Want to teach Hunter ed?

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is in need of volunteer instructors to teach hunter education throughout Wyoming.

The need for hunter education classes and instructors is magnified this time of year, with spring and summer classes filling quickly, according to Jim Dawson, Hunter Education coordinator. Each spring sees volunteers offering the greatest number of classes, followed by the big rush of last minute interest for classes in August and September.

Some communities occasionally experience low numbers of class offerings due to too few instructors or when an active instructor moves away, or personal demands reduce the amount of time an instructor has to donate to volunteer service.

In 2013, more than 300 volunteer hunter education instructors donated 6,630 hours of community service time conducting 251 classes and certifying 5,866 new hunters. Instructors come from a variety of backgrounds and include game wardens, volunteers and professional educators.

Volunteer instructors are not paid to conduct classes, but rewards come when looking at the faces of those obtaining a hunter education certification. Volunteer instructors understand their work is essential in meeting the hunter education program goals of reducing hunting related accidents and violations; promoting safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunting; and enhancing hunting traditions and values.

Those interested in becoming a certified volunteer hunter education instructor need to complete a few simple steps:

• Must have completed a hunter education certification.

• Complete the hunter education application.

• Attend the entire class of a mentoring instructor and teach a lesson under the direction of the mentor.

• Submit a lesson plan and the completed Instructor Worksheet with the help of the mentor.

• Submit the WGFD Wild Work Volunteer and Screen Forms.

• Attend the new instructor orientation within 2 years of application.

The orientation academy is conducted at no charge to the new instructor, with the 2014 New Instructor Academy scheduled for July 25-27.

If you are interested in becoming a hunter education instructor, contact Jim Dawson at [email protected], or 307-473-3439. All hunter education forms are available on the WGFD webpage, http://gf.state.wy.us.