Hunter Ed courses offered

The Missouri Department of Conservation will conduct Hunter Education courses on Oct. 15, at the Stockton Elementary Cafeteria and Oct. 22, at the Humansville Community Hall. Hunters who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, and are 16 or older must successfully complete an approved hunter-education course to qualify to buy firearms hunting permits. Class size is limited to 45 and certification is limited to those students 11 years of age or older.

The hunter education course now consists of two parts. Step one is acquiring the necessary knowledge about hunting equipment, safety and ethics. This can be done one of three ways:

1. Completing a convenient online course that provides information in written form augmented with illustrations, graphs, audio, videos and interactive animation or

2. Obtaining a student manual online at mdc.gov/node/23045 or by calling or visiting one of the Conservation Department offices and completing the review questions and course at your own pace or

3. Registering for and attending a four-hour instructor-led classroom session.

After completing Step one, hunters can obtain their certification by attending a four-hour skill session that fist their schedule. This session will consist of instructor-led, hand-on exercises designed to help students put their knowledge into practice. After the session, students take a 35-question exam.

This Humansville course will offer from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. an instructor-led classroom session then from 1-5 p.m. will offer a skills session and exam. Lunch will be provided and many gifts and door prizes will be given away. The Stockton course will only be a skills session from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.. If you are only registering for one of the skills sessions, you must have completed one of the three required classroom steps and bring certification of completing the online course or completed student manual. You must preregister at mdc.mo.gov. If you are attending the Humansville classroom session you will need to register for both the classroom session and the skills session to receive certification.

For questions please call any Department of Conservation office like the one in El Dorado Springs, at 417/876-5226 or Agent Derek Farwell at 417/830-6162.