Back to school
Well for those of you who don’t know, I decided to go back to college. I never finished getting my GE in college, let alone getting a degree, but I did at least got a certificate in welding, so my college years were not completely wasted. Okay, maybe they were a little. But I have spent way too much of my time hoping jobs, not enjoying work, to just come home and learn about wildlife like I always have. So after talking with my husband, and making sure it was possible, we decided that I would go back to school again! Oh joy… during covid in California…. That part was not the smartest though.
I decided that since I have already started this channel and website, that I might as well build onto it. I am going back to school for Wildlife management. But just so you dont think that I have never thought of this before, I actually went to Montana State University the first year out of highschooll for wildlife management, and then was not perpared for school at all and failed out my first year. Then proceeded to come back to California, and went to the local junior college.
I know, so very exciting my past. But hopefully your wondering where you come in. Well I never had anybody to look up to when I was trying to go to school for this. Let alone someone in college that had a hard time with school. So here I am, if you are someone who is just starting college, or maybe you want to go to school for wildlife management in the future, or even just currious with what I will be learning for school but not wanting to go through with it youself, heres the blog section for you.
I want to have this be somewhere that people who want to learn more about wildlife management can go, not just hunting and gear reviews. But so far getting my GE/ AS degree at the local junior college has nothing to do with the fun and thrilling things I would be learning in Wildlife management. So I wanted to start sharing some things that I have been dong while getting ready for the wildlife management part of my career.
First thing I have been doing is accumulate wildlife management books, like the following.
Ecology and Management of the North American Moose
North American Elk Ecology and Management
Mule Deer Behavior Ecology Conservation
Pronghorn Ecology and Management
These books I have been trying to read on my free time, because these will help me understand these animals better. Not just for school, but also for hunting purposes. If you don’t understand the creature you are persuing for a hunt, then you lessen your likelihood of success exponentially.
But I am trying to just focus on fun facts first since that is something fun while I go through school and have classes that aren’t always that fun. Plus a reminder, if you are going back to school, I do highly recommend writing any assignment you can on something you are interested in. For instance I have been trying to relate any of my english 5 critical thinking essays or disusions on wildlife, hunting, camping, or the outdoors. It makes it so much easier.
Another thing I have been doing that is still learning and going to help my future with wildlife management, is going over scientific names for species. So I have been making flashcards, and quizzing myself with looking at the scientific name first to figure out what species it was. Then I went to seeing the side that said Mule deer, and trying to remember the scientific name. And lastly I am working on spelling now lol.
Odocoileus vurginianus - White-tail deer
Odocoileus hemionus - Mule Deer
Odocoileus hemionus columbianus - Columbian Black-tail Deer
Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis - Sitka Black-tail Deer
Ovis canadensis canadensis - Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis nelsoni - Desert Bighorn Sheep
Ovis dalli dalli - Dalls Sheep
Ovis dalli stonei - Stone Sheep
Ursus americanus - Black Bear
Ursus arctos - Brown Bear
Ursus arctos horriblis - Grizzly Bear
There are other ones too, but this is just a rough list of the ones I have been working with. School has been a bit difficult lately, but that is what it is when you havn’t been to school in a long time. Just wanted to give you all an update to what I have been doing to keep myself busy with school, but still getting ready for my career in wildlife! Just keep on trucking on, you might not see the end of the tunnel yet, but you are on your way!
Have a great day everybody!
💙 Karen Vallauri
