PRATT­- The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is currently offering Hunter Education classes throughout the state, providing a variety of class times, formats, and locations to meet nearly any schedule. Kansas law currently states that anyone born on or after July 1, 1957 must be certified by an approved course in hunter education before they can hunt in Kansas, except that anyone 15 years old and under may hunt without hunter education certification provided that they are under the direct supervision of an adult 18 years old or older. Students must be 11 years old to be certified.

In an effort to provide greater accessibility to students, Kansas Hunter Education courses are given in one of two formats: traditional or internet-assisted. Traditional hunter education courses are 10 hours long, typically in a classroom setting, and are usually held over the course of two to three days. Internet-assisted courses are designed to meet the needs of individuals with conflicting schedules by providing online classwork that can be done at home. After the internet work is completed, students must attend a field day, which often includes live-fire, trail-walk and safe gun handing exercises before final testing and certification. Students must register for an internet-assisted course before completing the internet portion.

Subjects covered include hunter responsibility, ethics, fair chase, history of firearms, firearms basics, ammunition, basic gun safety, field safety, bowhunting, conservation and wildlife management, wildlife of Kansas, outdoor emergencies, Kansas hunting regulations and boating safety for hunters.

Students should pre-register because space is limited and classes fill up quickly. New classes are scheduled weekly, so visit ksoutdoors.com and click "Services," "Education," and then "Hunter," for more information and up-to-date schedules.

Hunter Education Classes Currently Being Offered (by region)

Region 1

• 7/15/13 - 7/20/13: Saline Co. - Salina. National Guard Training Center. To register, contact Shannon Clarkson at (785) 826-1582 or Greg Salisbury at (785) 452-0478.
• 7/20/13: Smith Co. - Kensington. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Senior Center. To register, contact James Reneberg at (785) 476-3285.
• 8/16/13 - 8/17/13: Thomas Co. - Colby. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Colby Community College Union. To register, contact Wes Sowards at (785) 462-3367 or Josh Williams at (785) 443-4486.
• 8/17/13: Osborne Co. - Osborne. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Sunflower Bank basement. To register, contact Terry Zvolanek at (785) 346-5752 or Cleo Hahn at (785) 346-4541.
• 8/24/13: Saline Co. - Salina. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, TBD. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 8/24/13 - 8/25/13: Lincoln Co. - Lincoln. Lincoln Park Manor, Saturday. Bosch Farm, Sunday. To register, contact Greg Babcock at (785) 531-1829.
• 8/31/13: Ellsworth Co. - Ellsworth. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Ellsworth Co. Sportmen's Club. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 9/9/13 - 9/14/13: Saline Co. - Salina. National Guard Training Center. To register, contact Shannon Clarkson at (785) 826-1582 or Greg Salisbury at (785) 452-0478.
• 10/19/13: Saline Co. - Salina. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, TBD. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 10/28/13 - 11/2/13: Saline Co. - Salina. National Guard Training Center. To register, contact Shannon Clarkson at (785) 826-1582 or Greg Salisbury at (785) 452-0478.
Region 2

• 7/13/13: Johnson Co. - Shawnee. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Shawnee Civic Center. To register, contact the Shawnee Civic Center at (913) 631-5200.
• 8/1/13 - 8/3/13: Johnson Co. - Olathe. Bass Pro. To register, contact Olathe Bass Pro Shops at (913) 254-5200.
• 8/10/13: Johnson Co. - Shawnee. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Shawnee Civic Center. To register, contact the Shawnee Civic Center at (913) 631-5200.
• 8/12/13 - 8/15/13: Brown Co. - Hiawatha. Fisher Center, 205 E Iowa. To register, contact Larry Weast at (785) 547-6186 or stonypoint@hughes.net.
• 8/14/13 - 8/18/13: Shawnee Co. - Topeka. Washburn University and Shawnee Co. Lake. To register, contact Jeremy Kebert at (785)-986-6639.
• 8/15/13 - 8/17/13: Leavenworth Co. - Basehor. Basehor Community Library. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 8/17/13 - 8/18/13: Dickinson Co. - Abilene. Abilene Parks and Rec. To register, contact Abilene Parks and Rec. at (785) 263-7266.
8/17/13 - 8/18/13: Geary Co. - Junction City. Godfrey's Indoor Shooting Range. To register, contact Randall Fernandez at (785) 238-0094.
• 8/17/13 - 8/18/13: Washington Co. - Washington. SDS Building Law Enforcement Center. To register, contact the Law Enforcement Center at (785) 325-2633.
• 8/20/13 - 8/27/13: Riley Co. - Manhattan. Tuttle Creek State Park Office. To register, contact the Tuttle Creek State Park Office at (785) 539-7941.
• 8/24/13: Geary Co. - Junction City. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Sportsman's Acres. To register, contact Gene Compton at (785) 375-0031.
• 9/5/13 - 9/7/13: Johnson Co. - Olathe. Bass Pro. To register, contact Olathe Bass Pro Shops at (913) 254-5200.
• 9/7/13: Dickinson Co. - Abilene. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Dickinson Co. Sheriff's Range. To register, contact Iva May Cook at (785) 366-7412 or southerndkhe@gmail.com.
• 9/7/13: Johnson Co. - Shawnee. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Shawnee Civic Center. To register, contact the Shawnee Civic Center at (913) 631-5200.
• 9/13/13 - 9/14/13: Atchison Co. - Atchison. Atchison Boys and Girls Club. To register, contact George Matthias at (913) 370-6551 or (913) 828-4229.
• 9/19/13 - 9/21/13: Leavenworth Co. - Basehor. Basehor Community Library. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 10/5/13: Geary Co. - Junction City. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Sportsman's Acres. To register, contact Gene Compton at (785) 375-0031.
• 10/8/13 - 10/15/13: Riley Co. - Manhattan. Tuttle Creek State Park. To register, contact the Tuttle Creek State Park Office at (785) 539-7941.
• 10/12/13 - 10/13/13: Dickinson Co. - Abilene. Abilene Parks and Rec. To register, contact Abilene Parks and Rec. at (785) 263-7266.
• 10/12/13: Johnson Co. - Shawnee. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Shawnee Civic Center. To register, contact the Shawnee Civic Center at (913) 631-5200.
• 10/17/13 - 10/19/13: Leavenworth Co. - Basehor. Basehor Community Library. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 10/22/13 - 10/29/13: Riley Co. - Manhattan. Tuttle Creek State Park. To register, contact the Tuttle Creek State Park Office at (785) 539-7941.
• 11/2/13: Dickinson Co. - Abilene. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Dickinson Co. Sheriff's Range. To register, contact Iva May Cook at (785) 366-7412 or southerndkhe@gmail.com.
Region 3

• 8/2/13 - 8/3/13: Finney Co. - Holcomb. Holcomb Rec. Center. To register, contact the Holcomb Rec. Center at (620) 277-2152.
• 8/17/13: Barton Co. - Great Bend. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, City of Great Bend Police Range. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 8/24/13 - 8/25/13: Hamilton Co. - Syracuse. 4-H Building. To register, contact Mike Lewis at (620) 373-2106 or river@pld.com.
• 9/28/13 - 9/29/13: Ford Co. - Bucklin. Bucklin Legion Building. To register, contact Paul Petrowski at (620) 826-3358.
• 10/18/13 - 10/19/13: Finney Co. - Holcomb. Holcomb Rec. Center. To register, contact the Holcomb Rec. Center at (620) 277-2152.
Region 4

• 7/12/13 - 7/13/13: Sedgwick Co. - Clearwater. Clearwater Senior Center. To register, contact the Clearwater Police Department at (620) 584-2317.
• 7/21/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Gander Mountain. Must register in person at Gander Mountain.
• 8/3/13: Reno Co. - Arlington. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Prairie Wind Hunting Club. To register, contact Terry Velten at (316) 200-6351.
• 8/9/13 - 8/10/13: Butler Co. - El Dorado. Butler Co. Extension Office. To register, contact the Butler Co. Extension Office at (316) 321-9660 or Gene Maggard at (316) 742-3746.
• 8/10/13: McPherson Co. - McPherson. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, McPherson Valley Wetlands. To register, contact Floyd Pearson at 620-242-8599 or floyd.pearson@gmail.com.
• 8/16/13 - 8/18/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Cabela's. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 9/13/13 - 9/14/13: Butler Co. - El Dorado. Butler Co. Extension Office. To register, contact the Butler Co. Extension Office at (316) 321-9660 or Gene Maggard at (316) 742-3746.
• 9/27/13 - 9/29/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Cabela's. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 10/11/13 - 10/13/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Cabela's. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 10/12/13: Butler Co. - El Dorado. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Butler Co. Extension Office. To register, contact the Butler Co. Extension Office at (316) 321-9660 or Gene Maggard at (316) 742-3746.
• 11/22/13 - 11/24/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Cabela's. To register, visit safehunters.com.
• 12/6/13 - 12/8/13: Sedgwick Co. - Wichita. Cabela's. To register, visit safehunters.com.
Region 5

• 8/20/13 - 8/24/13: Bourbon Co. - Ft Scott. Ft. Scott Community College. To register, contact Darrell Bloomfield at (620) 223-5418.
• 9/10/13 - 9/14/13: Bourbon Co. - Ft Scott. Ft. Scott Community College. To register, contact Darrell Bloomfield at (620) 223-5418.
• 10/6/13 - 10/13/13: Anderson Co - Garnett. Garnett Youth Building at North Lake. To register, contact Ben Rockers at (785) 835-6580.
• 10/22/13 - 10/26/13: Bourbon Co. - Ft Scott. Ft. Scott Community College. To register, contact Darrell Bloomfield at (620) 223-5418.
• 10/27/13: Anderson Co. - Garnett. Internet-assisted field day and testing session, Garnett Youth Building at North Lake. To register, contact Ben Rockers at (785) 835-6580.