Hunter Education Class to Be Offered
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The Belleville Wisconsin Hunter Safety Education Instructors invite those interested in hunting and recreational shooting to enroll in a Wisconsin DNR Certified Hunter Education course. It is recommended that students be 12 years old in order to take advantage of license incentives offered by the DNR. The minimum hunting age for hunting without having to comply with the new hunting mentorship program rules is still age 12, and the hunter must first complete a hunter education course if born on or after 1-1-73, or have completed basic training with the U.S. Armed Forces.
A youth age 12 or 13 who has completed hunter education does not have to hunt within arms reach of an adult, but still must be “accompanied”. Accompanied, for the purposes of 12 and 13 year olds who have completed hunter education, still means being within both visual AND voice contact at all times while hunting. The adult does not have to be a licensed hunter or hunter ed. graduate to accompany 12 and 13 year old hunter education graduates. Anyone age 10 or older, born on or after January 1, 1973, can obtain a hunting license and hunt, without the need to first take hunter education, provided they and a mentor comply with all of the following requirements:
Rules that apply to the Hunter
Must be at least 10 years old
Must have the appropriate valid hunting license, permits and tags
May only hunt while within arms reach of a “mentor” - regardless of the hunter’s age or the mentor’s age
Must follow all other hunting laws, seasons and bag limits
10 and 11 year olds may only hunt under these mentorship rules, even if they already completed hunter education
Rules that apply to the Mentor
Must be at least 18 year old
If born on or after 1-1-73, must be a hunter education course graduate, or have completed basic training with the U.S. Armed Forces
Must be the hunter’s parent or guardian, or have the permission of the hunter’s parent or guardian before acting as a mentor for a person under age 18
Must have a current year’s hunting license. (Type of hunting license does not matter for the mentor, unless they will also be attempting to harvest game, in which case they must have the appropriate valid hunting license, permits and tags for species they are hunting.)
Only allowed to serve as a mentor for ONE hunter at a time if the hunter is either of the following: age 10 or 11, or was born on or after 1-1-73 and has not yet taken and passed a hunter education course.
Rules that apply to Both the Hunter and the Mentor
Only ONE firearm, bow or crossbow (if eligible for a crossbow permit) can be possessed jointly between the hunter and the mentor
The course fee is $10.00, and will begin with class registration at 5:30 p.m., on Friday, April 8, 2016, at the Belleville EMS building, 480 River Street, Belleville. Class times will be from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., April 8, 2016; April 9, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; April 10, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You must attend all three days. Also pack a sack lunch, Townmart and Subway are close by. The course will cover firearm safety, knowledge of firearms and hunting equipment, wildlife identification and management, marksmanship, and outdoor skills. If under 18, a parent or guardian must attend for signature on registration form. All students will now be required to obtain a WI DNR customer ID# as part of the criteria to graduate from any Recreational Safety class and provide that WI DNR Customer ID# to their instructor. Students can obtain a DNR customer ID# from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., by calling 1-888-936-7463. Class size is limited to the first 40 students - call early.
For further information, contact the following DNR instructor: Glen Kazmar (608) 424-3401.
