Hunt Safe Program
Since 2022, The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) has been a proud partner of the International Hunter’s Education Association (IHEA) by being IHEA-WORLD certified. Through this program, Tribes are able to have their own certified Hunt Safe instructors to train and certify individuals in Hunt Safe.
The course and it's certification cards are recognized by:
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18 countries - Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
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Ten Canadian provinces, 3 Canadian territories
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31 United Mexican states and including all 50 states of the United States.
Three different training options that Tribal Nations can choose from to provide quality safety training to their hunter education students depending on their specific needs, objectives and instructor capacities:
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In-Person Class + Field Exercise: A traditional in-person hunter education class spanning a few days with 10–12 hours of instructor-led instruction, field exercises, and a final assessment.
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Hybrid: Online Class + In-Person Component (Field Exercise): A hybrid class where students complete the booklet portion online through the NRA portal, then visit the Tribal office to finish in-person training and testing.
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Online Class: A fully online NRA course where students self-pace through chapter tests to earn a Hunter Education Card, requiring no in-person training or staff involvement.
The course allows Tribes to add any specific information they would like, such as funding sources, special regulations, and cultural segments to the ten basic requirements that every course must include.
Goals for NAFWS Hunt Safe
Program Instructors
NAFWS Hunt Safe Program Process
Application
Tribes interested in the NAFWS Hunt Safe Program will need to:
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Read and review NAFWS Hunt Safe Information and Application Packet (see right)
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Determine eligibility
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Complete and submit all materials
Participating Tribes:
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, Lummi Nation, Muscogee Creek Nation, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Choctaw Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Sauk-Suittle Indian Tribe.
THE IHEA-WORLD WELCOMES THE NATIVE AMERICAN FISH & WILDLIFE SOCIETY AS PARTNERS IN HUNTER EDUCATION
The Native American Fish & Wildlife Society (NAFWS) is now partnered with the International Hunter Education Association allowing Native American Tribes to become certified to teach Hunter Education. This new partnership opens up Hunter Education to the over 4.5 million Native Americans, allowing them reciprocity to hunt worldwide.
With 227 Tribes in 7 regions, NAFWS supports these Tribes in their right to manage over 56 million acres of Tribal lands for fishing and hunting. Delivering messages of safe hunting practices through state wildlife agency programs has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, in many of these territories. This partnership allows NAFWS associated Tribes to teach Hunter Education and issue valuable official Hunter Education cards certifying new hunters to buy licenses anywhere in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and other IHEA-WORLD partner countries.
Shawna Belavance, President of IHEA-WORLD commented, “I would like to welcome NAFWS to IHEA-World. We are proud to have you join our world association, and we look forward to working together with you and all our world partners to achieve the highest standards of safe, responsible, and ethical hunters – this is the goal we strive for every day.”
“Kwak kway (Thank you) to the IHEA-World and the NAFWS for collaborating together to accomplish the Hunt Safe Program under the NAFWS,” stated Darren Talayumptewa, NAFWS Board Member. “This program will allow Tribes to use their sovereignty to implement the same Hunter Education curriculum taught within each state game and fish agency, however it will allow Tribes to incorporate their own respective traditional and cultural hunting ethics and practices for our people and the general public. It is our hope Tribes and state agencies will honor the certification and continue with our collaborative efforts to teach Hunter Education values and ethics for all.”
Continuing education training for Hunter Educators in the Tribes is already available through the IHEA-USA’sLearnhunting.org portal, and Hunter Education classes are expected to launch in Tribal territories in the summer of 2023.