Released on July 10, 2006
Learning about hunting and how to safely use a firearm will soon be just a mouse-click away.The Saskatchewan Hunter Education Program is now available on a CD that will run on a home computer and will give students access to instructor help available through the Internet. The CD includes learning tools such as video and graphics. The Hunter Education Program is offered through the Saskatchewan Association for Firearm Education, a non-profit association whose members volunteer to teach firearm safety.
"The option of CD/Internet access will make the Hunter Education Program easier for people to take, especially those who live in remote or rural areas where traditional classes are not always feasible," Saskatchewan Association for Firearm Education Executive Director Rick Wyatt said. "The electronic version complements our traditional classroom program, which we will maintain. Using the Internet will enable the volunteer instructors to work with more students on an individual basis and to focus on areas where the student will most benefit from the instructor's knowledge."
Students who complete the CD/Internet Hunter Education Program will be required to attend a one-day field day where they will receive practical training and assistance with problem areas, and will also complete the same final examination required of all hunter education students. The field days will be scheduled around the province and conducted by Hunter Education Program volunteer-instructors.
The CD/Internet Hunter Education Program was developed in conjunction with Saskatchewan Environment.
"We are pleased to be part of the hunter education program," Environment Minister John Nilson said. "Having new hunters learn safe practices, hunting ethics and an understanding of our wildlife helps them be better managers of our environment today and into the future."
Saskatchewan's firearm safety and hunter education program was established in 1960, becoming mandatory in 1981 for those buying a hunting licence. It is credited with virtually eliminating hunting accidents in Saskatchewan and is accepted as meeting the requirements of all Canadian and American jurisdictions as a pre-requisite for hunting licences.
Funding for the program is provided by Saskatchewan Environment through the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, which receives a portion of the revenue generated from all fur, angling and hunting licenses sold in the province.
For more information or to register for this program, call the Saskatchewan Association for Firearm Education at (306) 352-6730 or visit www.saskhuntered.ca.
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For More Information, Contact:
| Traci Braaten Environment Regina Phone: (306) 787-1611 Cell: (306) 536-3852 |