Kane Fish and Game Club wraps spring Hunter’s Safety Course
KANE— Taking the hunter’s safety course is a rite of passage for many young Pennsylvanians about to undertake their first hunt. On April 9, another class of future hunters graduated from the PA Basic Hunter-trapper Education course after taking a final test.
The class was held at the Kane Fish and Game Club. The students completed the second portion of the class that began earlier this April.
The curriculum for the course covers ethics and responsible hunting behavior, basic firearm safety, basic shooting skills, wildlife conservation and management, basic firearm and archery hunting techniques, outdoor preparedness and fur-taking basics.
Howard Kane, a retired game warden and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), has been involved with the class for 44 years. Kane and five other instructors, some with over 30 years of experience, taught the class together.
Kane told his students, “Hunting is a privilege, it’s not a given right. You have to earn the right, and by going through the class, you’re earning the right.”
The class is taught in person or online and graduates receive a certificate afterwards. In order to receive a Pennsylvania Basic Huntertrapper Education certificate, students must
successfully pass a multiple choice/true-false exam with a score of 80% or higher.
The six-hour class teaches safe gun use and doe not get into hunting practices like dressing game. The class is broken into two sessions for clarity and so they don’t overwhelm the students.
“A lot of places have it all in one day and I refuse to do that. That’s just too much for a young person to sit through six hours,” Kane said.
The students learn skills that are second nature to experienced hunters. For example, they teach that every gun should be treated as if it’s loaded. They also teach to identify the target and to only put their finger on the trigger when it’s time to shoot.
Kane and his team bring their collective experience to the young hunters. He has been hunting for 60 years himself.
“Things that come normal to older people,
we’re trying to put all this knowledge into young people in five hours.”
After the class they take a one-hour test.
Kane said they go out of our way to make sure everybody in the class learns what they’re supposed to. His team of instructors observe the students and make sure they understand what they’re reading. If they see a student struggling they pull them aside and help them by giving them individual attention.
They make sure that their students know that safety is a serious responsibility.
He has said to them, “You’re young adults now, you’re not kids. We treat you as an adult because we’re going to hand you a rifle or a shotgun that the adults use and it’s the same thing for you. You pull the trigger at the wrong place, the wrong things happen. You’ve got to be safe.”
The class is mostly young people and their parents. Many parents bring their children back to the class that they took when they were young, and some of the instructors have taught the same families for generations.
The in-person class is offered free of charge through the PA Game Commission and is a requirement for any first time hunter, regardless of age. They must have their certificate before they can purchase a
hunting license. To register for the class, visit https://www.pgc.pa.gov/ Hunttrap/huntertrappereducation/
The Kane Fish and Game Club offers two
opportunities to take the class, one session in the spring and another in the fall. The fall session will take place on September 10 and 17.