Instructor led courses are ramping up in Southwest Idaho. Seven courses with open seats are slated to start in the next few weeks, with many more to come.
“We are thrilled that we have a number of classes currently available to students throughout the region, each of which is an opportunity for them to learn from our experienced hunter education instructors” said Jaime Creson, Volunteer Services Coordinator for Idaho Fish and Game’s Southwest Region.
Here is a list of courses scheduled to start soon in the region. Follow the links to see more information about each class and to register:
- Feb. 9 – Kuna – Hybrid/Virtual Hunter Education
- Feb. 12 – Cascade – Hunter & Bowhunter Combo
- Feb. 28 – Middleton – Hunter & Bowhunter Combo
- March 1 – Nampa – Hunter Education
- March 7 – Kuna – Hunter Education (Live Fire)
- March 13 – Kuna – Hunter Education
- March 21 – Nampa - Hybrid/Virtual Hunter Education
In addition to the in-person instructor-led courses that everyone remembers from their childhood, Fish and Game is also offering hybrid/virtual instructor-led courses, which are faster paced and include three days of virtual instruction over Zoom and one in-person field and examination day.
“We are working to provide new hunters with as many options as possible for instructor-led courses as controlled hunt application periods approach and demand for courses gets higher,” Creson said.
With this batch of classes, students will have two opportunities to get certified before the controlled hunt application period for spring turkey ends on March 1, giving them a chance to put in for coveted (and beginner-friendly) hunts around the state.
Why sign up for an instructor-led course?
Learn from experienced hunters/instructors: Maybe you have a question about something that wasn’t directly covered in the coursework, or maybe you just want a little more explanation. With instructor-led courses, you have the opportunity to dive a little deeper than what you find in the Hunter Education book. Instructors provide person-to-person interaction that you won’t find through a strictly online course.
It’s hands-on: In-person instruction provides a hands-on component to hunter education that simply isn’t available in the online format. So, what exactly do we mean by “hands-on?” While both the online and in-person courses cover the same information, in-person students have the benefit of putting the concepts they learn into practice under the guidance of Hunter Education instructors who can explain and demonstrate.
For example, in every instructor-led course (including hybrid courses), students have the opportunity to practice safe firearm handling with inert firearms in the classroom, and receive specific training based on scenarios that most often lead to hunting-related accidents.
It’s affordable: The cost for enrolling in instructor-led courses is less than a box of shotgun shells: just $9.75.
To see a full list of instructor-led courses scheduled go to https://register-ed.com/programs/idaho.