Progress is being made in building a new partnership between the Bless Foundation and the DNR Division of Enforcement's Safety Training Section. The new partnership will focus on procuring grants and fund raising efforts to enhance the new Range and Field Day portion of a new On-Line Hunter Education Firearms Safety Course (HEFAS) that has been so successful in other States.
The new option is designed to offer an option to the traditional HEFAS course format. Students will be able to learn the knowledge based goals and objectives in the convenience of their home. They will be tested on their knowledge thru the on-line course. The exciting part of the new option is when students complete the rest of their training by attending an All Day Range and Field Day. Thru real life hunting scenarios, decision making, personal preparedness, tree stand safety, attitude and firearms handling students will building their skills to match their knowledge.
This new on-line option meets both the DNR and Bless Foundations goals and objectives to reduce firearms hunting accidents and better prepare future hunter. Both static and scenario based learning props are needed to make the situation more realistic. Bless Foundation is looking at procuring addition training aids for volunteer instructors to use to make their scenarios the best they can be. Some examples include ground blinds for turkey and deer hunting. Static deer, turkey, duck decoys and compasses that could be used for a variety of scenarios. Trap throwers to simulate upland birds like pheasant and grouse flying thru various zones of fire.
This is a very important partnership for the success of the new option. The HEFAS Program is taught by 4,700 volunteer instructors around the state who have trained over 1 million student in the past 55 years.
MN DNR Education Program Coordinator Capt. Mike Hammer is very excited about this new partnership and said it couldn't have happened at a better time.
The DNR Safety Training Section is going to start offering this new On-Line - All Day Range and Field Day option in the Spring of 2010.
