Kansas law requires hunter education certification for all those born on or after july 1 1957 except those hunting on lands they own supervised youth under 16 and supervised holders of an apprentice…

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks received a Formula Grant award of $806,717 from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611) for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The award funds Kansas's hunter education and safety certification program, which is mandated by state law for individuals born on or after July 1, 1957 who wish to hunt or participate in fur harvesting (with limited exceptions for landowners and supervised youth). The program delivers comprehensive hunter education training and certification to produce safe, knowledgeable, responsible, and legally compliant hunters and fur harvesters.

The grant supports critical public safety and wildlife management objectives by funding the administration and delivery of hunter education courses and certification services designed to reduce hunting-related incidents throughout Kansas. By maintaining robust hunter education programming through this federal funding, the state mitigates safety risks, promotes positive hunter image and engagement within the hunting community, and strengthens hunter contributions to sustainable wildlife management and conservation practices. The award represents a direct investment in public safety infrastructure and wildlife stewardship capacity within the state.

Kansas law requires hunter education certification for all those born on or after july 1 1957 except those hunting on lands they own supervised youth under 16 and supervised holders of an apprentice license desiring to hunt and july 1 1966 for those desiring to participate in furharvesting. The kansas hunter education programs goal is to produce safe knowledgeable responsible and legal hunters and furharvesters who will support sustainable and universally beneficial wildlife management practices while also positively representing the larger hunting public and promoting a positive hunter image. Hunting as an activity is safe and continues to get safer thanks to continued funding and expert administration of hunter education programs and events shown to decrease the number of hunting related incidents that occur each year in the state. Failure to provide this training will result in increasing numbers of hunting related incidents with the associated tragic consequences for families and will negatively impact hunter image engagement and contributions to wildlife management and conservation within the state.