The Waterbury Stowe Fish and Game Club hosts a Hunter Safety Education course each fall beginning in mid-September. The course teaches students the skills and knowledge they need to become safe, responsible, and ethical hunters.

The course is a combination Home Study / Traditional Course. Students are required to attend three two-hour blocks of instruction in the evenings and one four-hour block of instruction and testing on a weekend morning. Students are also required to complete a workbook or online course prior to attending the class.

The course is designed for beginner level students with little to no experience in safe firearm handling or safe hunting practices.  The course material is written at a sixth-grade reading level. There is no age requirement for attending the course, however, it is recommended students be at least ten years of age.  Parents, mentors, or guardians are encouraged to attend class with the students and review home work with the students.  Instruction in safe firearms handling and shooting instruction prior to taking the course is helpful, but not required.

Students are required to attend all classes, demonstrate proper firearm handling with live fire on the range, demonstrate safe carries for use in the field when hunting and encountering common obstacles, and pass a written test. (Note: students with reading difficulties are encouraged to have an instructor read the questions out loud for them. The written test is a hunter safety test, not a reading test.)

Students who successfully complete the course are eligible to purchase a hunting license and are considered ready to begin hunting and shooting with the assistance of an experienced mentor.