Mineral County will host a hunter eduction course at the New Creek Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, Feb. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 17, from 1-5 p.m.
This course, which is open to the public and free of charge, is a 10-hour course and students must attend both sessions to be certified.
In an attempt to lower the hunting incident rate, legislation was passed during the 1994 session that requires any person born on or after January 1, 1975, to present proof of certification of an approved hunter education course to the license agent each and every time a hunting license is purchased.
Anyone who completes the course will receive a certification card which is recognized in all 50 U.S. states, the six Canadian provinces, and the country of Mexico.
Students under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Anyone under the age of 10 will not receive a certification card, and this year, 8- and 9-year-olds will be given the hunter education class. They will take the entire course, except for the written test, and will be issue a temporary certification card which will be valid for three years from class date.
Sometime before the expiration date, they will be required to complete the entire class again.
Persons traveling to the Western states to hunt need to plan far enough ahead to take the course. Because class space is limited, you may not be able to take the course when you want.
Students need to bring their Social Security number to class with them.
Subjects covered during the course include hunter responsibility, hunting ethics, hunter/landowner relations, safe firearms handling, preventing negligent shootings, survival, first-aid, handgun hunting, archery hunting, black powder hunting, special hunting concerns, and current West Virginia hunting laws.
To register for the course, call 304-822-3551 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Students must be registered in order to take the course.
Instructors will be certified volunteers and West Virginia Conservation officers.
The course is sponsored by the West Virginia DNR Law Enforcement section.
New Creek, W.Va. —
