MADISON, WI (WSAU) -- In-person hunter and recreational vehicle education classes will resume July 13. Classes are allowed to resume under a new set up guidelines released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Friday.
The classes will have 50 people or less, which 98% of hunter safety courses have within the last three years according to the DNR.
In March, the DNR suspended all in-person courses and all other events due to COVID-19. Even as classes return in July, COVID-19 health and safety protocols will remain in place.
“We wish we had a one-size-fits-all plan. That is not possible because each safety class – whether it is hunter education or about recreational vehicle use – is different by location and the instructor,” said Lt. Warden Jon King, DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement administrator of the hunter education program. “However, the safety and the well-being of our students and our instructors remains priority Number One regardless of where the class takes place.”
Instructors are able to start enrolling classes into GoWild on Sunday, June 28. Classes may begin Monday, July 13.
Attendees of classes can expect these changes:
- Six feet of space between all participants
- Maximum of 50 people in any one class
- A strong recommendation to wear face masks
- Sanitizing of class equipment
- Availability and use of hand sanitizer
- Outdoor instruction where possible.
The protocols of the classes may change with the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our intent is to go back to normal only when safe,” King said. “These safety rules and guidelines are essential until the ongoing pandemic threat is gone.”
The DNR had been sued over the cancellation of hunter safety classes. New hunters could not get licenses without taking the classes, which were not offered. The lawsuit claimed that was a violation of gun rights. The DNR's web site had also said the classes were called off because of Governor Tony Ever's safer at home order, which had been struck down by the state Supreme Court.