Hunter Ed. class returning to Shoshone County next month

PINEHURST – Pinehurst Elementary School will play host to a Hunter Education Course next month, but spots are limited.  

Ben Allen, Shoshone County’s Prosecuting Attorney and only active certified Hunter and Bowhunter Education instructor is excited to be teaching the course again, but he’s also looking forward to helping another instructor get certified.  

According to Allen, the upcoming course is just the second opportunity potential outdoorsmen have had to take the course over the past two years. This large gap in available classes has been due to a shortage of volunteer instructors.  

“The state of Idaho has pushed to continue providing in-person instruction in the wake of many surrounding states moving solely to online certification programs, in large part due to input from constituents that many students learn more from in-person instruction than online self-study programs,” Allen said. “However, the dilemma results from the lack of funding for these education programs, which requires volunteers from the community to step up and donate their time in order for our youth to receive this instruction.”  

After teaching a class in 2023, Allen looked to the Silver Valley community to see if anyone was willing to step up and get their instructor certification, a call that was answered by Osburn mayor Kip McGillivray. According to Allen, McGillivray will shadow him during the upcoming class in order to finish his certification.  

Allen has been an advocate for in-person Hunter Education courses for years, but this has proved challenging due to the lack of certified instructors. Several other states experiencing this same shortage have moved to online classes, but Allen feels that in-person classes, especially at a young age, foster better learning.  

“At young ages, children are often moldable and receptive to instruction on topics they may not be familiar with,” Allen said. “As such, we often find that children go home at the end of a course and can take the information they received to facilitate healthy discussions with their parents or guardians about topics in the home such as responsible storage of firearms or resource management and conservation.” 

Allen has been leading Hunter Education classes since he obtained his instructor certification in college. He has been teaching classes in his communities ever since.  

The upcoming class is scheduled for April 21 – 25 and has 30 available spots for students.  

For more information, or to register for the class visit www.idfg.idaho.gov and search for the class in the education tab.  

To teach Hunter Education, you need to be a certified instructor, and instructors can specialize as hunting, bowhunting, and trapping specialists. To apply to teach Hunter Education, you must be 18 years or older and be knowledgeable about sporting arms, wildlife, and hunting. After the application is submitted, you will be scheduled for fingerprinting and a background check conducted by the State Department of Law Enforcement. The next phase is orientation and training, which includes observing and assisting a veteran instructor. 

For more information on becoming a certified instructor in Shoshone County, visit idfg.idaho.gov and go to the Education tab, or contact the Panhandle Regional office at 208-769-1414.