You don't need a PAL to get a hunting license here. The normal progression is hunter's safety course/non-restricted firearms safety course, hunting license, PAL, restricted course, law 9 course, RPAL.
The hunter's course, back when I took it, was a veritable joke. It was one day with a multiple choice test at the end. If you didn't understand a question on the exam, rather than explain the question, they would just give the answer. My wife took the course more recently (within the last 10 years) and now it's a 2-day affair consisting of 2 distinct parts: firearms safety and hunter safety. It is usually given on Saturday and Sunday.
If all you want to do is play at the range, you don't need the "hunter's" part and can go directly to a PAL. Which I'm guessing is what happened to the OP.