MADISON — In-person hunter and recreational vehicle education classes will resume July 13 under a set of guidelines and safety protocols released June 26 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Recreational Safety and Outdoor Skills Section under Phase II of the Wisconsin State Government Bounce Back Plan.
The in-person hunter and recreational vehicle education classes resuming July 13 are for courses with 50 people or less. Based on a review of enrollment data for DNR hunter safety courses over the past three years, less than 2% of the more than 2,200 courses provided exceeded 50 attendees.
In March, the DNR temporarily suspended all in-person hunter education and recreational safety classes due to public health advisories relating to COVID-19. At the same time, the DNR also canceled, adjusted and postponed an array of other in-person public events, meetings, trainings and agency operations to protect public health.
The COVID-19 public health steps go beyond providing the educational safety courses for hunting, boating and off-highway vehicles, and will remain part of the safety class environment as classes start in July. The safety protocols are for the protection of students and instructors, and the communities where they live. The DNR will continue to prioritize the safety of the public, volunteer instructors, and department staff when determining protocols for resuming in-person recreational safety classes.
Class timeline and changes
The DNR’s Recreational Safety and Outdoor Section will work collaboratively with volunteer instructors and partners to reopen safety classes. Instructors began enrolling classes June 28. Classes may start Monday, July 13.
● Social distancing of 6 feet between participants
● Maximum of 50 participants in any one class
● Attendees strongly recommended to wear face covering
● Sanitizing of class equipment
● Availability and use of hand sanitizer
● Outdoor class instruction where possible
Wisconsin hunter education started in 1967 with a grassroots effort to reduce hunting incidents and to educate hunters to make them safe, responsible and ethical. Since then, multiple generations of families have attended hunter education. There have been over 20,000 volunteers who have helped educate the hunters of Wisconsin and approximately 1.2 million hunters have been certified. Incident rates for gun deer accidents continue to decrease with nine years of gun deer seasons with no fatalities.
The DNR remains strongly committed to the health and safety of recreational safety course instructors and students. The department continues to receive the most up-to-date information and will adjust operations as conditions change.
