Hunter Safety Classes Teach Valuable Skills

Learn Wildlife Management, Hunting and Outdoor Survival Skills

Sep 27, 2009

Hunter safety classes, offered throughout the U.S., successfully teach hunting, basic outdoor survival skills and wildlife management to all outdoor enthusiasts.

In most U.S. states, anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 is required to attend a Hunter Safety Education Class prior to purchasing a hunting license. Generally, a hunter safety card is transferable between states and is only needed to be taken once in the participant's life.

The Purpose of Hunter Safety Classes

The purpose of a hunter education course is to teach safe, responsible firearm handling in the field, in the vehicle and in the home after hunting. While hunter education courses enable safer hunting, they also help hunters be more successful in the field and emphasize ethical hunting behavior. Subjects covered include hunter responsibility, wildlife identification and management, game care and outdoor survival. Students may also receive instruction in hunting with bows and black powder firearms.

Hunter Education Is For All Outdoor Enthusiasts

Hunter education is not just for people who plan to hunt. The class is a great way for all outdoor enthusiasts to learn basic outdoor and survival skills. Anyone interested in wildlife management is encouraged to take the class to learn more about how hunting is an important wildlife management tool.

Hunter Safety Opportunities in Colorado

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has several statewide opportunities for men, women and juniors to obtain their hunter safety card and learn more about the sport.

The basic Colorado hunter education class allows students to hunt with a firearm upon completion of the class. The course is a mandatory twelve hours and is offered at several times and locations to accommodate different work and school schedules. Generally, the class includes a gun safety component on-site at a shooting range.

The Bowhunter Education class is one day only and is for people who are interested in hunting only during the archery seasons. Participants will not be able to purchase a big game tag for the rifle seasons.

Additionally, the Colorado Division of Wildlife offers some classes specifically for women and children.

Each of the above classes are limited to twenty participants, so contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife as soon as possible for registration. Cost to register is $10 and all the necessary manuals, equipment and ammunition will be provided. It’s recommended that children be at least 10 years old before they attend a Colorado hunter education class.

Hunter Safety Classes are a Proven Success

The hunter education program has significantly reduced the number of hunting related accidents throughout the United States. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, in the 1960s Colorado hunters experienced an average of nine fatal and 24 non-fatal hunting accidents each year. In 1970 the state legislature mandated completion of hunter safety for all hunters. As a result, statistics now show an average of 1.6 fatal and 10 non-fatal hunting accidents each year.

The copyright of the article Hunter Safety Classes Teach Valuable Skills in Hunting is owned by Sue Melus. Permission to republish Hunter Safety Classes Teach Valuable Skills in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.