Hunters education needs more instructors

The annual Hunters Education class run by the instructors from the Abbotsford Sportsmen’s Club will run in April this year. It will be substantially different than what the class has looked like in past years.

The class will start on Tuesday evening, April 18th with registration at 5:00 p.m. and class starting at 6:00 p.m. The weekday classes will run from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Weekday classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturday classes will run from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The two Saturdays are April 22nd and the 29th. The field test is Saturday, April 29th and is a mandatory date – no exceptions.

The class is only running for two weeks this year, but will have the same number of hours, with more weekdays than weekends. The reason for this stems from instructor schedules.

Weekends are the days that most of the hands on instruction took place in past years, which means that the hands on portion of the class will be reduced. This will require more self-study on the part of the students and they will need to keep up on the course material. They will be taking the written test nine days after first seeing the material. Passing the test is a requirement of the course. The maximum number of students is 30 this year and it is first come, first served. Due to changes in the instructor’s lives this is where we are at. The totally volunteer Hunters Ed instructors are making a lot of sacrifices just to be able to fit a course in this year. A week ago it looked like there wouldn’t be a class. We regret the fact that not everyone will get a seat. We regret that the course will not be completely hands-on. In the end it was decided that some type of class was better than no class at all.

The group needs more instructors. Since the lockdown in 2020 there have been no new instructor apprentices. People’s lives change. They take promotions at work, start a different job, get married, and have babies. They develop health issues. Their businesses change or they start a business. There are untold reasons why in a lap around the sun an instructor can go from gladly volunteering 25 to 30 hours of their time over a three week period, to barely being able to make one class the next. That’s where we’re at.

Our group has nine active certified instructors left. We have always needed 12 to 15 instructors to run a course well. That’s just to get six instructors to each class. On field test day we always needed 12 instructors just for testing. We needed four more instructors or junior instructors to run the other portions of the day, like archery shooting and blood trail. We needed a couple club members to volunteer to cook and sell refreshments. That’s what it took to offer the 50 students - to one year over 100 - a Hunters Ed class.

As a group we are well supported, better than most groups. The club, the banquet, and a couple of very generous benefactors create an environment that provides a rewarding class for the students. They will do so again this year.

The group needs more instructors. If we don’t get four to five individuals to step up this year, there may not be a class at all next year. That is the reality in our area.

The state calls it apprenticing. To become an apprentice you must have successfully completed a Hunters Ed class, pass a background check, and help teach a class or two. Then you get certified as a Hunters Ed instructor. We get you one of those cool shirts, and you get something to fill in your Saturday mornings and weekday evenings in the early spring.

If you’re reading this, then hunting is important to you. Becoming a Hunters Ed instructor is about “Preserving the Heritage.” It’s about being an advocate for hunting. By doing so you make it possible for kids to go hunting and pass your knowledge on to them, making new friends, and acquiring new knowledge yourself. Getting started is as simple as reaching out to any instructor.

Many of you remember one of the area’s long time instructors and friend, Daryl Halopka. He once told a few people thinking of joining – “Not everyone gets to be an instructor. Believe it or not we’re the white knights here!”

We need more white knights.

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