The Responsible Bowhunter’s Guide MISSION STATEMENT To promote responsible bowhunting through education THE INTERNATIONAL BOWHUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAM (IBEP) IN NORTH AMERICA The International Bowhunter Education Program was first advocated by Bill Wadsworth who utilized experience from his association with the Boy Scouts of America to obtain worldwide acceptance of the curriculum. It was through his dedication that the National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) was The IBEP is offered in all 50 states, all Canadian formed. Wadsworth served as the first executive director of the organization. provinces, and 26 additional foreign countries. Today, the NBEF administers the International Bowhunter Education Program The shaded areas above indicate the states and provinces where you are legally required to take (IBEP) in cooperation with state and provincial hunter education programs and an IBEP course prior to obtaining a bowhunting state bowhunter organizations. Most instructors work on a volunteer basis. license. Always check local laws as regulations may change or special regulations may exist in The IBEP is used in all states and Canadian provinces and follows the standards some areas. of the International Hunter Education Association, a professional organization of The states and provinces requiring an hunter education administrators from throughout North America. While basic IBEP course are: hunter education courses include archery and bowhunting, the IBEP provides more in-depth skill information to help you become a more effective and • Alaska • New Jersey responsible bowhunter. • Connecticut • New York Hunter education is currently required in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, • Idaho • Nova Scotia three Northwest Territories, and Mexico. A separate bowhunter education course is • Maine • Quebec required in many of the states and provinces to comply with the bowhunting laws • Montana • Rhode Island and regulations in those jurisdictions (see sidebar). • Nebraska • South Dakota • New Brunswick • Vermont HOW BOWHUNTER EDUCATION IS FUNDED • New Hampshire Funding for bowhunter education comes from a variety of sources. The U.S. government charges excise taxes on sporting arms, ammunition, handguns, and Bowhunter education also is offered in these archery equipment. These fees collected from the firearm and archery manufacturers countries: then are distributed to the states (similar practices exist in Canada and Mexico). States and provinces also collect their own fees through such sources as hunting • Australia • Mexico license sales, conservation stamps, fines, and arrests. Austria Netherlands • • Funding also comes through organizations such as: National Bowhunter Education • Belgium • Norway Foundation, International Bowhunting Organization, Pope and Young Club, Safari • Croatia • Poland Club International, and The Bowhunting Preservation Alliance. These organizations • Denmark • Portugal raise money through membership fees and donations from fundraising efforts. • Estonia • Romania Money also comes from corporations and private donations. Many times this is • Finland • Russia utilized to fund special training aids or to help specific programs within bowhunter • France • Slovenia education. And, of course, some funds come directly from students who attend • Germany • South Africa bowhunter education classes. • Iceland • Spain • Italy • Sweden • Latvia • Switzerland • Lithuania • United Kingdom The Responsible Bowhunter’s Guide JUDO is a registered trademark of Zwickey Archery, Inc. Gore-Tex is a registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates. Acknowledgments The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) and Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. would like to express sincere appreciation to those who have given freely of their time and energy to develop this International Bowhunter Education Program (IBEP) publication. A heartfelt “Thank You” goes out to the following individuals who played a vital role in making this manual possible: Dennis Ballard, Rick Flint, Jim Johnson, Jan Morris, and Eric Nuse, Former Executive Vice President, International Bill Seibel, the committee responsible for providing mate- Hunter Education Association rial for the content of this manual, all from Missouri Mac Lang and Staff from the Kentucky Department of Wayne Jones and Staff from the New York State Fish & Wildlife Resources Department of Environmental Conservation Jim Hatlevig from the Division of Enforcement, Minnesota Tom Flynn and Staff from the New Hampshire Fish & Department of Natural Resources Game Department Keith Snyder from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Tim Lawhern and Staff from the Wisconsin Department of Canadian provincial input, especially from N.T. Cameron Natural Resources and Terry O’Donnell from New Brunswick Terry Erwin, Steve Hall, and Staff from the Texas Parks & Wade Nolan for tree stand safety editing and information Wildlife Department, as well as numerous IBEP volunteers from Texas Lennie Rezmer for carbon arrow editing and information A special “Thank You” to the NBEF Board of Directors, Regional Coordinators, and State Chairmen, as well as the scores of IBEP volunteer instructors, for their editing and their day-to-day efforts to keep the program going. Photos: Texas Parks & Wildlife Pope and Young Club Donald Jones Male White-Tailed Deer, page 15 Dr. Saxton Pope and Arthur Young, page 6 Bowhunter, back cover Male Bighorn Sheep, page 16 Escalade Sports/Bear Archery Tom J. Ulrich Male Elk, page 16 Fred Bear, page 7 Female White-Tailed Deer, page 15 Coyote, page 17 Female Pronghorn, page 16 Wild Turkey, page 17 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of Anthropology and the Regents of the Female Bighorn Sheep, page 16 Eastern Fox Squirrel, page 18 University of California Male & Female Moose, page 16 Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, page 19 Ishi, page 7 - photographed by Alfred Male & Female Mule Deer, page 16 Striped Skunk, page 19 Kroeber (1911), 15-5410 Male & Female Caribou, page 16 Prairie Dogs, page 19 Female Elk, page 16 Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Common Raccoon, page 19 Mountain Lion, page 17 American Badger, page 19 Commission Feral Hog, page 17 Black Bear, page 17 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Red Fox, page 17 Male Pronghorn, page 16 George Barnett Red Squirrel, page 18 Eastern Gray Squirrel, page 18 - Ryan Doe Fawn, page 15 Mink, page 18 Hagerty Pair of Deer, page 15 Common Muskrat, page 18 Virginia Opossum, page 18 - Ed McCrea Wyman Meinzer American Beaver, page 18 Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, page 19 - William Buck Fawn, page 15 Porcupine, page 19 Janus Khanh Tran Dusky (Blue) Grouse, page 19 Project STAND is a comprehensive educational outreach program of the NBEF designed to significantly decrease tree stand accidents and deaths. For more information, visit www.projectstand.net. Produced in cooperation with the International Hunter Education Association-USA. Distributed by National Bowhunter Education Foundation, P.O. Box 2934, Rapid City, SD 57709. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright © 2004–2015 by Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. and National Bowhunter Education Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publica- tion may be reproduced in any form or by any process without permission in writing from Kalkomey, Inc. and NBEF. Effort has been made to make this publication as complete and accurate as possible. All references contained in this publication have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, and to represent the best current opinion on the subject. Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. and NBEF are not responsible or liable for any claims, liabilities, damages, or other adverse effects or consequences to any person or property caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from the application or use of the information contained in this publication. TB0614-P0115 www.kalkomey.com Foreword t is only right to say a word about the founder of the bowhunter education. Thanks to the support of National Bowhunter Education Foundation. Bill the NFAA, the International Bowhunter Education IWadsworth dedicated his life to bowhunter education. Program (IBEP) was taught in state after state It was late in the year of 1967 when Bill and a small and later in the Canadian provinces. An expanded group of bowhunters met in upstate New York to manual entitled Bowhunting Deer was published. write a book about bowhunting. In 1979, the IBEP became a Their desire to write the book nonprofit organization, separate had been fueled by what they from the NFAA, known as the had seen while participating in National Bowhunter Education the previous bowhunting season Foundation (NBEF). Twenty-one for deer. At that moment, their volunteers, many of whom goal was simple: To find a way for came from the nucleus of those archers who hunted game with originally a part of the NFAA bow and arrow to get all the facts conservation and bowhunting about bowhunting BEFORE they committee, became board ventured into the wilds to learn members and directed the via trial and error. program. To this day, millions of The resulting first book was volunteer hours have been logged printed in 1969 by the New York by dedicated bowhunters who State Field Archery Association continue in the spirit of those and sold for $1.25. Soon after the who began the course back in initial publication, the bowhunter 1967. Every year, approximately education course began to take 70,000 bowhunters are educated form; experienced bowhunters through the IBEP, which is still administered by the NBEF. began to follow the guidelines in In Bill’s words: the book and