Hunter's Safety Course Available Soon Locally

Southwest Kansas - where hunting, fishing, farming and ranching go hand in hand.

When it comes to hunting, to play be the rules, a hunter is required to fulfill something - a hunter's safety course.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says "hunters who were born on or after July 1, 1957, need to complete a certified Hunter Education course to purchase a hunting license or hunt."

There are some exceptions with this requirement, according to KDWP, like hunting on owned land."

Hunters have more than one option for fulfilling the requirement: a traditional, instructor-led course, a hybrid online and in-person course, or an online course for those 18 and older.

One local woman, Tammy Lane-Reese, feels strongly that taking the course is important and not just for hunting.

"I feel it's very important everyone knows gun safety whether they are going to hunt or not," Lane-Reese said recently. "And it's the law. They are not able to go out and hunt and get that experience without the hunter's safety course."

Lane-Reese feels so strongly about it, she has taken steps to do something about it. She is in the process of offering hunter's safety courses here.

"There is no one out here who is doing it and I've had one since I was a little girl," Lane-Reese said. "I went through the classes - it was kind of fun."

Lane-Reese said it was when she went in search of a course for family, that she discovered it was not offered locally.

"I wanted my grandsons to do it last year and we couldn't find a class," she said. "Then I found out there were no instructors here. I don't know how long it has been since there was a course offered here."

Lane-Reese has been certified to teach the class.

"They restructured the entire class and this restructuring just finished in July," she said. "They re-certified everybody, so even if you were a trained instructor, you had to re-certify this year. It's not difficult to get certified, but is can be a little time consuming."

Lane-Reese reiterated that there are several options available for those wanting to hunt.

"You can get an apprentice license," she said. "Once you are 16 you are required to have a hunter's license to hunt. Two times you can get a one-year apprentice license to hunt, but you have to be with somebody 18 or over. You can also take the course online. There are some hybrid classes you can do online or you can catch a class - it's all volunteer nobody gets paid."

In Kansas, according to the KDWP, the minimum age to receive certification from a hunter education course is 11-years-old.

"While there isn't a minimum age to take the course, anyone under 11 who takes it will not be certified and will need to retake it after turning 11," information from KDWP states.

Lane-Reese hopes to be able to offer her first class around the first of the year 2026.

"That gives us a few months under our belt and time to see if we can get some other instructors to step up and get involved," she said. "It is too much for one person to do it all. I'm hoping after the first of the year, we can start having a couple of classes a year."

A place to have the classes has not yet been decided.

"A location has not been determined yet," she said. "We will have to find a place to have the classes. When we do, we will make announcements on Facebook and in the newspaper."

Lane-Reese said more instructors are needed.

"Other people should do it," she said. "We need more instructors out there. It takes more than one instructor. One cannot teach this to a bunch of kids alone - you need help. Once you get the instructor's license you can be a coordinator or you could be the instructor."

Lane-Reese said those interested in becoming instructors can contact the Kansas Department of Fish and Wildlife in Pratt, Kan.

"There is also a Website you can go to and you can do the training on line. You do have to attend a live class to finish or they do have a power point class where they can go and certify with the final ending at the Power Point. You have to take all of the different blocks of the certification and pass the quizzes to complete the training."

The course is a 10 to 12 hour class and is required to be at least 10 hours.

"However, the way the instructor structures it can depend on the class size, the dynamics of where you are... Personally, i think it would be easier to do it in a couple of Fridays or Saturdays - split it up into a couple of classes, because they'll have class training and then they will have field training too," she said.

Lane-Reese says there is a very important reason why people should take a hunter's safety course, even if they don't hunt.

"It's all about safety and following the law," she said. "There are so many people against guns, but it's not the guns that kill people it's the people. It doesn't matter what kind of upstanding citizen we are or how careful we are, we could all have accidents - gun safety is a matter of life and death. It happens all of the time. I think these courses are a preventative measure for these kids to know gun safety, if they are every going to be around a gun. It doesn't matter if you are going to hunt, it matters that you are going to be around a gun."

Gun safety is something Lane-Reese was taught at an early age.

"My dad felt it was something important for us to learn, because we had guns in our house," she said. "I built a good bond and a good experience with my dad. I remember those days. There were three of us kids and we all shot with the same first gun - it was just about making a lot of memories and family togetherness."

When she was in the process of becoming certified, Lane-Reese said she did not have her card information from taking the course herself.

"If you took a hunter safety course when you were young, and you do not know your number, you can go  on the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Website and you can look up and find your number," she said. "I had lost my number years ago and then I became a federal firearms licensed dealer to sell firearms. At the time you had to have that. I had to call them and say I don't know what my number is. They looked me up and found me. You're not out of luck if you took the class years ago and don't know your number. Call them and they can help you, will send you a replacement card."

As an instructor for a class, instructors have to organize the class, get materials to hold the classes, promote classes and for those old enough - take them out to the field to complete that portion of the course.  Paperwork will need to be done at the completion of the course,  so the State of Kansas can send everyone's certificates ou, according to Lane-Reese.

There is no fee to take the class - it is free.

Anyone interested in taking the course can go to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Website, according to Lane-Reese, classes are listed there in their area.