hunting - hunter safety courses

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has begun taking applications for upcoming Conservation Education/Firearms Safety Program classes.

It is recommended that you enroll early in the year and not wait until a month before the hunting seasons begin. Courses fill up quickly and you may have to wait or travel a longer distance to attend a course if none are available in your town. Where courses are taught varies from town to town and includes such locations as sportsmen's clubs, community centers, schools and offices of the Department of Environmental Protection. There are no fees for any of the courses and all materials are provided free of charge by the Conservation Education/Firearms Safety Program.

Anyone wising to enroll must do so through the DEP regional office [the closest one to me is in Franklin, CT]. You can also find where classes are being offered around the state.

FRANKLIN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA - 391 Route 32, North Franklin
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Phone: (860) 642-7239

Pre-Registration is Mandatory. All firearms hunting courses are 16 hours or longer. You must attend all scheduled class times.

Preparing for hunting is more than this set of classes. Tree Stand Safety can be important, too. Improper use of tree stands is one of the most common causes for injuries and death to hunters in the field. For free online instruction on the proper use of tree stands and safety harnesses, go to this website on tree stand Safety.

By the way, you don't have to go out hunting [for which one should be licensed, anyway] to benefit from taking hunting, firearms or bow hunting safety courses. They are good cram courses on some of the many things a person ought to know when hiking in the woods anyway.

May be of particular interest to photographers, budding naturalists, plein-air painters and anyone interested in responsible use of firearms.