DNR officers host free hunter safety course at fairgrounds
Eighteen students of all ages met at the Owen County Fairgrounds on Sept. 12 for a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Hunter Safety Education course. With deer season beginning Sept. 15 in Indiana, Conservation Officers Caleb Hutchison and Matt Mauder went through a free safety presentation, including actual firearms, crossbows, and hunter safety equipment. The class is meant to cover the safety essentials that every Indiana hunter should know and goes over everything that an aspiring hunter needs to earn their Hunter Education Certificate, a necessity for anyone born after 1986 to legally hunt in Indiana under normal circumstances.
Hutchison and Mauder estimate they have given hunter safety training classes at least 15 times. They give their free class to the public before the Spring and Fall hunting seasons begin and also facilitate a seventh grade class at Owen Valley Middle School.
But hunter safety is not something to learn just to pass a test. DNR officers like Hutchison and Mauder often have to respond to calls from people that started out from someone not following proper safety protocols.
“Probably the thing we see the most is people not using a proper hunter safety system and then falling out of a treestand,” Hutchison said. “A lot of times people even have their safety system on but don’t clip in properly and then they fall anyway. If you fall with the harness on, you might be bruised but it beats falling 30 feet to the ground.”
Mauder also stressed the importance of vigilantly checking the direction you are aiming and not firing until you are sure that it is safe. He recalled an incident where someone accidentally shot their own father with an arrow thinking that he was a deer.
“It’s important to practice [with your weapon],” he stressed. “The more comfortable you are, the less likely you will make a mistake when you are all keyed up and the adrenaline starts flowing.”
For many people, this is the first and last time that they will ever take a class like this. Hutchison said that most people take the class as a kid and won’t sit in the class again until they bring their own kids.
“It’s probably [worth sitting in] class again every so often, even if it's not required,” Hutchison said. “A lot of things change, usually every year and you need to know what is different.”
Mauder reiterated the importance of knowing the regulations.
“Don’t be afraid to ask a question, don’t assume,” he said. “There is a 24-hour dispatch that you can call and if you are in our area, you will get routed to someone who can help answer your question. It’s always best to ask if you aren’t sure about something.”
