Maryville, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a Hunter Education Skills Session from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Northwest Technical School in Maryville. This session will allow participants to receive the hunter education certificate required to obtain hunting permits. The overall course teaches hunter safety and knowledge about how to hunt.

The skills sessions classes are for students ages 11 and older. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4hD.

The certification course can be completed online by hunters ages 16 and older for a paid fee to an online provider. But for hunters ages 11 to 15, or those of any age seeking in-person instruction, they must take the free skills class in person. They will need to complete the knowledge portion of the class prior to the skills session. That can be done by filling out the chapter review questions in the student manual, or youths ages 11 to 15 can complete the knowledge portion online for a fee paid to the provider. Printed student manuals are available at MDC offices in Chillicothe or St. Joseph, or they can be ordered online for free at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zox.

Besides teaching safety skills, the hunter education course also teaches basic hunting skills to help newcomers to the sport get started and be successful.

To find other hunter education skills sessions near you, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zof.