Ol' Buffalo Shooting & Fishing Page

NRA course duration includes range time and may vary depending on student needs. I usually have materials on hand to teach the NRA courses with short notice. Most NRA courses are $50 per person ($70 per couple) which includes classroom materials. The Home Firearm Safety and Eddie Eagle courses are free.

The Utah Hunter Education Course is mandatory for hunters born after 1965. Utah has two ways of completing Utah Hunter Education. The most common is the traditional classroom method. This is what I am certified to teach. The state also offers an Internet version where most of the classroom material is covered online without a live instructor. On completing the online portion, you go to the range with a certified instructor. Again, I'm not certified to conduct the shooting for the Internet version. The traditional course takes about 12-15 hours. The course is organized in six lessons which include wildlife identification and survival as well as firearms safety and use. I usually teach the course in 4 evening sessions of 3 to 3-1/2 hours (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and up to three hours at the range on Saturday). I like to get started at 6:30 PM. The shooting on Saturday will be scheduled for a time that is convenient for everyone. I can usually bunch the lessons into two days if desired. I usually need as much as a couple of weeks notice to get training materials from the state for this training. On the first night of class, you will need to bring a "Hunter Education Voucher" ($10 from a dealer that sells hunting and fishing licenses). There is no other charge except the cost of your ammunition. When you satisfactorily complete the training, I sign the voucher and it becomes a small-game hunting license. The shooting portion is done with a 22-caliber rifle. I have some rifles students can borrow if you don't have your own. There is no age restriction, but I find that children under age 10 have a hard time passing. I require children under 12 to have a parent, guardian or other adult relative present during all training. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to join older children as well. Even teens seem to feel more comfortable in the class if a parent is with them.

I also teach the Utah Bowhunter Education course. This course does not replace the above mentioned Utah Hunter Education course for archery hunters -- these hunters must still complete the basic Utah Hunter Education course mentioned above before purchasing their hunting licenses. The Utah Bowhunter Education course currently is not mandatory in Utah.

The Utah Concealed Firearms Permit Utah is considered the most desirable CCW permit in the nation. It is recognized in 33 states, does not require listing of any specific weapons, is valid for 5 years, has a low initial and renewal fee, and is available to all US citizens. The concealed firearm permit is not for those who are willing to shoot to kill, and to shoot first and ask questions later. The permit is not a license to kill and does not, in any way, alter the permit holder's responsibility to obey the same lethal-force laws applicable to non-permit-holders. It merely restores the constitutional right to carry the most effective tool to fight for one's life if necessary. The way I teach the Utah Concealed Firearms course is to combine the Utah concealed firearms requirements with the NRA Personal Protection In The Home course. Classroom time is about 4-5 hours. Range time varies -- we shoot until the students demonstrate good safety practices and proficiency -- typically 1-2 hours. If we do the classroom portion and the range portion in one day, you can plan on about 8 hours total. My state-approved syllabus includes shooting both a semi-auto and a revolver. If you have your own, that's what I'd like you to shoot so that you will be comfortable with your own gun. If you don't have one or the other type of handgun, you can use mine. I have both revolvers and semi-autos that you can use for the training or just to try out. You'll provide your own ammo for the gun you plan to shoot the most. You'll shoot 50-200 rounds depending on experience. If you are a public school employee (K-college), see my section on guns in school. I charge $50 per person or $70 per couple. If a spouse doesn't want or need the certification, she/he is still welcome to attend for free. You'll also pay a $65.25 application fee to the state. I discount my fee to $20 per person for school employees, college students (age 21 minimum), Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network members, and veterans of any US military conflict since the American Revolution. If you have a Purple Heart, it'll be my honor to give you the course for free.

Boy Scout Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, and Archery Merit Badges. I will work with Troops or with individual Scouts as needed. Course duration varies with the needs of the Scout(s) but plan on times similar to those listed above for comparable NRA courses. Boy Scout training is free unless the Scout is seeking other certification such as the Utah Hunter Education Course when appropriate fees are charged.

I help out a bit with local 4-H Shooting Sports activities. If you want more information on 4-H shooting opportunities, please contact me or the Iron County Extension Office. or, you can go to the website of the 4-H Shooting club with which I work.

Anyone attending any of my classes is welcome to bring a family member or two to audit the course at no cost provided the class size does not exceed 6 total attendees. This will give those family members some very useful safety and awareness information and maybe even have some fun. Parents of minor students are especially encouraged to attend. If the family members attending the same class want the course certification, I will give them a $30 discount, but no course materials. Even anti-gun family members are welcome with the understanding that I'm here to provide safety training -- not to debate the merits of gun rights. (For my side of the gun debate, go to my Hoplophile website.)

Do you want to be an instructor? As an NRA Training Counselor, I am able to certify new NRA instructors in the following disciplines:

NRA policy requires you to take NRA Basic Instructor Training if you have not taken it in the past 2 weeks no matter how many times you've taken it in the past.

To calculate the cost of your training, add the cost of each discipline-specific course you need plus the cost of Basic Instructor Training. Likewise, to calculate the time needed for your training, add the time needed for each discipline-specific course you need plus the time needed for Basic Instructor Training. Because many of the courses have overlapping content, the fees given above are maximums. Once you decide what you want to do, I'll let you know what the total financial and time investment would be.

The above fees include the NRA instructor application fee. I'll file the application for you. I give a $30 discount off the total to registered 4-H or BSA adult leaders who are also NRA members. (If you aren't currently an NRA member, I can sign you up with a $10 discount.) I give the training to registered 4-H or BSA youth leaders (ages 13 through 17) for the cost of the application fee only.

On completion of this training, new instructors ages 13-17 may receive NRA Apprentice Instructor Status. New instructors ages 18-20 may receive NRA Assistant Instructor Status. New instructors ages 21 or older may receive full NRA Certified Instructor Status.

All my training requires the following standards for successful completion: