Hunter education courses to be offered this fall
The Missouri Department of Conservation will be providing two hunter education courses this fall in the Nevada area.
Hunter education provides a foundation in hunting safety and ethics that helps hunters focus on more than just being successful in the pursuit of game. In hunting, nothing is more important than assuring that hunters return home safely from their hunting trips.
Achieving that goal is one of Missouri Department of Conservation's top priorities. Since 1957 the Conservation Department has provided hunter education classes to enable state residents to become safe, responsible hunters, The training has helped reduce Missouri's hunting accident rate by 70 percent, conservation agent Shawn Pennington said in a recent press release.
In Missouri, any person born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, is required to obtain an approved hunter education certificate in order to purchase any firearms hunting permit.
Hunter education certification in Missouri is limited to persons 11 years of age or older. These courses are offered to hunters and non-hunters alike with the hope of developing safe and ethical hunters who are safe with firearms in the fields and home; respectful of landowners, their properties, and other people; law abiding; and aware of the importance of hunting as a management tool for the resources of the state.
During the courses, prospective hunters will receive 10 hours of classroom training.
Topics covered in the course include:
* How firearms operate
* Safe hunting practices
* Hunting traditions and ethics
* Hunter responsibilities
The first course will be this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16, at the 3M Club House in Nevada. The course will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Candidates for certification must be present both days to fulfill the course requirements, Pennington noted.
Pre-registration is required. Contact conservation agent Shawn Pennington at (417) 667-2671 or Justin Fogle (417) 667-2858 to pre-register for this course.
The second course will be Oct. 8- 10 at the Vernon County fairgrounds, in the home economics building. This course will be held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. all three evenings. Candidates for certification must be present all three evenings to fulfill the course requirements.
Pre-registration is required for this event as well. Contact volunteer hunter education instructor Jim Wilson at (417) 667-7858 to pre-register for this course.