These instructor-led hunter education courses are coming up in Southwest Idaho

A total of eight instructor-led courses with open seats are slated to start in the next couple months across several program types, including courses for Hunter & Bowhunter Combo Certification and Trapper Certification. There are also some unique Hunting & Shooting Sports Courses being offered, including a brand-new Beginner Pistol Reloading course.

Students should note there may be various types of certification courses in the list below, including pre-study options such as expedited one- or two-day courses and Hybrid Hunter Education (an interactive, virtual course with a hands-on field day), as well as the traditional course format. Be sure to read the class description before signing up for a course.

Here is a list of upcoming courses and scheduled start-dates. Follow the links to see more information about each class and to register.

Note: If a particular course is full, check for other options that will work for you in the list below. Otherwise, click 'join wait list' as seats may open up for the course in which you are interested, and/or it could help us schedule additional courses to meet demand!

You can also try to attend a course that is full as a walk-in student since there is likely to be available seats from pre-registered students that fail to show. While you could be turned away as this is not a guaranteed spot in the course, our instructors do their best to accommodate walk-ins. Show up to the first class 15 minutes early and ask the instructor if they have room in their course to take additional students. To pay the course fee, bring both your checkbook and credit card so that you have the proper payment type accepted by the volunteer instructor (no cash).

Hunter & Bowhunter Combo Certification Courses

Trapper Certification Courses

Hunting & Shooting Sports Courses

• May 24 - Kuna - Introduction to Wingshooting - For beginning shooter or those who have gotten out of shotgun sports and need a refresher to learn, gun safety, eye dominance, proper shotgun stance, sight picture, gun fit, lead, how to hit clay. Minimum age 12 years old.
• May 30 - Boise - Pre-Hunter Education Firearm Safety Basics - This is a beginner firearms safety course designed for students ages 7 to 10, children seeking pre-Hunter Education practice, those new to safely handling firearms, and/or those who will be hunting with an Idaho Hunting Passport.
• June 13 - Boise - Pre-Hunter Education Firearm Safety Basics
• June 17 - Nampa - Beginning Pistol Reloading - Been thinking about getting into reloading but don't know where to start? Start here! This hands-on class starts with the origins of gunpowder and ends with you loading 10 rounds of (inert) pistol ammunition. Covered in the class: Why reload? Components - cases, powder primers and projectiles, presses, priming, weighting and loading powders, seating and crimping bullets. At every step, safety is emphasized and demonstrated. Students will watch, then load five rimmed and five rimless pistol rounds with inert powder and inert primers. Students will also be given the NRA handbook of reloading to take home for reference.
• June 28 - Kuna - Introduction to Wingshooting

Why sign up for an instructor-led course?

Learn from experienced hunters/instructors: Maybe you have a question about something that wasn't directly covered in the coursework, or maybe you just want a little more explanation. With instructor-led courses, you have the opportunity to dive a little deeper than what you find in the Hunter Education book. Instructors provide person-to-person interaction that you won't find through a strictly online course.

It's hands-on: In-person instruction provides a hands-on component to hunter education that simply isn't available in the online format. So, what exactly do we mean by "hands-on?" While both the online and in-person courses cover the same information, in-person students have the benefit of putting the concepts they learn into practice under the guidance of Hunter Education instructors who can explain and demonstrate.

For example, in every instructor-led course (including hybrid courses), students have the opportunity to practice safe firearm handling with inert firearms in the classroom, and receive specific training based on scenarios that most often lead to hunting-related accidents.

It's affordable: The cost for enrolling in instructor-led certification courses is less than a box of shotgun shells: just $8.

To see a full list of instructor-led courses scheduled go to https://register-ed.com/programs/idaho