The International Bowhunter Education Program class is a product of the NATIONAL BOWHUNTER EDUCATION FOUNDATION; it is available in all 50 States, all Canadian Provinces and 13 foreign countries. This class is mandatory in 14 states, Nova Scotia and Quebec; it is not mandatory in the state of California at this time.

You will find that it is mandatory in many of your favorite hunting states and it is good hunter planning to add this class to your resume. A list of mandatory states is inside the front cover of your student manual.

Often an opportunity to attend a special hunt will come your way and to your surprise you will find that it will be mandatory for you to provide evidence of an IBEP card in order to bow hunt that particular state. Classes are limited and many a hunt has been missed because the bow hunter did not plan far enough in advance to attend this class.  Classes will be held Aug 6-7 2011 and Feb 4-5 2012

FREQUENLTY ASKED QUESTIONS:
 

HOW MUCH DOES THE COURSE COST:  You must enroll at the range office ahead of time,  a $25.00 cash fee is charged.
 
 

WHEN ARE CLASSES HELD?  An early spring and a late fall class is provided at the Angeles Shooting Ranges Hunter Education classroom on an as needed basis, assuming there are enough students to warrant a class.

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF ME?  When you register for the IBEP class at the Angeles Shooting Range office you will be given  a Scantron sheet (which must be filled out prior to class and provided to the Department of Fish and Game upon completion of the course ) an instruction sheet and a student manual titled Todays Bowhunter, you will be expected to read this manual and to fill out the questions asked in the Chapter Review Exercises at the end of the manual and have this completed prior to formal instruction. This will take you an hour or so for each chapter (8 chapters), so it is a good idea to register and pick up the manual at least two weeks before class. If you are registering children (age 12 or older) picking up the manual even earlier may be a good idea.

WHY IS IBEP NEEDED? Although there is some similarity between Hunter Education and Bow Hunter Education there is also some vast differences. Hunter Education is a Safety Course designed to provide safe and responsible firearm use. Hunters who use firearms have a muzzle control issue that requires specialized knowledge to provide a safe hunting experience in the field. The bow is not carried with a round in the chamber and cannot be carried at full draw, so our safety issue is a much smaller part of the hunting experience.  On the other hand bow hunting is a very short range experience that requires advanced hunting knowledge, patience and a whole new understanding of shot placement, animal behavior, game recovery and yes a difference in safety issues. This knowledge normally takes a minimum of four to five years of hard hunting to acquire and studies show that graduates of the IBEP course tend to be 25% to 30% more successful than those who have not taken this course. Once you experience the difficulties involved in the art/craft of hunting with a bow and arrow you will see that being an IBEP graduate is a definite advantage in the field.

IS THERE AN ONLINE VERSION OF THE IBEP CLASS AVAIALBLE?   Yes an online version of the IBEP class is available at the NBEF web site (www.nbef.org click on the distance learning button) you can find the online version that covers the Saturday portion of the class. Once the online version is completed a receipt is printed and then brought to the Instructor on Sunday and you can then finish the field trials as well as the California required version of the test and receive the IBEP card at that time. The cost of the online version is $20.00 and will be paid online. The class fee for the Sunday field trials is the same as a regular student ($25.00) and is to be paid to the Instructor upon arrival. All students are encouraged to take the online version before arriving for class, in this manor the IBEP class becomes re-enforcement for the knowledge learned on line and also makes passing the test a great deal easier. Although the online student is not required to attend the Saturday portion of the course, he or she is encouraged to do so.

WHAT ARE THE CLASS HOURS?   The IBEP class held at the Angeles Shooting Range averages about 14 hours depending on class size. Saturday class room session will run from 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM the Sunday field day will run from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM and is held at the Verdugo Hills Archery Range at the mouth of Big Tujunga Canyon just behind the Little League Baseball Field. Maps to VHA range will be passed out on Saturday. (For the Saturday portion a sack lunch is recommended.  Sometimes a hot dog stand is available depending upon the weather)
 
 

WHAT DOES THE COURSE CONSIST OF?     The IBEP course is a solid course in the broad basics of hunting with a bow and arrow; rifle hunters, wild life photographers, crossbow hunters and those going into the wildlife enforcement field often seek it out for the specific knowledge it presents.

Chapter one covers the history and development of modern bowhunting along with the benefits, challenges and motivations of the bow hunter.

Chapter two covers wildlife management, conservation principalâ€â„¢s management practices, habitat management and the hunters role in conservation.

Chapter three is our safe and responsible bowhunting portion that discusses safety issues specific to archery and bowhunting, personal ethics of our tradition along with the responsibilities a bowhunter has toward game, game managers, the public and land owner relations.

Chapter four gets you acquainted with bow types (modern compounds, recurves, longbows and primitive bows) arrows and arrow selection and other essential and optional items.

Chapter five covers the requisite preparations one must make before the hunt. This includes dressing well for weather, the basics of shooting the bow, specialized practice for the hunter, distance judging, study of the quarry and area scouting.

Chapter six discusses specific bowhunting techniques including the use of elevated stands, still hunting, glassing, stalking, ground blinds, lures and cover scents, game calls and bow fishing.
 

Chapter seven is our hunting portion and covers shot placement and game recovery. How a broadhead actually harvests game, shot strategy, how shots go wrong and recovery of game after the shot, field dressing and transporting downed game.

Chapter eight prepares you for hazards of hunting, basic first aid that relates to the more common accidents specific to bowhunters, survival techniques/kit, psychological problems of being lost and dealing with the three most dangerous types of exposure.

All in all a very strong and solid course in the broad basics of the most endearing close encounter tradition man has dedicated himself to as far back as the known beginning of todays homo sapien.

Should you require further information please contact Curtis Hermann at onerobinhood@roadrunner.com or (805) 986-3195.

We look forward to having you in class. See you there!