MDC offers hunter education skills classes in northwest Missouri

St. Joseph, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering free upcoming hunter education skills sessions in northwest Missouri. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. The session will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills. Registration is required.

• Carrollton from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, at the Carrollton Fire Department, 710 Harvest Hills Drive. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eD.
• Bethany from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the North Central Career Center, 1401 Daily Road. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4ez.
• Plattsburg from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at MDC’s Ronald and Maude Hartell Conservation Area, off Missouri 33 northeast of Plattsburg. To register visit, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eK.
• Trenton from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the North Central Missouri College Barton Campus, 96 S.E. Eighth Ave. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4er.
• Chillicothe from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Cornerstone Church Event Center, 900 Adam Drive. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eH.

For any questions about the sessions or help getting registered, contact Adam Brandsgaard, MDC conservation educator, at Adam.Brandsgaard@mdc.mo.gov, or call the MDC office in Chillicothe at 660-646-6122.

The skills sessions classes are for students ages 11 and older. The certification course can be completed online by hunters ages 16 and older for a paid fee to an online provider. But for hunters ages 11 to 15, or those of any age seeking in-person instruction, they must take the free skills class in person. They will need to complete the knowledge portion of the class prior to the skills session. That can be done by filling out the chapter review questions in the student manual, or youths ages 11 to 15 can complete the knowledge portion online for a fee paid to the provider. Printed student manuals are available at MDC’s Chillicothe office, or they can be ordered online for free at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zox.

Besides teaching safety skills, the hunter education course also teaches basic hunting skills to help newcomers to the sport get started and be successful.

To find other hunter education skills sessions near you, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zof.