What
is the Master Hunter program?
The Master
Hunter program started in 1992 as a voluntary, user-pay program designed
to provide formal training and certification for hunters willing to
accept a challenge. The goal since Day One has been to promote high
ethical standards and to instill in interested hunters the highest level
of stewardship and positive conduct afield. A secondary goal is to assist
the Department of Fish and Wildlife in various wildlife management programs.
Whether participating in damage hunts or working with landowners to
lessen crop damage, Master Hunters have a valuable role to play in wildlife
management in our state.
The program should
NOT be seen exclusively as a personal benefit or special hunting
opportunity for individual hunters. While there are definitely benefits
available to those who successfully complete the program, we do not
want hunting opportunity alone to be the motivation for prospective
Master Hunter candidates. If additional hunting opportunity is all
you want, we ask that you not apply.
The
Master Hunter program is a cooperative program coordinated by the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife. Other organizations help make it possible
What
are the requirements for the Master Hunter program?
The Master
Hunter program is a user-pay program, and the application fee is designed
to simply offset our cost of materials. Requirements include:
- Submit application
and fee.
- Review and study
materials included in the Master Hunter packet.
- Attain an 80%
score on a comprehensive written test.
- Demonstrate shooting
skills (with specific standards for shotgun, rifle, archery and muzzleloading
disciplines) on a shooting proficiency test.
- Contribute a
minimum of 20 hours of voluntary service in an approved conservation
work project.
- Complete the
C.O.R.T. program conducted by Eyes In The
Woods.
- Undergo a WDFW
background check. Currently there is no charge.
- Sign and agree
to uphold the Master Hunter code of ethics.
- Initial certification
is for a five-year period. Recertification after the initial five
years requires a minimum of 40 hours of additional conservation work.
Renewal certifications are also for five years.
The Master Hunter
program fee is currently set at $20. The fee is subject to change at
any time -- depending upon the cost of our materials -- but the latest
fee is always posted. If you order materials in CD format, there is
no additional charge. But if you order study materials in printed
format, it will cost an additional $13.90 for a total of $33.19.
How
do I apply to the program?
Applications for the Master Hunter program will be accepted between
January 1 - March 31, annually. No new applications
will be accepted after the closing date.
Applications
are available from:
What‘s
involved with the written exam?
The written
exam is based on the study materials and current hunting pamphlets.
Tests consist of 75 questions, including:
- Multiple choice
questions.
- True –
False questions.
- Fill-in-the-blank
questions.
- Wildlife identification.
- Matching questions.
The minimum passing
score requires 60 correct answers.
Where
and when may I schedule the exam?
Advance scheduling is required for all Master Hunter exams. The
written exam is not available online. Timed tests are administered
at either the Olympia headquarters or a regional
WDFW office. Tests must be scheduled in advance. In some cases
the Master Hunter Program Coordinator may arrange for a local Certified
Hunter Education Instructor to proctor the test. Some members of the
Master Hunter Advisory Group are also serving as Test Proctors.
What
are the shooting standards?
Shooting
proficiency standards vary by discipline. You now must demonstrate
shooting proficiency. Notarized affidavits
are required to provide legal documentation that the minimum standard
has been attained. Any unrelated adult may serve as a witness.
- Shotgun –
Break 20 out of 25 targets in trap or skeet.
- Rifle –
Using a B-3 target, score 80% from a rest at 100 yards and 60% offhand
at 50 yards.
- Archery –
Shooting a B-3 target at 10, 20 and 30 yards, score 80%, 70% and 60%,
respectively.
- Muzzleloader
– Using a B-3 target, score 80% from a rest at 75 yards and
60% offhand at 50 yards.
- Handgun –
Using a B-3 target, score 80% from a rest at 50 yards and 60% offhand
at 25 yards.
Skeet or trap shooters must shoot clay targets at an official skeet
or trap range.
Master Hunters are
only required to qualify in one shooting discipline.
Interested in seeing
the kind of target you must use for rifles, handguns and muzzleloading
firearms? Click here for the Shooting
Proficiency Target.
The shooting
proficiency standards are not particularly demanding -- but they do require Master
Hunters to demonstrate above-average proficiency within their chosen
discipline.
Shooting skills
are obviously an important part of hunting. The Master Hunter’s
shooting skills should be well above-average.
What
is the conservation work?
Conservation
work is not the same as community service. The focus here is to
provide a specific benefit to wildlife or habitat—or to contribute
to landowner-sportsman relations. Qualifying work may take place
with
federal or state agencies, statewide or local sports clubs and
organizations, or include custom-designed activities. A list of
qualifying projects
is available here. E-mail
Mike Kuttel, Master Hunter Policy Lead, if you have
any questions about your work. Examples of qualifying projects
include:
- Working with
WDFW or other agencies on landowner, habitat, wildlife or research
projects.
- Assisting Eyes
In The Woods on their southwest Washington access project.
- Assist with
teaching hunter
education
classes.
- New Master Hunters
are required to contribute a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer
service.
- Recertifying
Master Hunters are required to contribute a minimum of 40 hours
of volunteer service
- Interested in
learning more about contacts and possible projects?
Click here for Conservation
Projects.
The conservation
ethic must be at the forefront of every Master Hunter’s mind.
Contributing to the future—giving something back—is a key
requirement for Master Hunter certification.
One hundred years
ago wildlife throughout North America was in serious jeopardy. The sportsmen-and-women
of the past century have invested time, talent and money to pass conservation
laws, protect habitat and rebuild wildlife populations. The Master Hunter
program asks you to carry on that necessary tradition.
What
is C.O.R.T. training?
Eyes In
The Woods -- a nonprofit conservation organization -- has developed
a certified witness program to help protect our natural resources. The
Crime Observation and Reporting Training (CORT) program is a wonderful
example of cooperation among organizations and individuals who want
to weed the bad actors out of the hunting field. C.O.R.T. training is
now a required part of the Master Hunter program:
- New applicants are required to complete C.O.R.T. training
prior to initial certification.
- Current Master
Hunters who wish to renew their certification cards must complete
C.O.R.T. training before their renewal date. Training must only be
taken once.
- Over time, all
active Master Hunters will become certified witnesses via the C.O.R.T.
program.
- Send WDFW a
copy of your Certificate of Training as proof of attendance. You
will receive 3 hours of conservation work credit.
- Interested in
learning more about Eyes
In The Woods or C.O.R.T.?
The current Hunting
Seasons & Rules pamphlet contains a list of C.O.R.T. training
classes. You can also go online to www.eyesinthewoods.org to
find the class schedules. Use the Eyes in the Woods "Calendar
Function."
Tired of criminals
poaching our fish and wildlife resources? So are many other concerned
hunters -- giving rise to the C.O.R.T. program Join Eyes In The Woods
and become part of the network of trained citizens who are actively
trying to reduce abuses afield.
Why
is there a background check?
Two words:
Program quality. Individuals who have violated fish or game laws
here or elsewhere are prohibited from applying for the Master Hunter
program. Individuals who commit such violations as Master Hunters will
be removed from the program.
New applicants
are required to complete background checks prior
to initial certification.
Unfortunately, there have been problems
with some Master Hunters. Such problems cause fellow hunters and
landowners to question the value
of the Master Hunter program and the caliber of individuals carrying
the
Master Hunter certification card. Quality assurance will remain the emphasis for individuals enrolled
in the Master Hunter program.
Past Master Hunters
have been involved in violations ranging from tresspass to exceeding
the bag limit. Imagine what other hunters and landowners think when
they learn of such problems in the Master Hunter community!
There is now a
zero tolerance approach to convictions within the Master Hunter program.
Ethical violations which do not rise to the level of a citation under
the
law
will also be reviewed to determine whether sanctions should apply.
It’s
up to all Master Hunters to uphold the highest ethical standards.
Why
is the certification only 5 years?
The Master Hunter program has offered only a five-year certification
card from the very beginning of the program. Just as hunting areas or
hunting regulations change, so do individual hunters change over time.
The five-year certification within the Master Hunter program helps insure
that individual hunters remain current and committed to the ideals of
the Master Hunter program. By periodically demonstrating that commitment
and meeting recertification requirements, individual Master Hunters
reaffirm the value of the program to them.
As a reminder to
all, the Master Hunter certification card is required to be carried
afield when hunting in a unit or area open only to Master Hunters.
Life is about changes…..and
the five-year certification period helps insure that individual hunters
remain both current committed to program values.
