A sex-specific licence makes sex part of the legal identification, and the backstop is part of the shot decision, not separate from it.

7. 7You wound an animal and it crosses onto private land. What is the correct action?

   1. AFollow it immediately, since you have a duty to retrieve it
   2. BStop at the boundary and seek the landowner's permission before entering
   3. CAbandon the animal
   4. DWait until dark and retrieve it quietly
   Show the answer

   BStop at the boundary and seek the landowner's permission before entering

   The duty to retrieve a wounded animal does not override property rights. Crossing without permission is trespass regardless of your reason, so permission comes first.

8. 8What is the ethical limit on shot distance?

   1. AThe maximum range of the cartridge
   2. BThe furthest you have ever hit a target
   3. CThe range at which you can reliably place a killing shot under the conditions in front of you
   4. D300 metres for all rifles
   Show the answer

   CThe range at which you can reliably place a killing shot under the conditions in front of you

   The cartridge's capability and your capability are different numbers, and the second one changes with wind, light, rest, and adrenaline. The ethical limit is the smaller of the two on that day.

9. 9An outfitter assures you a wildlife management unit is open. The regulations say it closed last week. You hunt it. Who is liable?

   1. AThe outfitter, since they gave the advice
   2. BYou are, because responsibility for knowing the rules is not transferable
   3. CNobody, if the advice was given in good faith
   4. DThe licence vendor
   Show the answer

   BYou are, because responsibility for knowing the rules is not transferable

   Relying on someone else's word is not a defence. Liability stays with the licence holder, which is why the current synopsis is the only authority worth trusting.

10. 10What are the first three priorities if you become lost with darkness approaching?

    1. AKeep walking toward where you think the road is
    2. BStop, make shelter, and make yourself findable
    3. CClimb to high ground and shout
    4. DBuild a large fire and keep moving
    Show the answer

    BStop, make shelter, and make yourself findable

    Movement after dark turns a lost hunter into an injured lost hunter and widens the area searchers must cover. Stopping while you still have daylight to build shelter is what most survival outcomes turn on.

11. 11Why is cotton clothing a poor choice for cold-weather hunting?

    1. AIt is too heavy
    2. BIt loses nearly all insulating value when wet and dries slowly
    3. CIt is too noisy
    4. DIt holds scent
    Show the answer

    BIt loses nearly all insulating value when wet and dries slowly

    Wet cotton pulls heat from the body faster than bare skin. Wool and synthetics keep insulating when damp, which is why the saying about cotton in the cold exists.

12. 12What is the correct first response to serious external bleeding?

    1. AApply a tourniquet immediately
    2. BDirect firm pressure on the wound
    3. CElevate the limb and wait
    4. DClean the wound thoroughly first
    Show the answer

    BDirect firm pressure on the wound

    Direct pressure controls the large majority of external bleeding and is the first step. A tourniquet is an escalation for limb bleeding that direct pressure cannot stop.

13. 13You have permission to hunt a quarter section, and you find a gate closed across the approach trail. How should you leave it?

    1. AOpen, so you can drive out quickly at dusk
    2. BClosed again after you pass through, because gates get left the way you found them
    3. CClosed only if you actually see cattle in the field
    4. DIt does not matter once the landowner has said yes
    Show the answer

    BClosed again after you pass through, because gates get left the way you found them

    A closed gate is usually doing a job, like holding livestock where the owner wants them. Leaving it open can cost a rancher a night of chasing cattle, and it costs every hunter who asks that landowner for access after you.

14. 14Hikers come around a bend while you are packing a harvested deer out to the trailhead. Why does your conduct in that moment matter?

    1. AIt does not matter, because hunting is legal
    2. BMost non-hunters form their view of hunting from scenes like this, so quiet, respectful handling of the animal protects access for everyone
    3. CYou should hide in the brush until they have gone past
    4. DYou should stop them and explain the regulations
    Show the answer

    BMost non-hunters form their view of hunting from scenes like this, so quiet, respectful handling of the animal protects access for everyone

    Most Canadians neither hunt nor oppose it, and what tips them one way or the other is what they happen to see. Hiding feels polite, but a calm, matter of fact pack out does far more good than disappearing.

15. 15A winter range is holding far more deer than the available browse can feed through March. What term describes the limit the habitat is setting?

    1. ACarrying capacity
    2. BBag limit
    3. CPopulation density
    4. DHarvest quota
    Show the answer

    ACarrying capacity

    Carrying capacity is the number of animals a habitat can support through its hardest season, which in Alberta is usually late winter. A bag limit is tempting as an answer because it also sounds like a ceiling, but it is a rule written for hunters rather than a property of the land.

16. 16Biologists adjust seasons and quotas from one year to the next. What job does regulated hunting do inside that system?

    1. AIt removes predators from the unit
    2. BIt keeps populations in line with what the habitat can support, using harvest as a lever managers can turn up or down
    3. CIt works toward eliminating a species from an area
    4. DIt guarantees every licence holder an animal
    Show the answer

    BIt keeps populations in line with what the habitat can support, using harvest as a lever managers can turn up or down

    Harvest is one of the few things a manager can change quickly and measure afterward, so it does most of the fine tuning. Guaranteeing success sounds like the point of a season, but seasons are written for the population, not for the hunter.

17. 17Imagine you could spend a budget on one thing to raise the number of upland birds an area supports over the long term. Which choice does the most?

    1. AProtecting and improving the cover, food, and water on the land
    2. BReleasing more pen-raised birds every spring
    3. CShortening the season by a week
    4. DBuilding more access roads into the area
    Show the answer

    AProtecting and improving the cover, food, and water on the land

    Released birds die back to whatever the land can actually hold, so stocking treats the symptom and has to be repeated forever. Habitat sets the ceiling, which is why cover and food outlast every other kind of spending.

18. 18Coyotes are working the same coulee where you hunt mule deer. How should you think about that?

    1. APredators are part of a functioning system, and removing them does not reliably produce more deer
    2. BPredators must be cleared out of any area that is hunted
    3. CCoyotes and mule deer do not share range
    4. DPredators have no effect at all on prey numbers
    Show the answer

    APredators are part of a functioning system, and removing them does not reliably produce more deer

    Predators and prey have shared this country a long time, and habitat and winter severity usually limit deer more than coyotes do. Claiming predators have no effect is the opposite error, and neither extreme matches what managers actually measure.

19. 19In late summer a bull elk carries antlers wrapped in a soft, fuzzy skin. What is that covering doing?

    1. AInsulating the antler against coming winter cold
    2. BCarrying blood and nutrients to the growing antler until it hardens, after which it is rubbed off
    3. CGrowing on the antler as a fungus
    4. DCollecting shed hair from rubbing on trees
    Show the answer

    BCarrying blood and nutrients to the growing antler until it hardens, after which it is rubbed off

    Antlers are bone, grown fresh every year, and velvet is the living blood supply that builds them. It looks like fur, which makes the insulation answer tempting, but the antler is dropped and regrown rather than kept warm.

20. 20Ducks swing over your decoys in the grey light before sunrise, and colour is impossible to read. Which clues are still usable?

    1. ASilhouette, size, wingbeat, flock shape, and calls
    2. BThe colour of the speculum on the wing
    3. CBill colour
    4. DEye colour
    Show the answer

    ASilhouette, size, wingbeat, flock shape, and calls

    Colour needs light, and your eyes barely register it at that hour, so every colour based answer fails before the birds are in range. Shape, size, and sound still carry, and if they do not add up to a confident identification then the shot does not happen.

21. 21You dress in three layers for a long cold sit. What job does each layer do?

    1. AThe base moves sweat off your skin, the middle traps warm air, and the outer blocks wind and water
    2. BThe base blocks wind, the middle blocks water, and the outer traps heat
    3. CAll three do the same job, so only total thickness matters
    4. DThe base traps heat, the middle blocks wind, and the outer moves sweat
    Show the answer

    AThe base moves sweat off your skin, the middle traps warm air, and the outer blocks wind and water

    Layers work because each one has a different job and you can add or shed them as your effort changes. Piling on thickness alone traps sweat against your skin, and damp skin is how a cold sit turns dangerous.

22. 22One hunter keeps his skinning knife razor sharp and another lets his go dull because he thinks a dull blade is safer. Who has it right?

    1. AThe dull blade is safer, since it cannot cut skin easily
    2. BThe sharp blade is safer, because a dull edge needs force and force is what makes a knife slip
    3. CNeither, because sharpness has nothing to do with safety
    4. DThe dull blade is safer as long as gloves are worn
    Show the answer

    BThe sharp blade is safer, because a dull edge needs force and force is what makes a knife slip

    A sharp edge does the work with light, controlled pressure that you can steer. A dull one makes you lean on it, and when it skids off a hide all that force keeps going somewhere you did not choose.

23. 23Your handheld GPS dies in the cold on the second morning of a backcountry hunt. Why does the map and compass in your pack still matter?

    1. AThey weigh less than the GPS unit
    2. BThey need no batteries and keep working when wet or frozen, so they are a backup that does not fail with the electronics
    3. CThey are legally required to be carried
    4. DThey show more roads than a GPS does
    Show the answer

    BThey need no batteries and keep working when wet or frozen, so they are a backup that does not fail with the electronics

    Cold drains batteries quickly and screens crack, so any electronic navigation has a failure mode built in. A map and compass have no power source to lose, though they only help if you practised with them before the day you needed them.

24. 24A slip on a steep sidehill separates you from your pack, which slides into a creek. Where should the core of your survival kit have been?

    1. AOn your body, in pockets or on a belt, so it stays with you no matter what happens to the pack
    2. BIn the lid of the pack where it is easy to reach
    3. CLeft in the truck at the trailhead to save weight
    4. DSplit evenly between your pack and your partner's pack
    Show the answer

    AOn your body, in pockets or on a belt, so it stays with you no matter what happens to the pack

    A kit only counts if it is still with you when things go wrong, and packs get dropped, soaked, and left behind. Fire starter, a signal, and a way to make shelter belong in your pockets.

25. 25A new archer asks why broadhead sharpness is treated as such a serious matter. What is the reason?

    1. AA broadhead kills by cutting blood vessels and causing rapid blood loss, so a dull edge means a slow death or a lost animal
    2. BA sharp broadhead makes the arrow fly faster
    3. CSharpness makes the arrow quieter in flight
    4. DA broadhead kills by shock, so the edge only affects penetration depth
    Show the answer

    AA broadhead kills by cutting blood vessels and causing rapid blood loss, so a dull edge means a slow death or a lost animal

    An arrow is slow and light next to a bullet, and it works by cutting rather than by impact energy. That makes a razor edge a welfare issue instead of a detail, and it is why the shock answer is wrong even though it sounds technical.

26. 26A rifle hunter takes up archery and keeps watching animals feed at 200 metres. What has to change about the way they hunt?

    1. AThey have to close the distance, which means working cover, wind, and patience until the shot is short
    2. BThey need a heavier arrow that will reach that far
    3. CThey should raise their draw weight until 200 metres is realistic
    4. DNothing, because archery and rifle ranges are similar
    Show the answer

    AThey have to close the distance, which means working cover, wind, and patience until the shot is short

    Effective bow range is a small fraction of rifle range, and no amount of draw weight changes that. Bowhunting is mostly a stalking and concealment problem, with the shot as a short final step.

27. 27Before each practice session you flex and run a hand along every arrow shaft. What are you checking for?

    1. ACracks, splinters, or dents that could make the shaft fail at the shot
    2. BWhether the fletching colours match across the set
    3. CWhether all the arrows came from one manufacturer
    4. DDust and fingerprints on the shaft
    Show the answer

    ACracks, splinters, or dents that could make the shaft fail at the shot

    A damaged shaft can come apart on release and drive splinters through your bow hand. The check takes seconds, and any arrow you are unsure about gets retired rather than shot one more time.

28. 28While tracking a deer, your partner comes to full draw and swings the bow through the spot where you are standing. Why is that unacceptable?

    1. AA nocked arrow at full draw is a loaded weapon, so it never gets pointed at a person
    2. BIt only matters if the arrow is nocked the wrong way round
    3. CIt is fine, because the bow has a mechanical safety
    4. DIt is fine as long as the bow is a recurve rather than a compound
    Show the answer

    AA nocked arrow at full draw is a loaded weapon, so it never gets pointed at a person

    A slip, a startle, or a numb finger can release an arrow, and a broadhead does not need much speed to be fatal. Bows have no safety to fall back on, so the same muzzle discipline you use with a firearm applies to a drawn bow.

29. 29A white-tailed buck stands broadside at a range you are comfortable with. Where does the shot belong?

    1. AThrough the chest just behind the front shoulder, into the heart and lung area
    2. BThe hindquarter, since that is where the meat is
    3. CThe neck, on any animal at any angle
    4. DThe paunch, because it is the largest target
    Show the answer

    AThrough the chest just behind the front shoulder, into the heart and lung area

    The heart and lungs sit low in the chest just behind the front leg, and a hit there brings an animal down quickly. The paunch is a bigger target, which is exactly why it tempts people, but a gut shot means a long and cruel track.

30. 30An elk is quartering toward you with the near shoulder covering much of its chest. What is the right call?

    1. AHold the shot and wait for the animal to turn broadside or quarter away
    2. BSwitch to a head shot instead
    3. CTake it anyway, because any hit in the front half will do
    4. DAim at a rear leg to anchor the animal first
    Show the answer

    AHold the shot and wait for the animal to turn broadside or quarter away

    A quartering toward angle puts heavy shoulder bone between your bullet and the vitals, and it ruins a lot of meat when it does get through. Waiting costs you some chances, and it is also the difference between a clean kill and a wounded animal.

31. 31You are working on a bull on a mild September afternoon. Why can field dressing not wait until you get back to camp?

    1. ATaking out the internal organs lets body heat escape, and trapped heat plus bacteria is what spoils meat
    2. BIt makes the antlers easier to measure
    3. CThe only reason is to reduce the weight you have to drag
    4. DIn September it makes no difference to the meat
    Show the answer

    ATaking out the internal organs lets body heat escape, and trapped heat plus bacteria is what spoils meat

    A carcass holds its heat for hours, and warm meat sours from the inside out. Dressing does lighten the load, which is a real benefit and a tempting answer, but cooling the meat is the reason the job cannot wait.

32. 32You shoot at a moose at last light and it crashes off into thick willows. What comes before you follow?

    1. AMark where the animal was standing and where you fired from, then check that spot for hair, blood, or tracks
    2. BRun into the willows immediately while there is still light
    3. CWrite it off, since an animal that runs was not hit
    4. DWait a full day before looking no matter what the sign shows
    Show the answer

    AMark where the animal was standing and where you fired from, then check that spot for hair, blood, or tracks

    Ground looks completely different once you walk into it, so the two marked spots are what let you find the hit site at all. Charging straight in pushes a wounded animal farther and tramples the sign you need to follow it.

33. 33Dusk is coming and you need a fire in wet bush. What do you do before you strike the first spark?

    1. ACollect tinder, small kindling, and larger fuel, and have all three within arm's reach
    2. BLight the biggest log first so it has time to catch
    3. CPour stove fuel over the whole pile
    4. DWait for full dark so the flame is easier to see
    Show the answer

    ACollect tinder, small kindling, and larger fuel, and have all three within arm's reach

    A flame lasts seconds, so anything you still have to go looking for is fuel you will never get lit. Building up in stages from tinder to fuel is what turns one match into a fire that lasts the night.

34. 34Before a three day hunt in country you do not know, which single habit does the most for you if things go wrong?

    1. ALeaving a written trip plan with someone, covering where you are going and when you will be back
    2. BPacking a second rifle
    3. CTelling nobody, so your spot stays yours
    4. DCarrying extra ammunition
    Show the answer

    ALeaving a written trip plan with someone, covering where you are going and when you will be back

    A search can only start once somebody knows you are overdue and roughly where to look. Keeping a good spot secret feels smart right up until a broken ankle means nobody comes looking for two weeks.

35. 35After a wet, windy morning your partner is fumbling with a zipper, slurring words, and stumbling on flat ground. What are you seeing?

    1. AEarly hypothermia, as a cooling core starts to affect coordination and thinking
    2. BOrdinary tiredness that a short rest will fix
    3. CDehydration and nothing more
    4. DFrostbite in the hands
    Show the answer

    AEarly hypothermia, as a cooling core starts to affect coordination and thinking

    Losing fine motor control and clear speech is the body signalling that its core temperature is dropping. It is easy to dismiss as being tired, and that is exactly how hypothermia gets dangerous before anyone reacts.

36. 36The thermometer reads 8 degrees Celsius and your friend says it is far too warm for hypothermia. Is he right?

    1. ANo, because wet clothing and wind can cool a body dangerously at temperatures well above freezing
    2. BYes, hypothermia needs temperatures below freezing
    3. CYes, unless somebody falls into water
    4. DNo, but only when it is snowing
    Show the answer

    ANo, because wet clothing and wind can cool a body dangerously at temperatures well above freezing

    Most hypothermia happens in cool, wet, windy weather rather than deep cold, largely because nobody dresses for it. Water pulls heat out of a body many times faster than dry air, so soaked clothing does the damage the thermometer does not predict.

37. 37You get a shivering, soaked hunter back to camp. What order do you work in?

    1. AGet them out of the wind, swap wet clothing for dry insulation, and offer warm sweet drinks if they are fully alert
    2. BGive them a shot of whisky to warm them from the inside
    3. CRub their arms and legs hard to drive circulation
    4. DPut them straight into a very hot bath
    Show the answer

    AGet them out of the wind, swap wet clothing for dry insulation, and offer warm sweet drinks if they are fully alert

    Stopping further heat loss always comes before adding heat, so wind and wet clothes are dealt with first. Alcohol feels warming because it opens the blood vessels in the skin, and that is precisely why it speeds up core cooling.

38. 38Halfway up a ridge on a cold morning you realize you are sweating under your jacket. What is the right move?

    1. AVent or shed a layer now, because sweat soaked clothing will chill you as soon as you stop climbing
    2. BKeep it all on so you do not waste the heat you built
    3. CClimb faster so the sweat dries off
    4. DDrink less water for the rest of the day
    Show the answer

    AVent or shed a layer now, because sweat soaked clothing will chill you as soon as you stop climbing

    Sweat is wet clothing that you made yourself, and it does its damage the moment you sit still. Opening up while you are still warm feels backwards in the cold, but staying dry is what keeps you warm an hour later.

39. 39After a bad fall a hunter is pale, cold, clammy, and breathing fast. How do you manage shock while you wait for help?

    1. AKeep them lying down, insulated from the ground, and calm, and hold off on food and drink
    2. BWalk them around to get their circulation moving
    3. CFeed them a large meal for energy
    4. DSit them upright and give them hot coffee
    Show the answer

    AKeep them lying down, insulated from the ground, and calm, and hold off on food and drink

    Shock means the body is not circulating enough blood, so rest, warmth, and reassurance are the useful things you can give. Food and drink are withheld because surgery may follow, and a full stomach makes anaesthetic riskier.

40. 40Your partner's lower leg is swollen and painful after a fall and you cannot tell a break from a bad sprain. What do you do?

    1. ATreat it as a fracture, immobilize it in the position you found it, and arrange help
    2. BPull it straight to line the bone up
    3. CHave them put weight on it to test whether it is broken
    4. DDo nothing until the swelling goes down
    Show the answer

    ATreat it as a fracture, immobilize it in the position you found it, and arrange help

    Nobody can reliably tell a fracture from a severe sprain in the field, so treating it as the worse injury costs you nothing. Straightening a limb or walking on it can turn a simple break into a much more serious one.

41. 41During a long cold sit your cheeks and fingertips have turned white and waxy. What should you do, and what must you avoid?

    1. ARewarm gently with body heat or warm water, and avoid rubbing the area or letting it freeze again
    2. BRub it with snow to draw the cold out
    3. CHold it close over the fire until the feeling comes back
    4. DIgnore it, because feeling always returns on its own
    Show the answer

    ARewarm gently with body heat or warm water, and avoid rubbing the area or letting it freeze again

    Frozen tissue is fragile, and rubbing or roasting it causes more damage than the cold did by itself. Rewarming and then refreezing is worse than leaving it frozen until you can reach real medical help.

42. 42In near darkness a shape disappears when you stare right at it and comes back when you look a little to one side. Why does that happen?

    1. AThe centre of the eye handles detail and colour in good light, while the cells that work in dim light sit around the outside
    2. BYour eyes have been damaged by the cold
    3. CThe shape is moving each time you look at it
    4. DBinoculars would produce the same effect in daylight
    Show the answer

    AThe centre of the eye handles detail and colour in good light, while the cells that work in dim light sit around the outside

    The middle of your retina is built for daylight detail, and the low light cells are spread around it rather than packed in the centre. Looking slightly off to the side is a genuine technique, not a trick of the imagination.

43. 43Twenty minutes before legal light you check your phone in the blind. What has that cost you?

    1. AYour dark adaptation, which takes many minutes of dim light to rebuild
    2. BNothing, because eyes adjust again instantly
    3. COnly your ability to hear approaching game
    4. DYour depth perception, permanently
    Show the answer

    AYour dark adaptation, which takes many minutes of dim light to rebuild

    Eyes need a long, gradual adjustment before they work well in low light, and a bright screen undoes most of it in a second. Getting it back takes far longer than the glance that threw it away.

44. 44A hunter hears brush crack, expects a deer, and fires at a brown shape. Which failure of perception does that describe?

    1. AExpectation standing in for identification, so the mind supplies the animal the hunter wanted to see
    2. BA fault in the rifle's sights
    3. CPoor physical conditioning
    4. DBuck fever, which only affects breathing
    Show the answer

    AExpectation standing in for identification, so the mind supplies the animal the hunter wanted to see

    Your brain completes patterns from very little information, and wanting to see a deer is enough to make it fill in the rest. Positive identification is a rule precisely because perception on its own cannot be trusted.

45. 45Something in the trees might be an animal or might be a person, and you want a closer look. What do you raise to your eyes?

    1. ABinoculars, never the rifle scope
    2. BThe rifle scope, since it is already in your hands
    3. CEither one, whichever comes up faster
    4. DNeither, just carry on walking
    Show the answer

    ABinoculars, never the rifle scope

    Looking through a scope means pointing a muzzle at whatever you are studying. Binoculars let you identify at a distance without aiming a firearm at a person, which is why they belong around your neck all day.

46. 46Hauling a mule deer uphill to the truck puts a heavy load on a hunter's heart and lungs. What does that argue for?

    1. ABuilding conditioning in the months before the season rather than on opening morning
    2. BHunting only from a vehicle
    3. CSkipping breakfast on hunting days to stay light
    4. DCarrying a heavier pack during the hunt as training
    Show the answer

    ABuilding conditioning in the months before the season rather than on opening morning

    The hardest physical work of a hunt usually comes after the shot, in cold weather and far from a road. Fitness built ahead of time is what keeps that moment from turning into a medical emergency where help is hours away.

47. 47A field you would like to hunt carries no signs, has no fence, and no house is visible from the road. What is your first step?

    1. AFind out who owns or occupies it and ask permission before you set foot on it
    2. BGo ahead, since land without signs is open to anyone
    3. CGo ahead, and leave only if somebody tells you to
    4. DTreat it as Crown land because there is no fence
    Show the answer

    AFind out who owns or occupies it and ask permission before you set foot on it

    Missing signs and fences tell you nothing about who owns the ground, and private land stays private whether or not it is marked. Asking first also gets you a name, a phone number, and often an invitation back next season.

48. 48A wildlife agency asks successful hunters to submit a tooth or complete a harvest questionnaire. What is the point of that?

    1. AIt supplies biological data such as age and harvest numbers, which managers use when setting future seasons and quotas
    2. BIt checks whether you paid for your licence
    3. CIt builds a mailing list for advertising
    4. DIt serves no real purpose and is only a formality
    Show the answer

    AIt supplies biological data such as age and harvest numbers, which managers use when setting future seasons and quotas

    Nobody can count every animal in a province, so what hunters report becomes a large share of the evidence behind next year's seasons. Skipping the survey quietly weakens the numbers your own opportunity is built on.

49. 49Walking a ditch along a gravel road, your partner suggests shooting a grouse sitting on the far shoulder. What is the problem?

    1. ADischarging a firearm on, from, or across a public roadway is restricted, so the shot could be an offence as well as unsafe
    2. BGrouse may not be hunted anywhere in Alberta
    3. CThere is no problem, because road allowances are public land
    4. DRestrictions apply only to someone shooting from inside a vehicle
    Show the answer

    ADischarging a firearm on, from, or across a public roadway is restricted, so the shot could be an offence as well as unsafe

    Road and right of way rules are a common source of charges, and the exact wording and distances change, so confirm the current Alberta regulations rather than relying on any remembered version. The idea to carry away is that a road is not somewhere you shoot from or across.