International organization honors Kansas hunter education coordinator

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) hunter education coordinator Wayne Doyle has been named to the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) Hall of Fame. The award was presented at the recent IHEA conference in Illinois in recognition of his exceptional contributions to hunter education.

Doyle has been actively involved with hunter education for 24 years. He started as a volunteer instructor and soon became an area coordinator and active member of the Kansas Hunter Education Advisory Committee. In 1998, he was hired by KDWP to coordinate the hunter education program throughout Kansas.

Doyle's contributions to hunter education have been numerous and far-reaching, including the following:

• purchased five LaserShot hunting simulators for use in hunter education classes;
• secured four seasonal positions to introduce hunting and basic hunting concepts to thousands of citizens across the state;
• provided staff and volunteers with trailers, traps, shotguns, targets, and ammunition to encourage live fire in hunter education and to promote hunter recruitment across the state;
• provided volunteers and staff with bowhunter education trailers for use in bowhunter education classes;
• successfully promoted changes in Kansas law aimed at the recruitment of new hunters, including legislation to allow young hunters to hunt without hunter education certificates while under direct adult supervision, establish a minimum age for youth to obtain hunter education certificates, and allows first-time hunters older than 16 to purchase an apprentice license to hunt under supervision before committing to a hunter education course;
• implemented wingshooting clinics and wounding-loss seminars across the state;
• obtained certification as a National Sporting Clay Association Level One instructor and made it possible for 15 volunteer instructors to obtain Special Level One certification for hunter education instructors;
• implemented advanced hunter education classes;
• developed an instructor intranet whereby all volunteer instructors can schedule classes, order supplies, assemble and submit class rosters, check records, and perform numerous other activities online;
• developed an online new instructor orientation workshop;
• worked with volunteer instructors and Oquirrh Productions to develop HE Tools, a computerized teaching tool for hunter education classes;
• developed PowerPoint presentations for classes, complete with laptops and projectors available for instructor use;
• won the IHEA Ed Kozicky award in 2003 for his assistance, counsel, and support of the president of IHEA; and
• chaired or co-chaired committees for IHEA, including membership on the IHEA Summit on Youth Recruitment in 2005.

“Wayne’s outstanding leadership skills, enthusiasm, and innovative ideas have paid great dividends for hunting and for the Kansas Hunter Education program,” said Ross Robins, KDWP chief of education. “His love of hunting, shooting, and wildlife, along with his sense of purpose and drive to do things right, have been key to his many contributions to hunting and hunter education. These contributions compelled the Kansas Wildlife Federation to name him Outdoor Skills Instructor of the Year. Whether it is his innovations in instructor training, his work with the Kansas Legislature to improve laws, or his tireless dedication to improve hunter ethics and the image of hunters, Wayne’s work has made a difference that will be felt for years to come.”

The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) is the professional association for 67 state and Canadian provincial wildlife conservation agencies and the 70,000 volunteer instructors who teach hunter education in North America.

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