Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
In-person hunter and recreational vehicle education classes will resume July 13 under a set of guidelines and safety protocols released Friday by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Recreational Safety and Outdoor Skills Section under Phase II of the Wisconsin State Government Bounce Back Plan.
The in-person hunter and recreational vehicle education classes resuming July 13 are for courses with 50 people or less. Based on a review of enrollment data for DNR hunter safety courses over the past three years, less than 2% of the more than 2,200 courses provided exceeded 50 attendees.
In March, the DNR temporarily suspended all in-person hunter education and recreational safety classes due to public health advisories relating to COVID-19. At the same time, the DNR also canceled, adjusted and postponed an array of other in-person public events, meetings, trainings and agency operations to protect public health.
The suspension reflected the dedication to safety by the DNR and the program; and, provided the time to establish classroom guidelines to keep students and instructors as safe as possible from COVID-19 exposures.
CLASS TIMELINE
The DNR’s Recreational Safety and Outdoor Section will work collaboratively with volunteer instructors and partners to reopen safety classes. The timeline is as follows:
- Instructors may start to enroll classes into GoWild on Sunday, June 28.
- Classes may start Monday, July 13.
SAFETY CLASS PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT THESE CHANGES:
- Social distancing of 6 feet between participants
- Maximum of 50 participants in any one class
- Attendees strongly recommended to wear face covering
- Sanitizing of class equipment
- Availability and use of hand sanitizer
- Outdoor class instruction where possible
