As I have mentioned in a previous article, in the spring of 2019 I became a Hunter Education Apprentice Instructor. My progress to remove the “Apprentice” portion of the title has been non-existent due to family matters that kept me busy for the months when I could have been training at Hunter Education courses.

However, I still get the emails from the NYSDEC Regional Hunter Education Coordinator regarding courses, refresher trainings, and other related events. When COVID-19 first started to become a more serious topic, we (instructors) were updated that some courses that had already been scheduled would be allowed to happen, but no new courses could be set up. Later, with the limits on capacity for gatherings, pretty much all courses had to be cancelled. With this came the problem of “what can people do if they wanted to turkey hunt in May?” Over 2,600 people had signed up for the Hunter Education courses that had to be cancelled.

The Hunter Education team at NYSDEC has been working on this for about a month and announced on Monday that they have a temporary solution. Starting today (April 15), those who want to take Hunter Education can complete a course that is 100% online in order to obtain their Hunter Education Certificate. The course is offered by Kalkomey, the company who made the system NYSDEC uses for Hunter Education registration online and will cost $19.95 per person. The fee is charged by Kalkomey, not the NYSDEC, to help with the cost associated with making the course and having people available to answer questions and help with any other problems. This offer for an online-only course is planned to run until June 30 as of now and the NYSDEC will review the situation when it gets closer to the end. They hope to return to in-person instruction at some point. The online course is only valid for New York residents and can be found at https://www.hunter-ed.com.newyork/.

Another issue that some people may face is purchasing hunting supplies with most stores shut down or operating with low hours or staffing. While there is a lawsuit active over the decision to deem firearm retailers as non-essential businesses, currently purchasing a new firearm before turkey season is going to be near-impossible. Even most person-to-person transfers require a background check to be conducted by a licensed firearms dealer in New York under the SAFE Act. While the thought of ignoring the law may be tempting, the potential outcome of getting caught isn’t worth it (in my mind at least). If you need to purchase your turkey hunting license, you can do so on the NYSDEC website but it can take time for the tags to gets mailed to you so you should that as soon as possible. Some local retailers can be open for curbside pickup for other items that you may need such as ammunition, calls, decoys, and more. Do your research and if in doubt, call them to find out. Be warned that there has been a nationwide rush for firearms and ammunition so some ammunition may not be available before turkey season.

Shopping online should be a last-ditch effort in my opinion. Right now, local stores are having little to no money coming in since they cannot be open like usual. However, they still need to pay for the product they have ordered for the store along with the other expenses such as heating and electric. Spending your money locally can help keep a business from closing for good and putting people out of work. If you do shop online, be aware that some retailers have limited staff also so order fulfillment and shipping may be delayed. If ordering clothing or footwear, check with the company/store for their return policy in case it doesn’t fit once you receive it. Remember to follow CDC guidelines for packages in terms of disinfection/handling for COVID-19 for anything you receive.