Midwest Deer Hunting: Hunter Education

Showing posts with label Hunter Education. Show all posts

Monday, September 14, 2015

Michigan deer hunters - Still time to enroll in hunter education classes before deer season

As students head back to school, signaling the quick approach to fall and deer hunting season, parents of children who have an interest in learning to hunt should consider enrolling them in a September hunter education class. Now is the best time to enroll so that new hunters are ready to hit the woods this fall.

"Although classes are held year-round, April, May, August and September class opportunities are typically the most plentiful,” said Sgt. Steve Orange with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources hunter education program. “However, waiting until the last minute to enroll sometimes makes it difficult to find an available class.”

Michigan has three types of hunter education courses: traditional classroom, home-study and online. Orange encourages students to finish the course no later than Oct. 1 to insure that instructors are available for online or home-study students to complete a mandatory field day. The field work is included with the traditional classroom instruction.

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete the course in order to purchase a Michigan hunting license or participate in an out-of-state hunt. Exceptions are made for youths under the age of 10 who are hunting with a Mentored Youth Hunting license or hunters older than 10 who are hunting with anapprentice hunting license. New hunters can hunt under the apprentice program for two years before being required to complete a hunter education course.

Traditional classroom instruction is at least 10 hours during a minimum of two days and includes both classroom and field work with an instructor. The fee for the class is $10 or less to cover expenses. The home-study course features a manual in which to complete classwork and answer questions. A field day also is required with the home-study course and must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the course. Michigan also offers three approved online courses: www.hunter-ed.com/michigan, www.huntercourse.com, and www.hunteredcourse.com/state/michigan. Students who opt for the online course complete their classwork online and then have a field/skills day with an instructor and take a written exam. The field day must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the online instruction. The online courses have varying fees, but all are priced under $25. There may be an additional cost of up to $10 for the field day.

For more information about hunter education or to find a class in your area, go towww.michigan.gov/huntereducation.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Numerous hunter education courses open statewide in Wisconsin

Hunter and dog with their catch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Enroll today so you are ready for opening day of all seasons

MADISON – More than 40 percent of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Hunter Education courses are held in spring, making this an opportune time for you to enroll to complete the class to ensure you can hunt when you want to hunt.

“This truly is the best time to get this important course completed. All too often we see how time can get away from people and suddenly we are into the seasons, and the courses are either full or no longer being held,” Hunter Education Administrator and Warden Jon King said. “If you complete the course early in the year, you are scout, target shoot and have fun preparing so you are ready to take to the woods on opening day.”

The hunter education courses are led by trained and certified volunteer instructors and are offered statewide throughout the year.

Easy ways to get do the course

There are three ways to get hunter education certified:

Basic Hunter Education – A classroom setting of about 10 hours. Students learn how hunting accidents are caused and how they can be prevented. Hunter responsibility and safety are stressed throughout the classes through lectures, demonstrations, group discussions, practical exercises, and individual study and activity assignments. In most cases, the course also includes a Saturday or Sunday field day at the range. Cost is $10.
Online Internet Hunter Education and Field Day – Register for a hunter ed internet field day after passing an online course approved by the DNR. You’ll spend a day in the field with certified online hunter instructors testing what you learned online. The field day is mandatory to earn your hunter education safety certification. Cost is $10, and can range depending on what online course you choose.
Adult (18 years of age or older) Online Internet Hunter Education Test Out – Anyone age 18 or older can register for an adult test out scheduled bi-monthly at DNR service centers. Required online course www.huntercourse.com/usa/wisconsin/ costs $24.95 plus a $10 DNR fee.

To find a course or to sign up for the online course, search the DNR website for hunter education and click on the button for "find a class."

“Thanks to the Hunter Education program, hunting is safe and getting safer,” King said.

Hunter education covers the firearm handling skills, regulations, and responsibilities of a safe and ethical hunter. Nearly 30,000 Wisconsin youths and adults get hunter ed-certified every year. Wisconsin hunter certification is recognized by all states and provinces requiring hunter education.

“Get enrolled now and join the ranks of today’s hunter education graduates who are ensuring the future of our hunting heritage,” King said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon King – 608-575-2294

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wisconsin Hunters called to protect state’s hunting heritage

The Hunters at Rest 1871 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Survey: hunter numbers dropping

We had 11 hunters, including five kids, at our deer camp last year. Sleeping arrangements were a bit complex, but we made it work. In the moments before dawn, all 11 were up and dressed ready to venture out to their posts to play an assigned role in the group hunt.
That’s hunting in Wisconsin -- steeped in tradition and family values. There are hunting families and camps that have persisted for generations. Others, like ours, can only claim a decade or two of fun stories. If you only talk with hunting friends – in person or electronically – it’s easy to get the feeling there will always be as many hunters as there are today.
A look at statistics gives a different picture, however. The total number of hunters the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported to the federal government has declined from 770,000 in 2000 to about 704,000 in 2010. A recent demographic analysis published in Population and Environment predicts the number of resident male deer hunters will decline by more than 25 percent in the next 18 years. The figures predict an average decline of 1.6 percent per year with the drop off accelerating in the later years.
Moreover, DNR surveys reveal the number of small game hunters has declined by an average 2 percent per year for the past eleven years and attendance at Hunter Education courses has dropped by an average of 2 percent per year since 2000.
The evidence indicates we are at the beginning of a long, steady decline in number of hunters in Wisconsin. With more than 700,000 still hunting in the Badger State, should we respond now? Yes.
Yes, because we still have a lot of hunters. And, hunters are the only ones who will be able to ensure our future by mentoring new hunters. Further, there’s no successful model to follow for recruiting new hunters and hunter numbers are declining around the nation. We need time to learn what works for hunter recruitment in the 21st century.
Efforts to slow the decline have been growing in popularity recently. Groups and partners around the state have offered the Learn to Hunt program where anyone 10 years old or older (including adults) can try hunting with a mentor, without passing hunter education. In addition, people participating in an organized Learn to Hunt event are not required to have a hunting license. Licenses are required for youth hunts and for mentored hunting outside of Learn to Hunt events. More than 10,000 people have participated in a Learn to Hunt program around the state since the first one occurred in 1997. Last year participation increased by more than 10 percent -- a great sign.
Change is in the air as we continue to grow the hunter recruitment and retention program. We are actively recruiting more and more adults and families to learn to hunt events using the DNR website to open up registration to anyone looking for an event. (Search keyword "LTH" at dnr.wi.gov to find an event near you.) Streamlined access to hunter education courses will be made available for adults who are interested in starting up. We can track the successful recruitment of a new hunter over time and hopefully identify the factors that lead to lifelong interest. And, finally, we are piloting a course designed to teach interested adults to hunt and provide the first-time hunting experience at Madison College this fall.
Now comes the hard part: Sacrifice is required to make a new hunter. Maintaining our hunting heritage will only be successful if we all take it on. We can all increase the focus on mentoring adults and families into hunting. It takes time and commitment and I believe we have enough of both. Stay tuned for more information on what you can do and how you can be involved in protecting your hunting heritage.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke – 608-576-5243