The Alabama Hunter Education Course is a minimum of 10 hours of instruction in addition to an examination.

Locally, the course will be offered this Saturday from 8:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and this Sunday from 1:00 - 6:30 p.m. at the Centre Rescue Squad Building.

For more information, call (256) 435-5422.

The course is also available on interactive CD-ROM and through the internet, both of which require a field day to complete the course. Instructors certified by the Alabama Conservation Department’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division will teach the courses.

Mandatory for all first-time hunting license buyers born on or after Aug. 1977, the course satisfies the re-quirements of Alabama law, and involves training in hunter ethics, state wildlife and hunting laws, firearms handling and safety, muzzle loading, archery, wildlife identification and management, outdoor survival skills and first aid.

In addition to providing a basic foundation for novice hunters, the course is an excellent refresher for experienced hunters and is accepted in all 49 U.S. states and Canadian provinces where hunter education is mandatory before hunting license purchases.

For more information on hunter education in Alabama call (334) 242-3620 or the toll-free hunter education number at 1-800-245-2740