There are thousands of adults and children in Montana who have successfully completed a Hunter Education class. The class takes at least two days and 12 hours in length. What takes place is very accurate and detailed learning about how to safely hunt, hunting ethics, specific laws on hunting in Montana, following a blood trail, what to do if lost, firing a .22 caliber rifle, and firing a shotgun. Once the class is successfully completed, the written test has been passed, and the field course has been done, the individual will receive a Montana hunter education certificate. The certificate is honored in all of North America.

On April 1, the Plains Trap Club and the shooting range nearby were the locations of the field course. Here the students of the class were with Hunter Education instructors learning about the proper way to hold, fire, load, and carry both a .22 caliber rifle and a shotgun. Students first dry-fired shotguns on the line at the Plains Trap Club, after they had been given very detailed safety instructions. Each student had an instructor with them giving each of them encouragement, suggestions, and tips on how to aim, fire, and hit the clay birds that were launched from the house in front of them. A few minutes later, each shooter placed one shell into the shotgun and each student fired once from the station they were standing and rotated through all five stations firing once at each station.

Another group of five students were learning about a blood trail and how to follow it. While the third group of students were at the rifle range shooting .22 caliber rifles. Mike Blake was present and gave students instructions with the handling of the shotguns at the firing line behind the Plains Trap Club. Four students; Tyson Brouillette, Marissa Young, Kaylie Peele, and Ayda Griffin had reviewed their written test scores and were being given their Hunter Education Certificate and blaze orange Safety Vests with the patches sewn on.

Phil Crismore has been teaching the Hunter Education class in Plains for the last 47 years. In some cases, he has probably taught two or three generations of hunters in one family. He shared how he first began teaching the course.

“My oldest son Cliff was 12 years old and I contacted Austin Urion about getting my son in the hunter education class at that time,” he said. “ He said he was too busy and there wouldn’t be a class that year. That next spring I took the test and became an instructor and became certified. That first year was 1970 and I had 12 kids in that class. I do this for the kids and I want them to handle the guns safely when hunting.”

Crismore was speaking about another memory he had teaching a father and son in the same class about not trading hunting tags.

“I had them both in the same class at once and was telling them that they should not trade tags in hunting season. The dad told me they were hunting and it was bull season and he saw a cow going over the hill and he put the gun down. He remembered what I had told him,” he said.

“This is the largest field course facility I have seen in Montana,” stated John Fraley, who is the Information Officer for Region 1 of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

“We had 50 kids in Hunter Education this year, which is the largest group I have seen in the ten years I have been doing it.” Kenny Benson stated while reviewing the time cards of the instructors and looking over the information on the students who had completed the test and were receiving their blaze orange hunters vests.

“The VFW Ladies Auxiliary has been buying the vests and sewing on the patches for us for the last 15 plus years.” Phil Crismore stated while several students were completing their turn at the trap firing station.

There were 16 instructors from Plains present throuhout the day; Phil Crismore, Wayne Crismore, Lisa Brown, Kenny Benson, Gerald Powell, Kim Earhart, Dan Lilja, Dan Helterline, Collette Morgan, Logan Benson, Megan Turner, Pat Connolly, Dr. Drye, and Don Kunzer. The instructors from other Sanders County communities included; Harold Hudson from Trout Creek and Bob Paro from Hot Springs.

Reporter Douglas Wilks can be reached at dwilks@vp-mi.com or 406-826-3402.