Hunter Safety Courses!!!

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Dudes- It's time to sign up for your Mass Hunter Safety Class! Don't wait until the Fall - that's when all the instructors are out in the woods!

the new schedules are out:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/education/hed/hed_basic_listing.htm

The classes are free & good for all states & Canada & Mexico. The Mass program has no live-fire, but a lot of clubs run a range session the following week for people who have never shot before

here's the writeup from MassWildlife News:

"RESOLVE TO SIGN UP FOR HUNTER EDUCATION

New and novice hunters of all ages are encouraged to make a New Year's resolution to sign up for a Basic Hunter Education Course in the winter and spring months of 2010. Students who successfully pass the course will receive a Certificate of Completion which is acceptable for purchasing a Massachusetts hunting or sporting license. It also allows students 15 years or older to apply for a firearms license at their local police departments. These Certificates of Completion are also recognized in all the United States, Canada and Mexico for the purchase of a hunting or sporting license. Basic courses for the beginning of 2010 are posted at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/education/hed/hed_course_schedule.htm.

"Many people fail to consider signing up for a course in the winter or spring months because they aren't thinking about hunting," says MassWildlife Hunter Education Administrator, Susan Langlois. "By completing a course early in the year, new hunters have time to apply for a firearms license, practice newly acquired skills and scout potential hunting locations." The 15-16 hour course, which is usually scheduled over five or six weekday evenings, is taught by volunteer instructors. Occasionally, courses are conducted on weekends. Students must attend all scheduled sessions as part of the requirement for passing the course. All classes are provided at no charge to the participating students.

Topics covered during the Basic Hunter Education course include: safe handling of hunting arms and ammunition, hunting laws and ethics, wildlife identification, wildlife management, care and handling of game, basic survival skills and first aid. It is the mission of the Massachusetts Hunter Education Program to protect the lives and safety of the public, promote the wise management and ethical use of our wildlife resources, and encourage a greater appreciation of the environment through education. Funding is derived from the sale of hunting and sporting licenses, and from federal excise taxes on firearms and archery equipment. Massachusetts offered its first hunter safety course in 1954, and to date has graduated more than 175,000 students.

Graduates who have lost their Certificates may obtain a duplicate by contacting the Hunter Education office directly or through the MassWildlife website. For more information on courses and duplicate Certificates, contact the Hunter Education Program office in Ayer at (978) 772-0693."
 
Wow, these things fill up fast! My work schedule keeps me from going to the weekday evening ones and all the weekend ones are full already.
 
Seriously fast. [sad2] Everything even remotely close to me is filled already.

Do these things get scheduled throughout the year, or just at the beginning? I really need to get the course...
 
Holy crap, nothing listed is all that close and it is nearly impossible to make all the dates listed with work and all.[sad]
 
Do we have anyone here who's an instructor who could run a course if X number of NES members (and guests) were interested?
 
I would help as one of the instructors, but need a master instructor to set up the course.
 
If there is a class close to you that is full, you might want to think about just showing up for the first class to see if there is room. The class I went to was full, but there was at least 20 people that squeezed in either because someone didn't show up or there was a little extra room.
 
About 4 years ago there was a growing list of MA residents who could not get into a course. GOAL stepped up and rented a hotel function hall in Taunton and worked with Fish & Wildlife to provide a Saturday / Sunday all day course for over 100 people.

If the need is there again, we could set it up again I'm sure.
 
Do you need the MA course if you've had a license in another state?

So long as it's a good month or two out, I can get between two and four (maybe more) bodies there...
 
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