Registration open now for hunters ed classes

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks team up to offer a Hunters Education Class in early April.

Classes are from 6:30-9 p.m. April 2-4. A mandatory field course is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 7 at the Polson Shooting Range, and the mandatory written test is 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 8. Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must complete a hunter education course before buying a hunting license in Montana.

Participants need to pre-register online at fwp.mt.gov and pick up manuals and instructions from 6-8 p.m. March 26 in the lobby of the Beaverhead Math and Science building on the Salish Kootenai College campus in Pablo. A parent or guardian must accompany students under 18 to the sign-in; students should bring signed forms from the online registration.

Students must read the course manuals and answer all the questions at the end of each chapter before classes begin. They are also required to attend all classes and the field day and arrive on time for each session to receive certification.

All classes are free of charge and open to hunters and non-hunters alike. Some students take the courses for the firearm safety and outdoor survival information, even if they don’t plan to hunt.

Adults are encouraged to attend classes with their children, take part in Field Day activities, or attend the whole course and earn certification.

Organizers provide all firearms and ammunition; participants are not allowed to bring either to the classes.

Check the online class schedule at fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter/hunterEd.html. For more information, call lead instructor Tom Fieber at 406-250-3386 or Stephanie Gillin at 406-552-3966.