INSTRUCTOR NEWSLETTER Spring Issue April 2017 IN THIS ISSUE General Manager s Message Election Results Resolutions Game Warden Contact List

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Results Resolutions Game Warden Contact List Home

PO Box 3147 Regina, SK S4P 3G7 Phone: (306)

1 INSTRUCTOR NEWSLETTER Spring Issue April 2017 IN THIS ISSUE General Manager s Message Election Results Resolutions Game Warden Contact List Home of the Saskatchewan Hunter Education Program SAFE PO Box 3147 Regina, SK S4P 3G7 Phone: (306) Fax: (306) safee@sasktel.net

2 General Manager Message Hello to all Instructors!! Welcome to spring!! The weather seems to be holding up and the scattered communities with snow on the ground will soon disappear! The AGM had representation from each of the following: Conservation Officers from MOE - Cal Schommer, Steve Dobko CFO Program Coordinator for SK Regina Office Cameron Smith Fresh Air Educators our online Course provider Greg Gulliver If you did not have the opportunity to attend and would like some information in any of these areas please contact me at the office. We also recognized years of volunteer instructor service, Congratulations once again, 40 Years Larry Pavloff Ralph Schidlowsky Richard Douslin Adam Schmidt Arnie Schmidt 45 Years Clifford Bailey Some exciting news, we have been in the process of developing a newer, fresher website! We are hoping to have it up and running by the end of May. The website address will remain the same; We have been working hard at having Ministry recognize our student certificate number be the identification that a student used when they sign up to get their HAL number. The following is taken from an that was sent to me by Travis Williams, Wildlife Allocation Specialist, Ministry of Environment, from Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch We are in the process of investigating our options around adding a hunter safety certificate number option to the list of secondary identifiers within a user s HAL account. If this option is deemed viable, the idea would be to recommend that all hunters add their hunter safety certificate number as a secondary identifier to their HAL account. This would not only get an updated number from hunters into HAL but may also aid in the updating of your database. This data could be better queried out for compliance purposes than the database in its current state as well.

3 Something we would also be interested in should this option move forward would be the possibility of your instructors to incorporate this process into the training programs your currently provide. This would also be a positive step in that all or most new graduates would start out with a new HAL ID and hunter safety certificate number recorded on their HAL account. We were also contacted by Katherine Conkin, Wildlife Population Ecologist & Provincial Game Bird Biologist, from Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch, Ministry of Environment, in regards to Hunter Harvest Surveys. Please note the document later on the Newsletter she has sent to us requesting our help. They rely so extensively on this data when they set quotas and seasons and the more participation they can get, the better the decisions they can make from the data. Although it is not mandatory, they are hoping they can foster a culture of participation among our hunters, where they see it as their responsibility to contribute to game management by filling out their hunter harvest surveys each year, and what better place to start than those individuals being trained to hunt. Please take this information to the classroom in a positive manner as it does benefit us all. One other reminder, if you have students approaches you in regards to losing their hunter safety ID cards; please have them call the office. We have a data base that holds records that go back to the late 1960 s for Hunter Safety Certification. We require a payment either by Money order or E-Transfer, once we receive this payment and required information we reissue the Certificate to the student. Some of these students took their course between which usually includes the CFSC and some CRFSC information. They would be able to apply for their PAL if this information is in our database, but only if it was during those years. For more information please contact us directly at the office. Once again, thank you for your time and dedication as volunteer instructors; you are paving the way for our future hunters and shooters! Shawna Aufner General Manager, S.A.F.E safee@sasktel.net

4 Hats off to all of our instructors; you make us who we are! 2016 Election Result Zone 4 Gary Ritchie by Acclimation Zone 5 Joe Woodsworth by Acclimation Zone 7 Lance Brown by Acclimation Zone 11 Eugene Duchnitski by Acclimation

5 Resolutions and results from our 2017 AGM 1. Whereas an instructor needs to spend 3-4 hours with an online student to cover some of the areas to see if the student is prepared enough to write the exams- Be it resolved that SAFE approach the Government to set cost of the online at $ $30.00 of which goes to the instructor. Zone 7 FAIL 2. Be It Resolved That: Instructors be allowed to charge $10 for a practical tutorial for online students. Zone 6 FAIL 3. Whereas Saskatchewan and Canada has been welcoming many new immigrants in recent years; Whereas many immigrants countries of origin do not have a culture of hunting and civilian sports shooting: and Whereas the ethical and safety standards of hunting and shooting behaviors in many countries do not resemble those existing in Saskatchewan, Canada and the United States; Now therefore be it Resolved, the Saskatchewan Association for Firearm Education 1. Recommend to SERM that regulations be amended to require that ALL first time hunting licence purchasers to have successfully completed a hunter education course that meets certification requirements across the United States and Canada. Zone 10 PASS

6 Posters available, please contact the SAFE office for more details.

The WESTERN CANADIAN GAME WARDEN MAGAZINE has interesting and accurate information on how the western provinces resources are managed and protected.

7 The WESTERN CANADIAN GAME WARDEN MAGAZINE has interesting and accurate information on how the western provinces resources are managed and protected. Current features include Environmental and Fish and Wildlife enforcement initiatives, in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, Northwest Territories and Yukon. If you are interested in subscribing to the Western Canadian Game Warden magazine, at NO CHARGE, please fill out the following form below and either fax or mail it back to the SAFE office. Contact Information SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Name: Address: City: Province: Postal Code: Phone: Instructor Number: Please mail or fax the completed form to: SAFE PO Box 3147 Regina, SK S4P 3G7 Fax IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECEIVING THE MAGAZINE PLEASE DO NOT SENT IN A NEW SUBSCRIPTION.

8 Hunter Harvest Survey Hunter Harvest Surveys have been a key tool in Saskatchewan s wildlife management for over 50 years, collecting information about harvest and hunting effort in each Wildlife Management Zone annually. The resulting data is used by wildlife biologists to evaluate recent changes in management strategy and identify areas where different management strategies may be warranted. The Hunter Harvest Survey is now incorporated into HAL, the Hunting, Angling and Trapping Licence System. Every hunter who purchases a licence for which a Hunter Harvest Survey is being conducted, will have the opportunity to fill out a survey. This data is provided to the ministry s wildlife biologists in advance of quota setting for the following year and allows them to evaluate recent changes in management strategy and identify areas where different management strategies may be warranted. The more surveys completed, the more thorough this evaluation can be. In 2016, approximate 109,000 surveys were generated. The overall response was 22% (n = 23,510), with specific licence types having varying response rates (from 14% for Canadian and non-resident game bird hunters to 45% for Canadian resident white-tailed deer draw hunters). The following licences had a Hunter Harvest Survey associated with it and the dates each survey were open are indicated below: SK Resident Black Bear: May 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 CAN Resident Black Bear: May 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Draw Moose: Oct.1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Regular Moose: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Draw Elk: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Regular Elk: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Draw Pronghorn: Oct.1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Draw Either-Sex Mule Deer: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Regular Archery Mule Deer: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 SK Resident White-tailed Deer: Sept. 20, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 Draw CAN Resident White-tailed Deer: Oct. 1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 SK Resident Game Bird: January 1, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2017 CAN Resident Game Bird: January 1, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2017 Non-resident Game Bird: January 1, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2017 Hunters who provide an address on their HAL profile will be notified when the survey is available and reminded of pending surveys that have not been completed.

9 The ministry continues to look for additional ways to engage hunters to improve response rate. The more surveys that are completed, the more thorough any evaluation of management strategies can be. The ministry encourages hunters to fill out their Hunter Harvest Surveys, even if they did not hunt or harvest an animal, and surveys can be completed online, in person or over the phone. Hunter Harvest Survey results are posted on the Ministry of Environment website in advance of the Big Game Draw to help hunters make informed decisions when selecting zones on their draw application. As an added incentive, all hunters who complete their hunter harvest surveys will be put in a draw for one of six $100 gift certificates courtesy of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.

10 Notice to all Instructors Students who take the online Hunter safety course or the Home Study Course still have to meet with an instructor to write their final exam and require hands on practical exams. This means the student is handling the firearms unloading and loading the dummy ammo, choosing the ammunition for the firearm they are handling. There is some concern that students are not handling the firearms, this is mandatory for any student to pass our Hunter Safety course. Last Minute If you need any paperwork such as course reports, class summary sheets, exams or practicals we can certainly send these via for you to print.

11 SASKATCHEWAN ASSOCIATION FOR FIREARM EDUCATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS/OFFICE STAFF President Zone 1 John Lawson Box 1494 Meadow Lake, SK. S9X 1Z1 jrl@sasktel.net Home # Zone 2 Galen Loy Box 2068 Battleford, SK. SOM 0E0 nut.house@sasktel.net Home # Zone 3 Craig Winterhalt Box 921 Wilkie, SK. S0K4W0 wilkiehuntersed@sasktel.net Home # Secretary/Treasurer Zone 7 Lance Brown Box 264 Craik, SK. S0G 0V0 flbrown@sasktel.net Home # Vice President Zone 8 Larry Ries Box 2486 Humboldt, SK. S0K 2A0 ries4209@hotmail.com Home # Zone 9 Louis Masse Box 1892 Nipawin, SK. S0E 1E0 lsmasse@hotmail.com Home # Zone 4 Gary Ritchie #2 Burke Cres Swift Current, SK. S9H 4E5 ritchiesafetie@sasktel.net Home # Zone 10 Keith Chibi 15 Woodward Ave Regina, SK. S4R 3H2 keester33@hotmail.com Home # Zone 5 Joseph Woodsworth 441 Adams Cres. Prince Albert, SK. S6V 7K6 j.woodsworth@sasktel.net Home # Zone 11 Eugene Duchnitski 43 Canwood Cres. Yorkton, SK. S3N 2T8 educhnit@sasktel.net Home # Zone 6 Alfred Hovdestad 343 Keeley Cres. Saskatoon, SK. S7J 4B8 alfred.hovdestad@usask.ca Home # Zone 12 Andrew Stacey Box 833 Moosomin, SK. S0G 3N0 a.stacey@borderlandcoop.com Home # General Manager Shawna Aufner safee@sasktel.net Office Manager Tara Sovdi safee@sasktel.net P.O. Box 3147 Regina, SK. S4P 3G7 Work # Fax #

12 Saskatchewan Association of Firearms Education (S.A.F.E.) has been tasked by the Ministry of Environment to deliver the Saskatchewan Hunter Education Program (S.H.E.P.) in the province of Saskatchewan. SAFE is also obligated to maintain the program, whether delivered in-class, by home study or on-line at the highest possible level. As a method of ensuring quality control and uniformity in the delivery of the program, the office staff of SAFE will be randomly selecting and contacting students from across the province. This is to elicit student impressions of the instruction and testing they received in their classes and/or testing. This may include the level and quality of instruction given, the professional conduct of their teaching or testing instructor(s) during the class or testing. All aspects of instruction will be included as well as testing, both written and practical. Please note: This procedure has always been an aspect of SAFE s quality control requirement for MoE (the proprietary owner of S.H.E.P.) in maintaining our delivery agent status. It has been primarily applied to students of our in-class courses. The results of such inquiries have confirmed what SAFE and MoE have known all along, that the volunteer instructors in Saskatchewan rank as exemplary. With the advent popularity of the on-line and home study options of our mandate, it is only natural that the same quality controls and uniformity rules Be applied to them as part of the normal operating procedure. Please make sure that proof is provided visually to know a student has had their 11 th birthday before registering for our course; as that is the Government regulation. The office will not recognize or certify any student who is registered in the course before their 11 th birthday.

13 In Class Hunter Safety Courses It seems that every year it gets harder to have students commit to an in class 16+ hour Hunter Education course. We have a suggestion that may not be a perfect choice but it does give the students plus you, the instructors an option. We suggest if you have a group of students who want the course but only have one weekend available, suggest all the students sign up for the online course, which is the student fee that they would pay directly online, all you would collect is your fee. You can then plan a weekend for your CFSC portion (if you deliver that portion) and also several hours review with Hunter Education and they can write their exams and do practicals. This is not considered a 2 day crash course as they have done the online course and you are spending two more days with course review and exams. If you would like further explanation and information about this please contact us at the office. TRAINING AIDS HE Tools is available for you online at the following link. This is a great training aid for your classroom. Just type it into your address bar and the link will appear. Follow the instructions from the website for downloading to a thumb drive. Here is access to both study guides for the SK Online Course and the Virtual Field Day: SK Online Course: Virtual Field Day:

14 The 2018 AGM will be hosted in Regina, SK More details will be in the FALL 2017 Newsletter and the Registration form will be mailed in January 2018.

Saskatchewan Resident Big Game Draw Overview

Saskatchewan Resident Big Game Draw Overview Contents What is the big game draw?... 1 Who can apply for the big game draw?... 2 How do I apply for the big game draw?... 3 Big game draw application rules... 4 How can I check my pool status?... 5 Selecting