Monterey Hunting Safety Class Begins

A chance for youngsters to get their Hunter Education Certificate in a weekend class set for Monterey.

All hunters in Tennessee, born on or after January 1, 1969, must possess proof that they have successfully completed a Hunter Education course. A Hunter Education Course will be held at Monterey Church of Christ over the next three days. The class will be taught by Tim Singleton, a volunteer instructor for the Tennessee Hunter Education Program.

“Hunter education helps to remind people and also, uh, to educate initially younger hunters of the importance of safety in the field,” Singleton said.

Singleton said since the inception of the hunter education course in Tennessee, hunting accidents have declined. The class is divided into several sections. In the classroom the students focus on types of firearms, history, ammunition, carry situations, and tree stand safety. Singleton said students also get hands on experience shooting the guns.

“In my particular course that I teach, we do shoot live fire,” Singleton said. “We take the students out to shoot at some clay targets. Give them that opportunity to get the feel and get accustomed to the noise the firearm is gonna make when they fire the gun.”

The class focuses heavily on tree stand accidents, Singleton said, as those are the majority of the hunting accidents he sees. Often stands are not attached to the tree properly and people do not wear body harnesses.

“Hopefully the continuation of the hunter education program will keep those hunting accidents to a very minimum,” Singleton said.

Singleton says participants, both experienced and inexperienced, continuously learn something new in the hunter education classes.

“Quite often a parent will sit through a class, and they probably had it when they were younger, maybe in their pre-teens or teenage years, and it never fails that at the end of the class sessions that they will come up and say ‘I learned something tonight that I’ve never learned before’,” Singleton said.

Hunter education courses are required for all hunters ages ten and up in Tennessee. This course is free of charge for all participants.