Exciting News That Will Impact Hunting Education In Wyoming

Hunting education is something that many of us took before we were in our teens, and it was a big deal for us to be able to get out and hunt, fish, and enjoy the outdoors. In Wyoming, hunting is how many families can have freezers full of food to eat; without the ability to hunt, they would be in trouble.

Thanks to a partnership between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Professional Teaching Standards Board, the next generations of hunters can take hunting education in school. Teachers can now add a hunting education endorsement to their teaching license.

In a press release from WGFD, PTSB executive director Brendan O'Connor stressed how important hunting education is to Wyoming.

Hunting, fishing and natural resource conservation is embedded in Wyoming's culture. Providing this opportunity allows qualified teachers to teach these foundations to students across the state during the school year so they will become good stewards of the state's bounty

The hunting education course will be offered during school hours or as an after-school program, allowing the students to complete the required course needed to hunt in Wyoming.

Nisha Goicolea, WGFD chief of education and communications, says the endorsement comes after a collaboration of many state agencies and a vision of the future of hunting education.

Bringing hunter education into schools is about more than just teaching students how to hunt. It is about instilling a conservation ethic in our students, teaching wildlife identification, fostering recognition and application of wilderness and firearm safety in and out of the field, and cultivating a legacy of responsible conservationists for generations to come

Teachers interested in adding the endorsement will need a Game and Fish hunter education certification and be approved by the PTSB.

WGFD is always looking for volunteer hunting education instructors as well. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer instructor, it's a simple process. All of the information you need is here on the WGFD website.