American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 88 Hunter Certificate Exam
Having finalized his plans, Lin Yu'an began preparing for his new life as a prospective "Alaskan resident."

To live legally and safely in the vast and wild lands of Alaska and to engage in hunting, wilderness survival skills alone are far from sufficient.

He must first become a “qualified” participant and abide by all local laws and regulations.

The first step in all of this is to obtain a hunter safety education certificate from Alaska.

"Hello everyone on Bilibili, today we're starting a new series—the Hunter Certification Exam!"

In a newly released video on his Bilibili account, Lin Yu'an sits at his desk and speaks earnestly to the camera.

This video documents his real process of preparing for the Alaskan hunter certification exam.

"In North America, hunting is an activity that is subject to extremely strict legal regulations."

"According to Alaska regulations, any hunter born after January 1, 1987, must complete and pass the official hunter safety education course before they can purchase a hunting license."

"This is not just a certificate, but an essential step in learning how to hunt safely, legally, and ethically."

Lin Yu'an opted for a more flexible approach, combining online courses with in-person assessments.

After paying $28.95 for the course, he immersed himself in online learning.

The course content was more systematic than he had imagined, ranging from gun safety to animal tracking, and even included detailed instructional videos on how to handle the internal organs of prey.

First and foremost is the safety of firearms and bows.

"The first chapter of the course is the 'Ten Commandments of Gun Safety,' which are repeatedly emphasized."

Lin Yu'an browsed through the courseware while explaining it to the audience.

"For example, always point the gun in a safe direction; never touch the trigger before you are sure you are going to fire; always assume that every gun is already loaded."

"These may sound like old clichés, but they are ironclad rules learned from countless bloody lessons and must be ingrained in our very being."

Then there are hunting laws and ethics.

"This part is very important; it determines whether you are a legal hunter or an illegal poacher."

"For example, the course will explain in detail how to identify the types of hunting licenses, the division of different hunting areas, and the hunting seasons, hunting methods, and restrictions for various species in different areas."

"There is also hunting ethics, such as the principle of 'fair pursuit,' which means that modern means of transportation such as airplanes and cars should not be used to chase or locate prey."

"For example, we must make every effort to retrieve injured prey and know how to handle prey humanely, making the best use of resources and respecting life."

The course provides a wealth of high-resolution images and videos to teach students how to accurately identify common wildlife in Alaska.

Lin Yu'an zoomed in on a comparison image.

"This is the difference between grizzly bears and black bears. Grizzly bears have prominent muscular bulges on their shoulders, and their facial contours are more 'disc-shaped'."

"Black bears, on the other hand, do not have prominent shoulder ridges and have a flatter facial profile."

"In the wild, accurately identifying them is directly related to your response strategy and your safety."

The final section covers practical wilderness survival and first aid skills.

Lin Yu'an was most familiar with this part of the content, but the systematic knowledge provided by the course still helped him.

"Although I have mastered most of these skills in practice, the systematic knowledge provided by the course still allows me to fill in any gaps in my knowledge."

After completing all the online learning modules, Lin Yu'an took the final exam on the website.

He easily passed the eighty multiple-choice and true/false questions with almost a perfect score, thanks to his enhanced memory and deep understanding of the knowledge.

He printed out his certificate of completion and enrolled in a field course and assessment program in Austin, Texas, which has a mutual recognition agreement with the state of Alaska for hunter education certificates.

On Saturday morning, Lin Yu-an kissed Alia goodbye and drove to a large outdoor activity center in the northern suburbs of Austin half an hour early.

This is the location of the hunter safety education enhancement course he enrolled in, certified by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (TPWD).

The activity center is shaded by green trees and fully equipped, including spacious indoor classrooms, a standardized shooting range, and a practice area simulating various outdoor environments.

A faint smell of burning gunpowder filled the air.

He walked into the designated teaching building and found his seat in a lecture hall with a tiered layout.

A dozen or so students, of varying ages and backgrounds, were already scattered around the classroom.

Several young white men who looked to be around his age were gathered together, excitedly discussing some latest model of shotgun.

There were also several middle-aged fathers who brought their children, clearly wanting to cultivate the next generation's interest in hunting.

Young Chinese students like Lin Yu'an certainly stand out among them.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, a tall and robust elderly man, wearing a khaki uniform from TPWD, strode onto the stage.

He is the instructor for this course, Hank Miller, who is said to have been a legendary officer in the Texas Rangers and devoted himself to hunter safety education after retiring.

"Good morning, aspiring hunters!" Instructor Hank's voice was loud and penetrating, his sharp gaze sweeping over each trainee present. "Welcome to the Hunter Safety Education Course. Over the next day, you will learn the knowledge and skills necessary to become a qualified hunter!"

"Please remember! Hunting is not just a sport or a hobby, but a responsibility! A responsibility to life, nature, and the law!"

Instructor Hank's opening remarks were concise and powerful, immediately making the atmosphere in the classroom serious.

After obtaining the instructor's permission, Lin Yu'an began filming the video.

The morning session consisted of theoretical courses, which might seem a bit boring to many, but Lin Yu'an listened with exceptional focus.

With his decades of experience in law enforcement and hunting, Instructor Hank made those dry theories vivid and interesting by combining them with his own practical experience.

Lin Yu'an learned a lot from the morning's classes, which gave her more confidence for the afternoon's practical assessment.

In the afternoon, the practical assessment took place. Lin Yu-an stood with a group of local teenagers and hunting novices at the shooting range and in the simulated forest.

The instructor was an experienced, stern old hunter who tested each trainee with extremely strict standards.

The assessment content is entirely practical.

In the safe handling of firearms, trainees need to simulate carrying an unloaded rifle and traversing obstacles such as fences and trenches.

The instructors will closely observe whether the trainees keep the muzzle of their guns facing a safe direction at all times.

In the simulated shooting area, trainees need to demonstrate the correct shooting posture and, under the instructor's command, complete a series of safety operations such as loading, aiming, firing a dry shot, unloading, and checking the chamber.

The most challenging part is the "shoot/don't shoot" scenario judgment.

The instructors will use various animal targets and backdrops to set up a series of rapidly changing hunting scenarios.

For example, a deer target suddenly appears from behind a tree, but a human-shaped target marked "hiker" is right behind it.

Trainees must make a decision in a very short time and shout "Fire!" or "Don't fire!"

Lin Yu'an remained calm and composed throughout the on-site assessment.

Every movement he made was extremely precise, and every judgment he made was decisive and correct.

His genuine reverence for weapons and adherence to safety rules impressed even the strict instructor, who nodded repeatedly in approval.

Finally, after all the assessment items were completed, Lin Yu'an received a hard card and a cloth stamp for the "Hunter Safety Education Course Completion Certificate".

This certificate allows him to apply for a hunting license for ordinary residents in multiple states, which is the first step for him to hunt legally in the vast lands of America.

He prioritized applying for lifetime hunter cards in Texas and Alaska.

The day after successfully obtaining the Hunter Safety Education Certificate, he sent all the materials he had recorded during that period to the Bilibili operations team in China via an encrypted cloud link.

Back in Shanghai, at Bilibili's partner operations company, Lao Mao and his three-person team were overjoyed to receive this material.

"Look! An Shen has released new material!"

"That's what Li Ang, the guy in charge of editing, shouted excitedly."

They immediately gathered together and began reviewing the original video, which lasted for several hours.

When they saw Lin Yu'an studying the online course diligently, as if she were in class, and explaining each knowledge point in detail, they knew that this video was full of "knowledge".

When they saw Lin Yu'an's calm, professional, and impeccable performance during the offline on-site assessment, their admiration for this "boss" deepened even further.

"That's incredible... Brother An's performance doesn't feel like an exam at all, it's more like he's giving a demonstration to the instructor!"

"That's what Xiaoya, the girl in charge of community operations, said with a sigh."

"The positioning of this video is very clear."

"It's not just about seeking novelty; it's about hardcore science education. What we're trying to do is present this complex and real process to the audience."

"Li Ang, the editing pace needs to be fast, and the information density needs to be high. Use special effects subtitles to highlight the key points of the regulations and techniques so that the audience can enjoy watching and understand them!"

After two days of intensive post-production, a video titled "Want to hunt legally in Alaska? First step, get a hunter's license!", lasting about fifteen minutes, was officially released on Lin Yu-an's Bilibili account.

As soon as the video was released, Bilibili officially launched S+ level traffic support.

Featured on the homepage, pinned to the top of the knowledge section, and on the hot list... Almost simultaneously, all users interested in the outdoors, survival, and popular science saw the push notification for this video.

The video's views surpassed several million again within just one hour!
The bullet comments and comment sections completely transformed into a "large-scale popular science discussion" about North American hunting culture and regulations.

Countless netizens who previously only knew about hunting through movies and games saw for the first time in such a direct and detailed way the rigorous and complex process required to become a legal hunter in the United States.

Old Cat smiled with satisfaction as he watched the steadily increasing number of views, likes, and positive discussions in the background.

Lin Yu-an's journey as a content creator is firmly on the right track!

--------

(What's the pronunciation of "monthly pass"? And it's in red, could someone reading this please help me figure it out?)
(End of this chapter)