Take Hunter Ed Now To Hunt This Fall

PRATT – A right of passage, an initiation, a crash-course, call it what you will, but for those who have taken a Kansas Hunter Education course, they know it’s definitely one thing: worth it.

Because classes are offered in one of two formats – traditional and Internet-assisted – new hunters can find a class to fit nearly any schedule. Traditional courses are 10 hours, typically in a classroom setting, and are usually held over the course of two to three days. Internet-assisted courses involve online classwork that can be done at home, followed by a required field day, which includes live-fire, trail-walk and safe gun handing exercises before final testing and certification. Students must register for an Internet-assisted course field day before completing the online work. To view a current list of all upcoming classes, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” then “Hunter Education.” Students must be 11 or older to participate.

Kansas Hunter Education classes cover a variety of topics including 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.

Kansas law requires anyone born on or after July 1, 1957 be certified through an approved course in hunter education before hunting in Kansas, except that anyone 15 or younger may hunt without hunter education certification provided they are under the direct supervision of an adult 18 or older.

Sign up now, because classes fill up fast, and hunting season will be here before you know it. Invest time in a class now, so you, too, can enjoy opening day.

KANSAS HUNTER EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS RECOGNIZED FOR DEDICATION

Tim Boxberger, 2014 Instructor of the Year, has been a volunteer instructor for 20-plus years

PRATT – They spend countless hours teaching their students basic firearm safety, the importance of conserving and managing our state’s natural resources, and what it means to be

an ethical hunter. Kansas Hunter Education Program volunteer instructors attempt to teach young and new hunters everything they should learn before hitting the field. They don’t do it for the money – they aren’t paid. They don’t do it because they have to – no one is making them. They do it because it’s what they love. Volunteer Hunter Education Program instructors are a vital component in creating responsible hunters and protecting our hunting heritage in Kansas, and it’s only fitting that contributions such as these be recognized.

One such instructor, Tim Boxberger, has made the aforementioned tasks more than a priority in his career as a volunteer instructor – he has made them a lifelong passion. His dedication for teaching and serving 20-plus years as a volunteer instructor convinced eight fellow instructors to nominate Boxberger for the Kansas Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Award.

“As if teaching many hunter ed classes in the spring and fall are not enough, Tim is also instrumental in Pheasants Forever field days, youth hunts, and NRA youth outdoor days,” his nomination letter reads. “Tim shows remarkable dedication to the program and (he) has proven many times he is not afraid to go above and beyond.”

Boxberger will receive a certificate of appreciation and a Savage .17 HMR bolt-action rifle in snow camouflage as tokens of appreciation for his dedication. He resides in Great Bend with his wife, Laura.

Other instructors recognized for their exemplary involvement, performance, and continuing dedication to the program include:

-Paul Babcock, Region 1 Instructor of the Year

-Dennis Smith, Region 2 Instructor of the Year

-Tracy Gutierrez, Region 3 Instructor of the Year

-Dave Perkins, Region 4 Instructor of the Year

-Don Lile, Region 5 Instructor of the Year

Each regional winner will receive a certificate and a .223 CZ 527 varmint rifle, complete with a scope.

For more information on the Hunter Education program and its volunteer instructors, contact program coordinator, Kent Barrett, atkent.barrett@ksoutdoors.com.

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HAYS YOUTH OUTDOOR FESTIVAL AUG. 17

Youth age 17 and younger can enjoy a day of casts and blasts during this annual festival

HAYS­– The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism along with Hays area conservation groups and businesses are again sponsoring a free target shooting and outdoor activities for youth 17 and under. The 16th Annual Youth Outdoor Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug.17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hays City Sportsman's Club a quarter mile north of I-70, Exit 157.

Youth can try trap shooting, skeet shooting, archery, air rifle/BB guns, muzzleloaders, small bore rifles, computerized laser shot target shooting, and even paintball target shooting. Equipment, targets and ammunition will be provided free of charge. There will also be a B.A.S.S. casting competition, as well as several furharvesting demonstrations.

Hunter Education certification is not required to attend, however youth participants must be accompanied by an adult. Youth will be closely supervised at each event station by a volunteer who is an expert at the specific skill.

In addition to the free shooting opportunities, several door prizes, including guns, fishing tackle and other outdoor equipment will be given away. Lunch will also be provided.

Registration for this event must be completed on site prior to participating in any of the activities.

For more information, contact Kent Hensley at (785) 726-3212 or Troy Mattheyer at (785) 726-4212.

KANSAS HUNTER EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED AWARD

Jim Bussone of Arma has been recognized as the 2012 Instructor of the Year

PRATT – Jim Bussone, hunter education instructor and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) natural resource officer, has been selected as the 2012 Instructor of the Year. Each year, fellow instructors nominate and select an instructor who has demonstrated extraordinary, above standard actions that reflect favorably on hunters, the Hunter Education Program and the KDWPT.

In his 30 years as a volunteer instructor, Bussone’s “list of accomplishments is long,” said KDWPT Law Enforcement Lieutenant Keith Rather in his nomination of Jim. Among those accomplishments, Rather included Bussone’s active participation in 30 Hunter Education/Furharvester Education classes in 2012,

initiation of a Hunter Education class for the Amish Community at Fort Scott (an admirable feat given no electronic devices such as computers or projectors could be used), assistance with Chanute Hunter Education classes during an instructor shortage, and his implementation of the ever-popular Women on Target annual event, which is now in its eighth year.

Rather also credited Bussone with being a driving force in promoting, establishing and supporting the Kansas Hunter Education in Our Schools program, namely in Fort Scott, Arma, Pittsburg, and Girard.

“Jim Bussone teaches more than hunter safety, he teaches life,” said Girard High School health and physical education instructor Sunny Pierce. “He is a great educational resource for our school district and is deserving of our deepest thanks and any recognition he is given.”

In addition to the aforementioned roles, Bussone also serves as an area coordinator for the Kansas Hunter Education program, as well as a Hunter Education Advisory Committee member.

Bussone will receive a certificate of appreciation and a firearm as tokens of appreciation for his dedication.

Other award nominees recognized for their exemplary involvement, performance, and continued dedication to the program include:
-Gerry Giroux, Salina
-Albert Hermann, Garnett
-Jay Farwell, Leavenworth
-Rob Friggeri, Girard
-Robert Paramore, McPherson
-David Howe, McPherson
-Larry Weast, Hiawatha
-Hershel Martin, Kansas City
-Larry McAdow, Halstead
-Don George, Mound City

Each of the aforementioned individuals will receive a certificate of appreciation and an Order of the Buffalo award later this year.

For more information, contact KDWPT assistant Hunter Education program coordinator Monica Bickerstaff at monica.bickerstaff@ksoutdoors.com

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KANSAN INDUCTED TO HUNTER EDUCATION HALL OF FAME

May 10, 2012

International organization honors longtime Kansas hunter education and shooting instructor

PRATT — Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Pass It On shooting instructor Jim Kellenberger has been named to the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) Professional Hall of Fame. The award will be presented at the IHEA National Convention on May 30 in Kansas City.

With 39 years as a regional Law Enforcement Division supervisor and natural resource officer for KDWPT, Kellenberger has been involved with the agency’s Hunter Education Program since its inception — as an class instructor, class coordinator, shooting instructor, and coach. His contributions have been numerous.

“Jim has been influential in the promotion and incorporation of live-fire activities into Kansas Hunter Education classes for almost 40 years,” noted KDWPT statewide Hunter Education Program coordinator Kent Barrett in his nomination of Kellenberger. “Although not a required class component, live fire is now included in 63 percent of Kansas classes. Much of the credit must go to Jim and those pioneering instructors who saw the value in that specific training. Jim’s involvement with Pass It On hunter recruitment events, along with promotion of hunter education class live fire activities, displays long-term support for Kansas hunter education.”

Kellenberger also helped develop hunter education curricula that is consistent with IHEA standards. As a game warden, he helped develop standards that made Kansas hunter education certification reciprocal with other states while maintaining the most relevant and instructive coursework possible.

Kellenberger also influenced the direction of the Hunter Education Program through the recruitment and training of many instructors still active today, and he stays involved by promoting live fire through the Hunter Education in the Schools program in Kansas. He also works with Becoming an Outdoors Woman and Women On Target programs to get women more involved with the shooting sports.

“Jim chose a career that would allow him to be intimately involved in an activity that he thoroughly enjoyed,” Barrett added. “When hunter education was mandated and the Kansas Safe Hunter program began in 1973, Jim was immediately pressed into service. His instructor number is 66; through the years, there have been more than 18,000 Kansas hunter education instructors.”

As one of the original “go to” guys in the program, Kellenberger looked for recruits. He was the coordinator for his assigned area. He organized and taught classes, found and recruited new instructors, and trained them to teach. He saw the students come to class, pass the course, become hunters, and come full circle as instructors themselves, so they could pass the hunting tradition on to a new generation. He hasn’t stopped yet.

“After 39 years of teaching hunter education, Jim remains an active and very positive teacher of core IHEA standards that remain the framework on which Kansas Hunter Education is built,” Barrett said. “For 20 years as a regional law enforcement supervisor, Jim was the training officer and guiding force moving his officers to increased involvement in hunter education. Following his example, Jim’s officers were required to recruit and train new instructors while organizing and conducting hunter education classes within their assigned areas. This kept them active and provided opportunities to get to know local hunters, and for the hunters to get to know them.”

Kellenberger began working with Pass It On before retiring. Pass It On funds have purchased and equipped shooting trailers in the different Kansas regions to provide opportunities for more individuals to experience safe, positive live-fire events. Kellenberger went through the first required training and became completely involved as a custodian of one of the first trailers. Already an excellent wingshot, he became a superb teacher and coach, and after retirement, he still has his calendar full of hunter education classes and shooting events.

“He is always in demand. Event coordinators repeatedly request Jim for events,” Barrett noted. “And before retirement, Jim was invited to be a member of the Kansas Hunter Education Advisory Committee. His service in that capacity has been exceptional. He is quiet and thoughtful when considering questions posed to the committee. When he speaks, everyone listens because his experience and wisdom are immediately apparent.”
The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) is the professional association for 67 state and Canadian provincial wildlife conservation agencies and the 70,000 volunteer instructors who teach hunter education in North America.

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