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Hunter Education Camps available this summer

Hunter Education Camps are a great way to introduce youth to life-long skills that are important to many different types of outdoor recreational opportunities in a safe, controlled, hands-on environment. Camp instructors are DNR conservation officers, biologists and other personnel, county conservation board staff, volunteer Hunter Education Instructors, and members of NGO groups such as Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Whitetails Unlimited, Izaak Walton League, etc.

One such hunter education camp is Outdoor Journey for Girls (OJ), which is a three-day, two-night workshop aimed at introducing outdoor skills to girls ages 1215 in a supportive, learning environment where they have opportunities to try things “hands-on”. The outdoor skills include: canoeing & water safety, fish & wildlife id, archery, firearm safety, basic shooting, furbearers, furharvesting, fishing, preparing the catch, conservation and management, outdoor gear & survival, orienteering & compass reading and game care. Also, participants of Outdoor Journey can earn their Hunter Education certification.

On July 12, 13 and 14 of this year an Outdoor Journey for Girls camp will be held in northern Tama County at Hickory Hills Park north of Dysart. OJ is held at Hickory Hills every July. There is a fee associated with this camp. OJ is sponsored by Iowa Women in Natural Resources and the Iowa DNR, with Iowa Pheasants Forever chapters and other conservation organizations providing full or partial scholarships for most attendees. For more information on OJ, visit www.iwinr.com, or email: Outdoor_Journey@yahoo.com.

Iowa law requires anyone born after January 1, 1972 to have successfully completed a hunter education course to purchase a hunting license. Children as young as 11 may enroll in the course, but their certificate of completion will not become valid until their 12th birthday. There is no fee associated with taking a hands-on classroom hunter education course in person.

An online only hunter education course is available for adults and is designed for Iowa residents 18 years of age or older that have prior hunting and/or firearms handling experience. The course covers the same material as the classroom course, allowing the student to complete the entire course, including the final test, in an online setting. Certification is received at the successful completion of the online course. To get started on one of the DNR’s approved online Hunter Education courses, go to www.iowadnr.gov/huntered. There is a fee associated with the on-line hunter education course option.

Local hunter education courses will be offered at the Marshalltown Izaak Walton League on June 16 and 18 and again on August 18 and 20. A course will be offered in Dysart on June 2, 3 and 4. Students must attend both dates associated with the June and August classes. Students must attend the three days associated with the Dysart course. To register for these and other courses available across the state go to www.iowa.dnr.gov and go to the hunter education link.

The 2016 DNR Spring auction will be held on Saturday, May 21. Doors open at 6:30am and the auction begins at 8am at the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Items up for auction include confiscated firearms, bows, scopes and other assorted equipment.

Hunter Education Camps available this summer

Hunter Education Camps are a great way to introduce youth to life-long skills that are important to many different types of outdoor recreational opportunities in a safe, controlled, hands-on environment. Camp instructors are DNR conservation officers, biologists and other personnel, county conservation board staff, volunteer Hunter Education Instructors, and members of NGO groups such as Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Whitetails Unlimited, Izaak Walton League, etc.

One such hunter education camp is Outdoor Journey for Girls (OJ), which is a three-day, two-night workshop aimed at introducing outdoor skills to girls ages 1215 in a supportive, learning environment where they have opportunities to try things “hands-on”. The outdoor skills include: canoeing & water safety, fish & wildlife id, archery, firearm safety, basic shooting, furbearers, furharvesting, fishing, preparing the catch, conservation and management, outdoor gear & survival, orienteering & compass reading and game care. Also, participants of Outdoor Journey can earn their Hunter Education certification.

On July 12, 13 and 14 of this year an Outdoor Journey for Girls camp will be held in northern Tama County at Hickory Hills Park north of Dysart. OJ is held at Hickory Hills every July. There is a fee associated with this camp. OJ is sponsored by Iowa Women in Natural Resources and the Iowa DNR, with Iowa Pheasants Forever chapters and other conservation organizations providing full or partial scholarships for most attendees. For more information on OJ, visit www.iwinr.com, or email: Outdoor_Journey@yahoo.com.

Iowa law requires anyone born after January 1, 1972 to have successfully completed a hunter education course to purchase a hunting license. Children as young as 11 may enroll in the course, but their certificate of completion will not become valid until their 12th birthday. There is no fee associated with taking a hands-on classroom hunter education course in person.

An online only hunter education course is available for adults and is designed for Iowa residents 18 years of age or older that have prior hunting and/or firearms handling experience. The course covers the same material as the classroom course, allowing the student to complete the entire course, including the final test, in an online setting. Certification is received at the successful completion of the online course. To get started on one of the DNR’s approved online Hunter Education courses, go to www.iowadnr.gov/huntered. There is a fee associated with the on-line hunter education course option.

Local hunter education courses will be offered at the Marshalltown Izaak Walton League on June 16 and 18 and again on August 18 and 20. A course will be offered in Dysart on June 2, 3 and 4. Students must attend both dates associated with the June and August classes. Students must attend the three days associated with the Dysart course. To register for these and other courses available across the state go to www.iowa.dnr.gov and go to the hunter education link.

The 2016 DNR Spring auction will be held on Saturday, May 21. Doors open at 6:30am and the auction begins at 8am at the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Items up for auction include confiscated firearms, bows, scopes and other assorted equipment.