Bowhunter education

[vtmtnman]

I'd like to hear from the bowhunter ed instructors.My state is offering the course to be certified to teach and I'm interested to do this.

Would like to hear the experiences from folks teaching the classes.Advice?Do's don'ts?Anything.I love bowhunting and would love to be able to teach others about it.

[redant 60/65]

Rich
 I was a master instructor for ten year, about 20 years ago. DesertDude and my self taught a few classes together. It was called IBEP then.
It was alot of fun you will get to meet a lot of people and learn from them, as well as teaching. Go for it.  

[Al Dente]

It makes me feel good inside to be able to pass along knowledge, history, and safety to the upcoming hunters.  It is extremely rewarding.

[Eugene Slagle]

I'm soon to be taking a level 3 NAA class so that I can teach on my own on a level beyone just the basics.

I love seeing children get interested in our sport & for me to pass on my knowledge to others is a pleasure that I can not describe.

Go for it my friend, you will not regret it.

[uglyjake]

I would like to take the course again and continue on into instruction.  We need to pass on this great activity to our youth, ladies and ol men.

[Bowwild]

The IBEP (International Bowhunter Education Program) was designed and is administered by the NBEF (National Bowhunter Education Foundation).

I think presenting bowhunter education is one of the best ways a bowhunter can pass it on -- 2nd to mentoring of course. There is a lot of very specific material to cover but the course was designed by very avid bowhunters.  I always have a terrific time teaching the course and usually pick up something from folks in the class about scouting, equipment, etc. I certainly learn a lot about why some people bowhunt.

The best bowhunter ed instructors are very good at teaching. They stay on schedule, cover all the material, use appropriate and diverse visual aids, and are friendly and open-minded. Of course when the instructor is also an experienced bowhunter from which to draw examples, that is even better. No matter how great a bowhunter is, if they don't have a knack for teaching, they should use their talents helping.

The best classes will have more than one instructor. By teaming with others the course is often more interesting. NBEF has many useful visual aids. Instructors should incorporate many hands-on exercises to make the course interesting.

A bowhunter education instructor should have high integrity. People in the class expect you to be one of the top-notch examples of what a bowhunter is; knowledgable, ethical, law-abiding, and eager to pass it on.

I've been an instructor since 1991 and am a current board member of NBEF.

[FerretWYO]

Do it I am looking to get recertified myself.

[Bowwild]

Anyone who wants to become a certified instructor can contact Marilyn to find the times and places nearest them.

Marilyn Bentz

Exec. Dir./NBEF

479-649-9036

727-858-1832 (C)


[email protected]

[vtmtnman]

Great replies thanks guys.

[Notso]

I teach a bowhunter ed course here in WI, overseen by the DNR. I teach it at a local archery shop - so I can get an assist in having folks learn about wheelie bows, as well. Lots of fun for instructors and students.

[joe skipp]

I really enjoy sharing the knowledge I have obtained over the years with both the young hunters starting out and the older ones coming into our sport.

It's a great feeling. Even though 99% of the students shoot wheels, everyone is always interested in the traditional equipment especially after seeing me shoot. We seldom run the course like the book. We find everyone is more tuned to the hunting aspects.

A great learning experience and also shoots down quite a few of those myths that these students see on those hunting TV shows. I think quite a few of those hunting shows do more harm than good.

For me it's very rewarding, to the student very entertaining.

[Bowwild]

By the way, many states offer "short courses".  These are courses that are 4-5 hours instead of 10-13 and are designed for the person who already has taken general Hunter Education.  This way the bowhunter ed instructor and student don't have to spend time on some of the subjects that are the same: state laws, wildlife management, and survival.  I've actually conducted these in WI and KY.  

Except for the handful of states, mostly in the west and NY where Bowhunter Education is mandatory, most demand for Bowhunter ED comes from big game hunters getting ready to venture west where they have to have a bowhunter card.

It is amazing how many guys wait until just weeks before they are to go west to find a course. It gets tough to find a course in September by the way -- we're all hunting!

[Mike Schlegel]

Bowwild nailed it! Been and instructor for many years - very rewarding!

[acadian archer]

have been an instructor for a year and did two classes last summer(we were four instructors), very rewarding, get to meet new people, you'll learn something yourself and you'll pass along some information.

I'm looking forward to this year's sessions, likely three.

give it a shot, you likely won;t regret it.

[Gary Logsdon]

I taught the IBEP course in KY for many years, first as a regular classroom instructor and later as a master instructor/trainer. I received my original certification at LBL from Bill Wadsworth, the founder of the NBEF. Another high school teacher and myself co-sponsored the first bowhunting club in the KY public school system. Over the years we certified hundreds of students and their parents. Back in those "good old days" our high school had a permanent archery range and wooded training area which we used when teaching things like "deer habits and habitat" and "blood trailing".  We had REAL deer sign in our campus woods which made setting up scenerios much easier!

[vermonster13]

Stop by the house Rich and I'll fill you in. I've done the one at Kehoe and Fair Haven High School a few times.

[vtmtnman]

Dave I have to get up there possibly this weekend.

Thanks everyone for more replies.