Commission Agenda Item No. 14
Presenter: Steve Hall

Briefing
Hunter Education
May 22, 2019

I.      Executive Summary: The Texas Hunter Education Program (Program) has been in existence for 47 years and hunter education has been mandatory for the past 31 years for hunters born on or after September 2, 1971. A rite of passage for hunters in North America, the Program is a hallmark accomplishment of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program. New hunter education strategies are being developed to improve the Program’s convenience and diversity and students’ access to mentors and hunting opportunities in accordance with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) Strategic Plan.

II.     Discussion: The Texas Hunter Education Program began in 1972. In 1987, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) passed rules requiring Texas hunters born on or after September 2, 1971 to successfully complete the hunter education course prior to hunting. To date, over 1.6 million students have been certified. Nearly 30,000 Texans, most of whom were/are volunteers and professional educators in the schools, have been trained as hunter education instructors.

The hunter education course covers the following topics:

1. Safe handling and use of firearms and other sporting arms (e.g. archery, crossbows);
2. Wildlife conservation and management (i.e. the hunter’s role);
3. Hunting laws and applicable rules and regulations; and
4. Hunting safety and ethics, including landowners’ rights.

In 2013, the Commission amended 31 Texas Administrative Code chapter 51, subchapter D and chapter 53, subchapter A, division 3) to:

1. Allow online instruction providers to charge more than individual instructors;
2. Provide an online-only training option for persons 17 years of age and older;
3. Streamline classroom requirements – standardizing and going from 10 to 6 hours; and
4. Exempt veterans/active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces from live-fire requirements in field courses (statutory rule adoption). A subsequent statute exempts active/retired military and certain law enforcement personnel from the requirement.

There are currently three hunter education course options available to the public.

1. Instructor Led, Classroom – six hours in length; primary method used by school teachers and volunteers
2. Instructor Led, Internet and Field – two hours credit for online study and four hours of skills/live fire training
3. Internet Only – for those 17 years of age or older

The minimum age for certification is 9 years. Hunters under 9 years of age, those under 17 years of age without proof of hunter education, and those 17 years of age and older who purchase a one-time “deferral” must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter that can show proof of certification or be otherwise exempt (born prior to September 2, 1971). The Hunter Education statute provides persons charged with an offense (failure to present proof of hunter education certification while hunting) the opportunity to complete the hunter education course within 90 days to dismiss the charge.

Texas has seen a significant reduction in hunting incidents since the implementation of the program. Significant accomplishments also include an increased compliance rate to Texas hunting regulations, less wounding of animals, and an enhanced image for both hunters and hunting.

Major partnerships with other agencies and non-profit/conservation organizations have led to hunter education instruction in schools, primarily within the agriculture science curricula (1988), within county extension and 4-H networks (1994), as part of youth hunts provided by the Texas Youth Hunting Program (1996), and in outdoor education/physical education classes (2014). In 2018, almost 10,000 students were trained in the schools as a result of such partnerships.

In 2015, TPWD contracted with Element Learning Systems to develop a new online registration system that was launched in February 2017. Students desiring the training can go online at https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education to search and register for courses and print their own certification cards upon successful completion. Students may pay instructors on site or those taking the online-only option may pay vendors online. Those completing Internet and field courses take a free online course at TPWD’s web site. Field courses are more limited than classroom courses, as most are held at safe range locations. The benefits of field courses include hands-on, live-fire, and hunter-skills training.

Over the next 10 years, program enhancements must be made to be relevant to both hunters and the non-hunting public, who will demand that hunters continue to act safely and responsibly. Strategies will be linked to the R3 strategies currently being developed. Such strategies include:

1. Improving instructor-led course convenience (increasing the number of locations and times where and when people want courses has always has been an issue in a large state);
2. Increasing efforts to be more diverse and inclusive – both students and instructors;
3. Enhancing online courses (e.g. increasing the “fun factor,” interactive exercises, social media links, video productions, blogs/vlogs, and components that spark critical thinking and open discussion); and
4. Increasing “Hunting & Shooting Sports 101” offerings (advanced hunter education), access to mentors, and youth/adult hunting opportunities, especially on private lands.

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Commission Agenda Item No. 14
Exhibit A

Summary of Texas Hunting Incidents Voluntary Hunter Education Program 1972-1987

Calendar Year	Fatal	Non-Fatal	Accidents	Hunting Licenses Sold	Accidents/ 100,000 Licenses	Fatalities/ 100,000 Licenses	Students Certified
1966	28	53	81	644,653	12.6	4.3	-
1967	23	70	93	797,846	11.7	2.9	-
1968	37	68	105	854,693	12.3	4.3	-
1969	24	68	92	895,593	10.3	2.7	-
1970	19	53	72	935,793	7.7	2.0	-
1971	24	68	92	978,285	9.4	2.5	-
1972	30	55	85	966,332	8.8	3.1	2,119
1973	22	58	80	1,011,963	7.9	2.2	4,314
1974	16	52	68	1,037,925	6.6	1.5	6,094
1975	11	66	77	1,051,834	7.3	1.0	8,531
1976	11	52	63	1,050,349	6	1.0	10,043
1977	17	64	81	1,080,530	7.5	1.6	11,298
1978	20	63	83	1,091,794	7.6	1.8	10,890
1979	10	43	53	1,093,716	4.8	0.9	10,775
1980	13	56	69	1,160,375	5.9	1.1	12,166
1981	19	53	72	1,174,023	6.1	1.6	13,187
1982	23	74	97	1,216,032	8	1.9	13,323
1983	17	63	80	1,325,474	6	1.3	14,131
1984	21	39	60	1,140,174	5.3	1.8	13,052
1985	15	57	72	1,100,991	6.5	1.4	11,284
1986	13	55	68	1,162,785	5.8	1.1	11,195
1987	12	69	81	1,189,566	6.8	1.0	8,611
Voluntary	425	1299	1724	22,960,726	7.5	1.85	161,013

HUNTING INCIDENT RATE (AVERAGE) DURING VOLUNTARY PROGRAM – 7.5 per 100,000 hunting licenses issued.

HUNTING FATALITY RATE (AVERAGE) DURING VOLUNTARY PROGRAM – 1.85 per 100,000 hunting licenses issued.

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Commission Agenda Item No. 14
Exhibit B

Summary of Texas Hunting Incidents Mandatory Hunter Education Program 1988 - Present

Calendar Year	Fatal	Non-Fatal	Accidents	Hunting Licenses Sold	Accidents/ 100,000 Licenses	Fatalities/ 100,000 Licenses	Students Certified	Deferrals Sold
1988	12	58	70	1,189,000	5.9	1.0	18,043
1989	12	66	78	1,193,000	6.5	1.0	36,708
1990	8	45	53	1,132,917	4.7	0.7	24,590
1991	13	68	81	1,103,903	7.3	1.2	28,682
1992	6	56	62	1,053,063	5.9	0.6	25,453
1993	6	52	58	1,077,055	5.4	0.6	26,942
1994	5	46	51	1,083,227	4.7	0.5	34,972
1995	4	36	40	1,060,000	3.8	0.4	31,215
1996	2	29	31	990,000	3.1	0.2	24,998
1997	8	43	51	960,000	5.3	0.8	30,625
1998	3	37	40	1,011,500	3.9	0.3	31,052
1999	6	38	44	1,010,455	4.3	0.6	37,775
2000	8	44	52	1,145,000	4.5	0.7	39,049
2001	3	40	43	1,076,159	4	0.3	28,062
2002	3	32	35	1,024,495	3.4	0.3	37,847
2003	2	42	44	1,082,225	4.1	0.2	33,769
2004	4	25	29	1,091,178	2.7	0.4	31,171
2005	2	29	31	1,082,593	2.9	0.2	31,442
2006	4	28	32	1,115,772	2.9	0.4	29,532
2007	4	26	30	1,112,099	2.7	0.4	30,960
2008	6	20	26	993,533	2.6	0.6	32,308
2009	3	26	29	1,011,936	2.9	0.3	43,880	12,545
2010	4	21	25	1,141,924	2.2	0.4	41,785	13,997
2011	2	21	23	1,165,248	2	0.2	43,645	15,101
2012	5	20	25	1,155,542	2.2	0.4	45,719	15,438
2013	3	30	33	1,227,025	2.7	0.2	59,597	17,257
2014	2	24	26	1,284,933	2.0	0.2	72,026	11,898
2015	2	18	20	1,259,259	1.6	0.2	66,961	14,025
2016	5	19	24	1,271,368	1.9	0.4	60,115	14,371
2017	2	19	21	1,248,450	1.7	0.2	55,507	12,113
2018	3	14	17	1,235,590	1.4	0.2	57,440	11,004
Mandatory	151	1,073	1,224	34,588,449	3.5	0.44	1,193,405	137,749
TOTAL	576	2,372	2,948	57,549,175	5.1	1.00	1,354,418	137,749

HUNTING INCIDENT RATE (AVERAGE) DURING MANDATORY PROGRAM – 3.5 per 100,000 hunting licenses issued. 

HUNTING FATALITY RATE (AVERAGE) DURING MANDATORY PROGRAM – 0.44 per 100,000 hunting licenses issued.