Hunter Education In 2010: What's Ahead?

Hunter education in Washington State has started its 50th year of service. Dedicated men and women--all volunteers serving for absolutely no pay--have trained hundreds of thousands of Washington's hunters since 1957. The traditional approach to hunter education involved one or more classroom instructors who met with students to cover the basics of firearms safety. Over the years the curriculum expanded to include archery, muzzleloading, principles of wildlife conservation and ethics afield. Today the average student spends almost 18 hours to complete hunter education training.

Times have changed and hunter education continues to evolve. The student population now typically includes working parents and adults. Not all interested students can attend a traditional class spread over 18 hours of instruction. To accommodate our changing population, Washington's hunter education program offers non-traditional courses--such as print-based and online hunter education, and compressed "Paradigm Shift" activities that place the burden of acquiring skills and knowledge squarely upon the learner's shoulders. Hunter education services today are much more user-focused than ever before.

What will we need to do in the years ahead to meet the needs of Washington's hunters? Where will to direct staff efforts? How can we better serve current and future hunters? Hunter education staff are now developing a comprehensive five-year plan to guide staff work and funding priorities over the next several years. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome as we seek to transform new ideas into specific action steps to shape hunter education training for the 21st Century.