Hunting in Wisconsin is a tradition rooted in safety and responsibility – lessons learned before opening day. That tradition continues, because hunter education instructors help pass along those lessons.
You’ve geared up in your blaze orange for years, filled your freezer with local, sustainable meat and spent time in Wisconsin’s great outdoors with family and friends. Now there’s an opportunity to help shape the next generation of hunters, said Lt. Renee Thok, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hunter education administrator.
The DNR is seeking volunteers passionate about safe, responsible and ethical hunting practices to serve as hunter education instructors.
“These volunteers play an important role in preparing new hunters to head out into the field safely and confidently,” Thok said.
Since the program’s creation in 1967, more than 20,000 volunteer instructors have trained and certified more than 1 million hunters across Wisconsin.
“Their commitment has helped make hunting in our state safer – and the tradition stronger,” Thok said.
Becoming a volunteer instructor is more than teaching a class.
“It’s mentoring new hunters, reinforcing ethical decision-making and passing along the values that define Wisconsin’s hunting heritage,” she said. “It’s also a meaningful way to stay connected to your community and share your knowledge with new hunters.”
The DNR provides instructors with all the training, materials and equipment needed to teach a hunter education course. To remain certified, instructors only need to teach one class every three years, although many volunteers teach more.
To learn more about becoming a hunter education instructor, contact Thok at 262-900-7860 or Ashley Van Egter, DNR hunter education administrative assistant, at 608-513-9625.
