IHEA Standards

Table of Contents

I.          INTRODUCTION

1.      Purpose

II.         HUNTER SAFETY

1.      Basic Safety Rules

2.      Loading/Unloading

3.      Action types

4.      Safety Mechanism

5.      Matching Ammunition

6.      Safe Transport

7.      Ground blind/elevated stand

8.      Crossing obstacles

9.      Safe Zones of Fire

10.  Carry methods

11.  Shot selection

12.  Obstructions in Barrels

13.  Hunter Orange

14.  Alcohol and Drug Avoidance

15.  Safe Cleaning and Storage

16.  Archery Equipment

17.  Muzzleloading equipment

18.  Eye and ear protection

III.       HUNTER RESPONSIBILITY

1.      Why Hunting Regulations

2.      How to Find Hunting Regulations

3.      Hunter Ethics

4.      Public Image

5.      Clean Kill

6.      Care of Game

IV.    OUTDOOR SAFETY

1.      Physical Conditioning

2.      Hunt Planning

3.      Outdoor Exposure

4.      Signaling When Lost

5.      Survival Kit

6.      Personal Flotation Device

V.     WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

1.      Hunting’s Role in Wildlife Conservation

2.      Key Wildlife Principles

3.      Wildlife Identification

VI.      Examinations

1.      Design

2.      Testing formats

3.      Direction to respond to the questions

4.      Material included in Standards 1-5

5.      Emphasis on importance

6.      Establish minimum passing grades

 Hunter Education Certification Standards

Revised August 2007

Recommended by International Hunter Education Association in cooperation with Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The minimum requirement for certification shall include the following core standards:

1. Introduction

Rationale: Hunter education students should know the purpose and benefits of hunter education and how their dollars are collected and spent

1.   The purpose of hunter education (to produce safe, knowledgeable, responsible and involved hunters) and why it is important (firearm, shooting and hunting accident prevention; improved hunter compliance and behaviors)

2. Hunting Safety

Rationale: Reduction of hunting and shooting related injuries and fatalities

1.      Basic rules of shooting and hunting safety (e.g. Point muzzle in safe direction, treat every firearm with respect due a loaded gun, be sure of target and what is in front of and beyond the target, keep finger off the trigger until ready to shoot)

2.      Proper loading and unloading of firearms (courteously acknowledging and accepting firearm with action open, gun pointing in safe direction at all times, knowing action type, correctly carrying and matching ammunition, knowing location(s) of safety)

3.      Different action types (bolt, lever, semi-automatic, pump and break)

4.      Different safety mechanisms (push button, hammer, lever, tang, slide, grip, etc.)

5.      Matching the proper ammunition to the firearm (match data stamp on firearm to head stamp on ammunition.)

6.      Safely transport a firearm (while in a vehicle, boat, ATV or other transportation method)

7.      Safely enter and exit a ground blind or elevated stand (Always pointed in safe direction, unloaded, checked, cased, ammunition separate, hauling line, sling, etc.)

8.      Safely cross an obstacle or traverse hazardous terrain, one method alone; the other method while with a partner.  (muzzle control, unload when crossing, carry positions.)

9.      Safe zones of fire (area in which a hunter can shoot safely, hunter communication, know where your hunting companions are at all times.)

10.  Appropriate carry methods (position within the group may vary)

11.  Safe shot selection (i.e. various backgrounds, vital zones, angles of shots/animals, skyline animals, flock shooting, clothing of hunters/others, foreground, zones of fire) that present safe/unsafe and/or unethical shot opportunities

12.  Determine whether barrel is free from obstruction (always point in safe direction, open action, check to be sure chamber/magazine is unloaded, check from breech and/or use appropriate accessories such as a barrel light)

13.  Why hunters should wear blaze orange clothing for most hunting situations and/or why it is better than other colors while in the outdoors (to be seen)

14.  Alcohol or drugs impair skills and judgment while handling sporting arms (coordination, hearing, vision, communications and good judgment)

15.  Safe cleaning procedures and proper storage of firearms (always pointed in a safe direction, unloaded, checked, cased, and/or placed/locked in a gun safe, ammunition stored and locked separately, gun locks/accessories in place, etc.)

16.  Safety principles involving archery equipment (finger and arm protection, covered broad heads and inspection of arrows/strings/cables)

17.  Safety principles involving muzzleloaders (never blowing down barrel, using brass accessories, using a powder measure to pour in barrel; never smoking, marked ram rod etc.)

18.  The value of eye and ear protection while practicing with a firearm (hearing damage and eye injuries.)

3.         Hunter Responsibility

Rationale: Obeying hunting laws helps protect resources, people and property; poor hunting behavior is cited as the number one reason people oppose hunting.

1.      The reasons for hunting laws and rules and how they are established. (Public safety opportunity, fair chase, fair share, conservation of resources, etc.; federal and state/provincial statutes, regulatory processes, local ordinances and policies)

2.      Familiarity and compliance with hunting regulations. (Where to obtain licenses, legal hunting seasons, legal means and methods, hunter orange requirements, tagging requirements, transporting requirements, trespassing laws, penalties and violations)

3.      The role of hunter ethics (hunter behavior,  image, unwritten rules, hunter’s code of ethics, fair chase)

4.      How hunters can portray a positive public image (attire, sportsmanship,  , ensure lands remain open to hunting, landowner relations)

5.      A quick, clean kill. (distance estimation, vital zones, shot selection, marksmanship skills)

6.       The steps to properly care for game from the field (tagging requirements/ownership, field care of game, safe transport from field to camp)

4. Outdoor Safety

Rationale: Hunter safety applies to heart attacks and outdoor fatalities and injuries that are not related to firearm incidents

1.      Conditions that affect a hunter’s ability to be safe and responsible (Overweight, health conditions, known allergies, physical conditioning, preparation, clothing, mental attitude/aptitude, vision, hearing, etc.)

2.      Why a hunter needs to develop a hunting plan for every hunt (preparation, communications with companions, knowledge of location, emergency preparedness, hunting safety, etc)

3.      Causes, prevention, symptoms and field treatments of hypothermia and heat exhaustion and factors which cause each (understanding hypothermia - the cooling down of core body temperature caused by cold, wind and wet conditions coupled with lack of preparation, emergency preparedness, mental state and knowledge demonstrated by victim; understanding heat exhaustion - the heating up of the core body temperature caused by hot, sunny and humid/dry conditions coupled with lack of preparation, emergency preparedness, mental state and knowledge demonstrated by victim)

4.      Methods of signaling for help when lost in the outdoors (signals of three, signal signs, mirrors, whistles, etc.)

5.      Basic components that should be included in a survival kit (signaling, shelter construction, fire building, first aid, water)

6.      Wearing a personal flotation device while hunting when using a boat (To prevent drowning)

5. Wildlife Conservation

Rationale: Show how hunters positively affect wildlife management

1.      How hunting supports wildlife management and conservation (population dynamics – wildlife is a renewable resource, regulated hunting has never led to threatened/endangered wildlife populations, hunting is an effective wildlife management tool, hunters dollars have helped many game and non-game species rebound from low populations through effective habitat management and research, etc.)

2.      The importance of key wildlife principles (wildlife management, conservation, habitat, carrying capacity, limiting factors, biological surplus, renewable resource, succession)

3.       The importance of proper wildlife identification (game identification, non-game identification, differentiation between sexes)

6.  Examinations   

Rationale: Validity, reliability, fairness and practicality for a professional exam

Examination standards consist of a list of rules regarding the design of tests by which students demonstrate the knowledge and/or skills listed in the IHEA Certification standards. Well-designed comprehensive exams test knowledge equally well as an independent exam or as an exam at the end of a course.  An exam should uniformly measure knowledge however it was obtained.

1. The exam must be well designed and comprehensive

2. The exam may include any or all of the following testing formats: written, oral or practical

3. The exam should include clear directions to the student about how to respond to the questions

4. The exam must cover all of the material included in Standards 1-5

5. Certain certification standards carry more importance and should receive more attention within the exam.  (May be accomplished by various means, including assigning different weights to certain sections or questions, or merely including more questions on topics of greater importance.)

6. Each jurisdiction should establish minimum passing grades to ensure that graduates meet standards expected by the hunting community and society in general.