CODY, Wyo. — This fall, sixth-grade students at Burlington Middle School earned their hunter education certificates as part of their physical education class.
In the last two years, 18 different schools across Wyoming have offered hunter education classes as part of the regular school day. In the Big Horn Basin, Cody Middle School, Powell Middle School, and Riverside Middle School in Basin also offer an opportunity for hunter education during school hours.
Over several months, the class at Burlington Middle School successfully completed 16 hours of coursework relating to ethics and responsibility, wildlife identification, Wyoming laws and regulations, wildlife conservation and management, firearms safety, and more. In November, the class culminated in a field trip to Gunwerks to shoot .22 long rifles and practice marksmanship.
“The field trip gave students an opportunity to practice safe firearms handling practices they learned as part of the class and was a fun way to finish the course,” said Information and Education Specialist Tara Hodges. Hodges conducted the class in conjunction with PE teacher Lanning May and Big Horn County Sheriff Deputy Nate Kreider, the school’s resource officer. After the field trip, the students were treated to a pizza party to celebrate the successful completion of the class.
The first hunter education courses, originally called hunter safety, were designed over 60 years ago with the main purpose of reducing hunting accidents. While the major purpose of hunter education is still the prevention of hunting and firearm-related accidents, more and more emphasis is being placed on improving knowledge about the heritage of hunting. The importance of the young hunter developing a sense of ethics and responsibility is stressed.
The Wyoming Hunter Education program certifies approximately 5,000 students per year and classes are predominantly conducted by volunteer instructors.
