Joe Huggins, Hunter and Boater Education Coordinator for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, said this past year about 130 Arkansas schools offered hunter safety education. A lot of volunteers are used in training. In the Eureka Springs School District, it was taught by two certified teachers and a representative from AG&F.
Huggins said he has had only one complaint in the past about lack of parental notification, and the majority of the time parents are glad their children got this opportunity in school to take the course.
Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, wanting a hunting license in Arkansas. “This makes it a little easier on the parents if their child can get the course at school,” he said.
The course covers skill, safety and conservation, including using a tree stand safely, as falling out of a tree stand is the number one cause of deer hunter injuries.
“We also talk about responsibility and ethics out in the field, everything from picking up litter and spent shells to getting permission from the owner of the land, making ethical decisions before the shot, and ATV safety,” Huggins said. “Firearms safety is a part of safety ed, but we cover a lot of other things.”