MDC recently revised its Hunter Education curriculum to enhance student convenience and emphasize mentorship and hands-on training. The new, more flexible program is divided into two parts.
The first part provides necessary knowledge about hunting equipment, safety, and ethics through either an online course or a self-paced student manual. The second part consists of a mandatory four-hour hands-on skills session and a 35-question multiple-choice exam.
Part 1: Knowledge
"Hunter Education students have two options to complete the knowledge part of the course," explained Plunkett "One option is through a convenient online course that includes audio, pictures, graphs, videos, and interactive animation to enhance and provide the best learning experience.Students must complete all of the chapter reviews as they go through the information, and then print their completion certificate."
He added that a second option is for students to get a student manual from several locations. They then must study the information, which includes colorful pictures and graphs, and complete all chapter reviews.
Part 2: Skills
The second part of becoming Hunter Education certified is to complete a hands-on skill session.
"After completing the first part of the course to gain the necessary information and knowledge, students must then complete a four-hour skills session with hands-on activities and video-based discussions," Plunkett said. "The session includes a mandatory 35-question multiple-choice final exam that is based heavily on information from the knowledge learning options and with some from the skills session. After successful completion, students will receive a temporary certificate so they can immediately start hunting while their Hunter Education Certification card is being processed."
Hunter ed skills sessions at Puxico
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and MDC will be sponsoring a skills session at the Mingo Refuge Visitor Center from 8 a.m. until noon. Saturday, Aug. 19. Students must sign up online by going to www.mdc.mo.gov and following the links to hunter education classes. Remember, students must first meet the knowledge portion by taking and completing the online course or by studying a student manual and completing all of the chapter reviews. Student manuals may be picked up by students at the Mingo Refuge Visitor Center during regular business hours. Students must bring the course completion certificate from the online course or a student manual with completed chapter reviews with them to the skills session. The number of participants at the skills sessions is limited so be sure to sign up as soon as possible before the class is full.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has been providing Hunter Education since 1957 and has trained more than 1.1 million students. Since hunter education became mandatory in 1987, there has been a reduction of hunting incidents by over 70%. Missouri has and continues to be one of the top five states in annual hunter education graduate numbers.
For more information on Hunter Education contact your local MDC office or visit mdc.mo.gov/node/3095.