Hey TFOX the people teaching the course are volunteers trained by the PA Game Commission, in fact after we took the course they said we now could go and take the free course to become bowhunting education instructors. I am thinking about that but I am so busy with so much throughout the year. The 18 bucks is to cover the course materials which consist of a workbook and 2 other books and a video you have to watch. Heck I thought it would be more to take it. I do suspect though that the PA game Commission will make this course mandatory as soon as they get enough instructors. That is the problem right now, not enough instructors.

PA Hardwoods.... I don' t think it' s instructor numbers that' s holding it up.... it' s administering it. We are not required to take the bowhunter Ed course in Maryland. We have lots of instructors and give the courses all over the state. If the State makes it mandatory they then go from the volunteer donated facilities to the paying for facilities and having to standardize them. For example, Len donates his shop space for classes. It probably wouldn' t meet the states standards for free air or lighting or some such silly thing. They' d have to find classrooms with handicaped ramps, proper lights, fire evacuation plans and on and on. Pa only gives the course in LARGE groups as I understand. That would make the facilities thing even more of a problem. They' d have to make it available across the state with enough frequency to allow all to take it. I think it' s not mandatory due to lobbyist, politicians and the fact you have to take the REGULAR hunter safety before you can hunt.

The course I took only had about 15 guys in it, I don' t really consider that large. And as for the lack of instructors, I have had many game commission officials tell me to my face that is one major reason for bowhunter education courses not being mandatory. And the regular hunter safety course just briefly covers bowhunting. In fact in my class we had a regular hunter education instructor who was taking the bowhunter education class to be better able to teach that part in the regular hunters ed class. And the majority of the hunter ed classes here in PA are held at VFW' s, Legions, schools and mostly sportsmans clubs. I remember many moons ago when I took mine that it was at the local VFW.

Hey Rob, hate to point this out, but he asked about bowhunters education card. And I know first hand that Colorado only requires a hunters safety card.