Trapper and hunter education classes coming up in the Southeast Region

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Trapper education covers trapping laws, safety, ethics, basic trapping methods and ways to avoid non-target catches. Already an experienced trapper? You may still need the class. As of July 2018, Idaho requires anyone who has not purchased a trapping license before July 2011 to complete a mandatory trapper education course.

Currently, there are two opportunities to get certified in the Southeast Region.

• Saturday, March 23, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Preston
• Saturday, April 25, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pocatello
• Register online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/education or by stop by any regional Fish and Game office for assistance. The cost of the course is $9.75 per student. Seats are limited.
• Don’t live in the Pocatello or Idaho Falls area? Idaho Fish and Game is working to provide some additional trapper education classes throughout southeast in the upcoming year; however, if you know you need this class, don’t wait! A drive to take a one-day class is a small sacrifice to ensure you can trap this year…and for a lifetime.
• Please note this course will not allow a trapper to immediately begin trapping wolves. Anyone intending to trap wolves must attend a wolf trapper education class prior to purchasing wolf trapping tags. Therefore, anyone intending to trap wolves that did not hold an Idaho trapping license prior to July 2011 is required to take both trapper and wolf-trapper education.

Wolf Trapper Education Classes

Anyone intending to trap wolves in Idaho must attend wolf trapper education prior to buying wolf trapping tags. These classes are taught by certified wolf-trapping instructors who travel from region to region to provide these one-day classes. Wolf trapper education covers wolf trapping regulations, ethics and trapping methods. 

Here is the next opportunity to take a wolf trapper education class in the Southeast Region.

• Saturday, April 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pocatello
• Anyone intending to trap wolves that did not hold an Idaho trapping license prior to 2011 is required to take both trapper and wolf-trapper education. So, if that applies to you, check for upcoming trapper education classes as well.
• Register online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/education or stop by any regional Fish and Game office for assistance. The cost of the course is $9.75 per student. Seats are limited.
• Again, do not wait for a wolf trapper education course to come to you. These classes are taught only a couple of times a year in most regions.

Hunter Education Course 

Offered to students ages 9 and older, these courses provide instruction on firearm handling and safety, hunting law and ethics, responsibilities towards landowners, hunting skills, wildlife identification, survival skills and first aid, and management and conservation.

There are instructor-led classes coming up in southeast Idaho. And, some of those classes also offer a joint bowhunter certification.

• Upcoming hunter education classes will be held the week of March 18 in Pocatello and the week of March 25 both in Malad and Soda Springs—perfect timing for those youth on spring break.
• Combination hunter and bowhunter education classes have been scheduled in April in Pocatello, Shelley and Grace. 
• Register online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/education or stop by any regional Fish and Game office for assistance. The cost of the course is $9.75 per student.
• Who needs hunter education? Those born on or after Jan. 1, 1975, must either complete a hunter education course to purchase a hunting license, OR show proof of a previously held license in Idaho or another state.
• Other classes will be added to the schedule over the coming year in locations throughout the Southeast Region. So, please check the online schedule regularly to see added classes.
• Don’t forget that hunter education and bowhunter education can also be taken online with no field day required! This is often a good option for those independent learners with schedules that don’t mesh with in-person class opportunities. Learn more about this online learning option at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/education.