Nicholas Hock, Phillip Manuel and the team of Louis Robinson, Danny Wallace and Joe Walters were among those honored during the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) 2017 Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor Workshop held in February at Camp Grant Walker near Pollock.
 
Hock, who instructs in Caddo and Bossier parishes, was recognized as an outstanding individual instructor, and Robinson, Wallace and Walters, were recognized for their team efforts in Franklin Parish.  Manuel was the recipient of the Todd Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
Manuel has been a volunteer LDWF Hunter Education instructor for more than 15 years.  He partners with local fire departments, churches, Lions Clubs and LDWF to teach hunter education courses in four parishes.  He introduces students to LDWF’s Wildlife Management Area’s (WMA’s) through teaching courses at Sherburne WMA, encouraging use of our WMAs and will take new hunters small game hunting on multiple WMAs.  In his free time, Manuel is an avid squirrel and bird hunter, dog trainer and field trial judge.
 
Years of service awards were also given to qualifying instructors with more than five years as an active instructor in recognition of their dedication to the Louisiana Hunter Education Program.
 
Approximately 15,000 students annually are certified in the LDWF Hunter Education Program through more than 500 courses taught statewide. Volunteers trained to teach hunter education are crucial to the success of this program. The goal of Louisiana’s Hunter Education Program is to reduce hunting incidents by producing safe and responsible hunters.
Volunteer hunter education instructors were also provided an in service training session with updates on LDWF wildlife management activities, hunting incidents and issues affecting hunting and hunter education during the workshop. 
 
For more information about Louisiana’s Hunter Education Program, visit www.wlf.la.gov/hunting/hunter-education.