Junction City resident first to be honored
PRATT -- On Feb. 11, Ed Augustine of Junction City became the first inductee into the Kansas Hunter Education Instructor Hall Of Fame, sponsored by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) and the Kansas Hunter Education Instructors Association. The honor is given to "Kansas instructors who have been instrumental in the success of the Kansas Hunter Education Program by their individual efforts and contributions."

In more than 40 years of active involvement in Kansas hunter education -- including 10 years teaching through the National Rifle Association's hunter education program before Kansas required the course -- Augustine has compiled an astounding list of accomplishments and awards that more than meet the requirements for induction. He was instrumental in persuading the Kansas Legislature to pass a bill requiring hunter education in Kansas and has been involved in the training and certification of more than 25,000 students, development of innovative training methods for instructors, and establishment of the first in-school hunter education program in Kansas.

Augustine was a finalist for the prestigious Winchester Instructor of the Year Award in 1992, and he served on the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) Instructor Board from 1997-2000. In May 2003, he was inducted into the IHEA Hall of Fame.

Perhaps one of Augustine's most important contributions to hunter education in Kansas involved the pioneering of a live-fire shotgun training technique that teaches most students to break a clay target within their first five shots.

Conducting everything from youth pheasant hunts to instructor in-service workshops, Augustine has done it all. As a part-time employee of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), he now oversees the training and organization of four teams of Laser Shot computerized simulated hunting stations, an effort that has reached thousands of individuals at outdoor shots, county fairs, conservation organization banquets, and hunter education classes. He has also served as an advisor, board member, or instructor for 26 outdoor-related organizations and has received 10 awards from state conservation organizations.

"To list all of Ed Augustine's accomplishments in hunter education does not give a true measure of what he has meant to this program, hunting, and outdoor activities of all kinds," said Wayne Doyle, statewide hunter education coordinator for KDWP. "His achievements in all these areas are legendary, and he is well-known in other states, as well.

"Would Kansas hunter education exist without Ed's efforts?" Doyle continues. "Certainly. Would the program be as effect without his efforts? Certainly not."
For more information on the Kansas Hunter Education Program, visit the KDWP website .
-30-

Back to 2/23/06 News