LearnHunting.org: Connecting
Instructors & New Hunters

Editor’s Note: The following is Part 2 in a three-part series highlighting the IHEA-USA’s efforts to expand hunter education in the U.S. Part 1, “IHEA-USA: Leading The Charge,” can be found here. (Editorial provided by the IHEA-USA.)

There’s an average of 500,000 Hunter Education graduates each year. Many of these potential new hunters graduate from an online-only or hybrid experience.

In July 2021, through a collaborative grant study, the IHEA-USA learned a third of these Hunter Education students did not get a hunting license upon completing Hunter Education. The majority of these potential hunters felt they needed to continue their education with practical experience and general outdoor skill-building to grow their confidence before joining the hunt, a problem IHEA-USA immediately began to address with LearnHunting.org.

Developed by the IHEA-USA and its partners in 2022, this brainchild of the IHEA-USA not only helps new hunters get into the field but also allows State Fish & Wildlife Agencies to activate their volunteers in new educational endeavors, enabling them to tap into the more than $1.2 billion available from the Pittman Robertson fund.

A Dual-Purpose Tool

LearnHunting.org is a dual-educational platform. Most critically, it’s a mentoring platform that pairs Hunter Education instructors willing to mentor with mentees in their state, ensuring the new hunter has a successful first-time experience. The platform enables instructors to assign digital educational content to students before hunting, as well as actively take students to the range or the field in one-on-one training scenarios.

LearnHunting.org also serves as a training tool allowing state Hunter Ed Program Administrators and instructors to access online educational courses, alleviating the challenges of training Hunter Education volunteers consistently across their state. This capability will help onboard new volunteers for state agencies and increase volunteer relevancy and retention.

To date, training courses include:
• Becoming a Better Mentor
• Teaching Strategies for Hunter Education
• Teaching Strategies for Bowhunter Education
• Teaching Strategies for Trapper Education
• Field First Aid
• Conservation – Trapping
• Tree Stand Safety
• Hunting-Related Diseases
• Creating Inclusive Environments

All the above courses were created in partnership with subject matter experts from around the industry and are also available to anyone who would like to become a mentor.

“These programs are critical to the future of hunting,” stated Alex Baer, executive director of the IHEA-USA. “Our aim is not only to foster confidence in new hunters with on-the-ground experiences but to aid the states with programs that engage their existing volunteers, increase their license sales and allow them to gain conservation dollars in the process.”

The IHEA-USA encourages any instructor willing to help new adult hunters get into the field for a successful hunting experience to join. It’s easy to manage your availability to mentor with the click of a button on the site, and you might make a huge difference in the future of hunting. Visit LearnHunting.org today and sign up.

For more info: ihea-usa.org, learnhunting.org.