Tennessee Hunter Education in Schools Legislation Passes
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The NWTF joined a coalition of partners in signing a letter of support for the passing of Tennessee Senate Bill 2369 (SB 2369) and House Bill 2588 (HB 2588), which will allow for schools in the state to offer students in grades 5–12 the opportunity to receive school credit for completing the mandatory hunter safety education curriculum. The legislation will soon be heading to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for the final sign off.
This curriculum would be offered as part of a student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum. The course will be approved by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and, if completed, satisfy the required hunter safety education requirement while simultaneously allowing students to earn school credit for their efforts.
“New opportunities like this legislation give youth the chance to have a safe environment to learn and ask questions,” said Morgan Evans, NWTF national R3 and relevancy coordinator. “Hunter safety courses offer a clear understanding of not just firearm safety, but the how and why behind hunting, preserving the heritage we hold dear and the ensuring role hunters play within conservation remains. This legislation gives students the chance to have an introduction to hunting, and it will plant a seed for the next generation to participate in the great outdoors.”
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) spearheaded the introduction of both bills and organized a coalition letter of support, which aligned 16 other sporting-conservation organizations, including the NWTF, in support of the effort.
“The NWTF is excited to celebrate this legislation,” said Derek Alkire, NWTF district biologist. “The NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch Initiative encourages the need for education around the importance of conservation and active forest management. These hunter education courses will expose more young people to the fundamentals of how hunting is essential for conservation, which is an important step in creating a hunter and therefore a license holder, which provides direct funding to the state agency, which allows them to conduct quality habitat management across the state.”
Turkey hunting is a great activity to engage new hunters, regardless of age, and the NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch Initiative focuses on creating and managing quality habitat needed to ensure strong turkey populations that sustain America’s hunting heritage. Learn more about Habitat for the Hatch.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.3 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $22 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to deliver healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues to unite a nation through the life-changing power of the outdoors.