The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is starting something called “Hunter Safety Education Week,” according to a press release from the department.
Running from Aug. 12 through Aug. 18, more than 40 in-person classes throughout the state will be offered to provide hunters more opportunities to obtain their hunter safety education certificate. The certificate is required to be able to purchase a hunting license in the state.
Cary Foster is the program supervisor in the Recreational Safety, Education, and Enforcement section of the DNR. He said the courses are typically offered just before spring turkey season and the fall before firearm deer season. He said the safety courses for deer are being offered this early for the public’s benefit.
“We came up with the idea to have a weekend or a week in August before school starts before kids are getting back to school,” he said. “With younger kids, things kind of get hectic, so they can get (certification) taken care of before the fall when everybody’s scrambling to fill time.”
Foster said the training teaches firearm safety, as well as hunting ethics and integrity for things like public and private property, litter, and conservation.
The courses are offered both in-person and online, but an in-person field day is required for all of them. Sidney LaLonde is a conservation officer for the DNR and will be instructing one of the field days in Atlanta on Aug. 21.
LaLonde said she teaches basic firearm safety, as well as tree stand safety, how to properly cross a fence, and how different guns operate. She said they work closely with local gun clubs as well when teaching.
This will be LaLonde’s seventh year of teaching, and she said she’s looking forward to it.
“It’s always fun to see all the local kids and adults getting into the next generations of anglers and hunters (or) huntresses,” she said. “We get to know all the local kids and teach them that we’re here to help them and to always do the right thing, and that they can always call one of us.”
Classes and field days are still available for registration.
Editor's note: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a sponsor of WCMU. We report on them as we do with any other organization.
