First step to safe hunting

Whether you are six or 60, before you take a loaded gun to the woods, there’s one thing you need above everything else: Hunter Safety training.

Most of us got several doses of that from our father or other veteran hunters. But there’s something else than can add loads of information to that.  If you were born on or after Sept. 1, 1969, you MUST take a certified Hunter Safety Course and receive your hunter education card to buy a license and legally hunt. If you are under 16 and are accompanied by a trained, licensed adult, you do not have to have the training because you don’t buy a license. But going to the woods without it isn’t a good idea.

Hunter Safety certification has saved numerous lives and prevented numerous injuries. The course is very complete and gives hunters a broad range of knowledge, plus to confidence to go to the woods and know they can make good decisions.

The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office is hosting a three-session course this week on Tuesday, Aug. 19 and Thursday, Aug. 21, from 6-9 p.m. The final session will be Saturday morning, Aug. 23. The sessions will be held in the Sheriff’s Office on Holder Road. You have to complete all three sessions to be certified.

Numerous other hunter safety courses are scheduled in our area. There are also bowhunting safety course which help prepare bowhunters for their sport, although they aren’t required by law.  For a complete list, check with the LDWF in Monroe. You can find out all the official information on the topic at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/hunter-education .

These courses are time consuming, but well worth the effort. And they are taught by a group of very knowledgeable individuals who are usually volunteers who spend countless hours preparing for and teaching the courses. My hats off to them and what they do.