Chillicothe, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering free upcoming hunter education skills sessions in northwest Missouri. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. These sessions will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills.

The sessions offered and links to register include:

• Chillicothe from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, Cornerstone Church Event Center, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4oJ.
• Brookfield from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 12, Grand River Welding Institute, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4o3.
• Maryville from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, Northwest Technical School, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4oU.
• Trenton from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, Lager Building on the Barton Campus at North Central Missouri College, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4ow.
• Richmond from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday, April 2, Ray County Library, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4oi.
• Bethany from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4o5.

The skills sessions classes are for students ages 11 and older. The certification course can be completed online by hunters ages 16 and older for a paid fee to an online provider. But for hunters ages 11 to 15, or those of any age seeking in-person instruction, they must take the free skills class in person. They will need to complete the knowledge portion of the class prior to the skills session. That can be done by filling out the chapter review questions in the student manual, or youths ages 11 to 15 can complete the knowledge portion online for a fee paid to the provider. Printed student manuals are available at MDC’s Chillicothe office, or they can be ordered online for free at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zox.

Besides teaching safety skills, the hunter education course also teaches basic hunting skills to help newcomers to the sport get started and be successful. COVID-19 safety precautions will be observed at these classes.

To find other hunter education skills sessions near you, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zof.