MDC offers hunter education skills class April 11 in Blue Springs

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free upcoming hunter education skills session from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. The session will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills.

Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4BH. For any questions about the session or help getting registered, contact Adam Brandsgaard, MDC conservation educator, at Adam.Brandsgaard@mdc.mo.gov, or call (816) 228-3766, ext. 1325.

The skills sessions classes are for students ages 11 and older. The certification course can be completed online by hunters ages 16 and older for a paid fee to an online provider. But for hunters ages 11 to 15, or those of any age seeking in-person instruction, they must take the free skills class in person. They will need to complete the knowledge portion of the class prior to the skills session. That can be done by filling out the chapter review questions in the student manual, or youths ages 11 to 15 can complete the knowledge portion online for a fee paid to the provider. Printed student manuals are available at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, MDC’s Kansas City Regional Office in Lee’s Summit, the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City, or they can be ordered online for free at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zox.

Besides teaching safety skills, the hunter education course also teaches basic hunting skills to help newcomers to the sport get started and be successful.

To find other hunter education skills sessions near you, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zof.