By Terry Kovarik
A longtime hunting safety instructor from Sturgeon Bay believes hands-on firearms training is a key to ensure fewer hunting accidents. The Department of Natural Resources is calling the 2018 firearms deer season the safest one ever. Only three non-lethal hunting accidents were reported. That follows a trend that started in 1985 when hunting safety education became mandatory. Jay Chaudoir, of Sturgeon Bay Hunter Education, says the current system of teaching hunting safety through a DNR online program just isn’t enough when it comes to handling firearms.
A separate hunter safety program was held at Sturgeon Bay High School prior to the firearms deer hunt. Chaudoir says an instructor who has worked with him in the past and attended that session called it one of the best safety training programs he’s seen.