Breckenridge Texan

A Hunter Education classroom course will be offered in Breckenridge from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, and there are seven seats available, as of the morning of Friday, Jan. 28.

Former Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt volunteers as a Hunter Education and Safety Instructor with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and will be teaching the class. The location will be announced later.

The course is designed for novice or young hunters, ages 9 years and older, and Holt says 11 years old is ideal. It will cover the core competencies of firearm and hunting safety, hunting ethics and wildlife conservation. All materials are provided.

The first half of the day will be in the classroom, and the second half of the course will be in the woods where the class will go through safety, ethical, and legal hypothetical scenarios. Students should not bring their own firearms.

The field day will consist of safety exercises, ethical scenarios, etc. Lunch will be an hour in between the classroom and the field day, and students will be on their own for lunch.

Holt said he recommends an adult or mentor attend the class with the young kids to help them pay attention, to help them understand certain topics, and to build hunting and outdoor bonds.

The fee for the certification is $15, payable by check or cash. There will be no charge for parents/mentors sitting in.

Pre-registration is required. Click here for more information and to register for the class. Information also is available by calling the TPWD Austin headquarters at 1-800-792-1112, ext. 4999.

The Hunter Education classroom courses are offered across the state year round and are taught by certified volunteer instructors.

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