Program offers more live-fire time to recent hunter ed grads

 No comments  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

BY JOE DUGGAN / Lincoln Journal Star

When students complete a hunter education class, they naturally want to put their newly acquired knowledge to use.

But for volunteer instructors strapped for time, help and a suitable place to shoot, a live-firing exercise isn’t always possible.

A new program will allow recent hunter education graduates to obtain free live-fire instruction at one of several gun ranges in Nebraska.

The program, recently launched by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will teach basic shotgun target shooting, said Bill Harder of Lincoln, who has coordinated the project for the agency. Harder is a certified shooting instructor who coordinated the shotgun sports at the Cornhusker State Games for 20 years.

Students will be able to participate within one year of completing a certified firearm hunter education class. Volunteer instructors will teach the students, who will be provided free shells and clay targets, Harder said.

“The program will teach them hands-on safety,” Harder said. “Hopefully that will lead them to understand they need to practice the shooting sports so when they go out hunting, they can be a better shot.”

Initially, the program will be offered at Lincoln Trap and Skeet, Oak Creek Sporting Club near Brainard, Harry A. Koch Trap and Skeet Club in Omaha, Fort Kearny Shooting Sports Association in Kearney and Lincoln County Wildlife Gun Club in North Platte. It likely will be expanded to additional clubs in the future.

Hunter education instructors will make their students aware of the instruction. Individual students will then be able to take advantage of the instruction for one year after the pass the class.

The instruction will consist of two sessions of roughly 90-minute each, Harder said. The goal is not to turn out crack shots but to allow the students to continue their development as safe gun handlers in a hands-on setting.

The volunteer instructors will be assigned a maximum of six students on a first-come, first-served basis for each session. The program will reimburse the ranges for shell and target expenses.

The commission has budgeted about $10,000 for the program, said Mike Streeter, hunter education coordinator for the agency. The funding came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the form of excise tax revenue  on firearm and ammunition sales.

“The idea is we’d partner with local clubs, and it would be good for us and good for them,” Streeter said. “It gives our graduates a place and time to shoot and gives the club a place and time for perspective members to come in.”

Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com.