I have been given the ok to pass this information along to those of you that might be interested. If you have the desire to help bring new hunters to our sport with the information necessary to help keep them (and you) safe...read on! For many kids and adults, this may be their introduction to firearms.
The following gives you everything you need to take the next step. There are courses all over the State. The training schedule and Instructor Application are below. Hurry! The next Instructor Training session is on Feb 14th in Odenton!!
Hey, Hunters! If there's anyone among you out there who might have any interest in becoming a Hunter Safety instructor read this!
When you took your hunter safety training did you think the instructors were pretty cool and sure knew a lot about hunting ...and especially safe hunting?. Or did you think they were doofuses and that you could have done a much better job at teaching some sections of the class? Do you like hunting? Like teaching? Like teaching kids? Like teaching kids about hunting safely and making the woods safer for everybody...yourself included? Boy, have does DNR/NRP have a deal for you!
In order to become a full-fledged, bona-fide, card-carrying, DNR/NRP-sanctioned and approved Maryland Hunter Safety Instructor, you simply need to fill out an application form (copy attached), pass a criminal history background check conducted by Natural Resources Police, and take a brief training/indoctrination training session offered by DNR (2015 schedule attached). Once certified as a Provisional Instructor you'll need to find a teaching team since DNR/NRP, for good reason, doesn't allow individuals to teach classes all by their lonesome. The Hunter Safety regional coordinators can help new instructors find already existing teams or establish new teaching teams in underserved areas. Instructors will also be issued an Hunter Ed Instructor photo ID and, I think you get a neat hunter orange polo shirt with embroidered logo, to boot! Like I said, such a deal!
DNR provides all the materials you need to teach the class. You will have to provide your time, teaching skills and enthusiasm. You will be able to teach as many classes with the team as you like (some teams teach as many as 10-15 classes a year), or as few (I know one group that used to teach 4 traditional classes each year but now can find time and instructors only for two online field days at most). There are also two types of classes…the traditional 10 hour minimum classes usually spread over two 3½ hour evening sessions and one five hour Saturday session…and the newer on-line class field day which requires only one Saturday session of about five hours. The team gets to choose which type of classes they want to offer, often based on instructor availability times.
So for those of you who have occasionally (or often) thought that you would be interested in teaching hunter safety and giving back to your community, your opportunity has come. Attached is the information you need to embark on this worthwhile endeavor.
Final note: Ever since DNR began the online Hunter Safety classes there have been more students completing the online portion and needing the field day portion than there are available classes to provide the field day instruction to obtain the Hunter Safety certificate needed to get a hunting license. DNR calculates that statewide there is a waiting list of over 1500 students who need the online class. That’s over 1500 potential hunters who would be buying licenses, guns, ammo/shells, gear, etc. Remember, the number of hunting licenses issued is used as an indicator of hunting interest and that number has been slowly dwindling in Maryland. And while for a variety of reasons (urbanization, lack of game, lack of hunting land, lack of time, lack of training) it may in fact be dwindling somewhat from its heyday, if folks can’t get a hunting license because they can’t find a class to take, they definitely will lose interest and maybe take up another hobby/sport and then those diminished numbers of licenses will be used by anti-hunting (& anti-gun) organizations (and legislators) to opine that Marylanders aren’t interested in hunting anymore. You can imagine what sort of legislation might be forthcoming. Plus, the Pittman-Robertson funds which are generated by sales of hunting licenses and hunting gear and given back to Maryland by the US Fish & Wildlife Service will get reduced. Those funds are used to acquire more hunting lands in the state. So, for want of a instuctor/class nail…we get diminished hunting and hunting opportunities in Maryland.
The following gives you everything you need to take the next step. There are courses all over the State. The training schedule and Instructor Application are below. Hurry! The next Instructor Training session is on Feb 14th in Odenton!!
Hey, Hunters! If there's anyone among you out there who might have any interest in becoming a Hunter Safety instructor read this!
When you took your hunter safety training did you think the instructors were pretty cool and sure knew a lot about hunting ...and especially safe hunting?. Or did you think they were doofuses and that you could have done a much better job at teaching some sections of the class? Do you like hunting? Like teaching? Like teaching kids? Like teaching kids about hunting safely and making the woods safer for everybody...yourself included? Boy, have does DNR/NRP have a deal for you!
In order to become a full-fledged, bona-fide, card-carrying, DNR/NRP-sanctioned and approved Maryland Hunter Safety Instructor, you simply need to fill out an application form (copy attached), pass a criminal history background check conducted by Natural Resources Police, and take a brief training/indoctrination training session offered by DNR (2015 schedule attached). Once certified as a Provisional Instructor you'll need to find a teaching team since DNR/NRP, for good reason, doesn't allow individuals to teach classes all by their lonesome. The Hunter Safety regional coordinators can help new instructors find already existing teams or establish new teaching teams in underserved areas. Instructors will also be issued an Hunter Ed Instructor photo ID and, I think you get a neat hunter orange polo shirt with embroidered logo, to boot! Like I said, such a deal!
DNR provides all the materials you need to teach the class. You will have to provide your time, teaching skills and enthusiasm. You will be able to teach as many classes with the team as you like (some teams teach as many as 10-15 classes a year), or as few (I know one group that used to teach 4 traditional classes each year but now can find time and instructors only for two online field days at most). There are also two types of classes…the traditional 10 hour minimum classes usually spread over two 3½ hour evening sessions and one five hour Saturday session…and the newer on-line class field day which requires only one Saturday session of about five hours. The team gets to choose which type of classes they want to offer, often based on instructor availability times.
So for those of you who have occasionally (or often) thought that you would be interested in teaching hunter safety and giving back to your community, your opportunity has come. Attached is the information you need to embark on this worthwhile endeavor.
Final note: Ever since DNR began the online Hunter Safety classes there have been more students completing the online portion and needing the field day portion than there are available classes to provide the field day instruction to obtain the Hunter Safety certificate needed to get a hunting license. DNR calculates that statewide there is a waiting list of over 1500 students who need the online class. That’s over 1500 potential hunters who would be buying licenses, guns, ammo/shells, gear, etc. Remember, the number of hunting licenses issued is used as an indicator of hunting interest and that number has been slowly dwindling in Maryland. And while for a variety of reasons (urbanization, lack of game, lack of hunting land, lack of time, lack of training) it may in fact be dwindling somewhat from its heyday, if folks can’t get a hunting license because they can’t find a class to take, they definitely will lose interest and maybe take up another hobby/sport and then those diminished numbers of licenses will be used by anti-hunting (& anti-gun) organizations (and legislators) to opine that Marylanders aren’t interested in hunting anymore. You can imagine what sort of legislation might be forthcoming. Plus, the Pittman-Robertson funds which are generated by sales of hunting licenses and hunting gear and given back to Maryland by the US Fish & Wildlife Service will get reduced. Those funds are used to acquire more hunting lands in the state. So, for want of a instuctor/class nail…we get diminished hunting and hunting opportunities in Maryland.
