International Hunter Education Association

11/02/2026

🏆 Washington’s 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year is John Campanella.

Range gear hauled out and hauled back. The same question answered a dozen times without impatience. Weekends given to a classroom full of people who have never done this before. That is the job, and John has done it well enough that Washington singled him out for it.

Congratulations, John. Thank you for what you give to hunter education across Washington.

A special thank you to SOG Knives, proud sponsor of the 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year Awards, for standing behind the volunteers who carry hunter education in every state.

10/31/2026

🍂 Happy Halloween from all of us at IHEA-USA!

Fall is the best of it. Cool mornings, good company, and a season worth sharing. Whether you’re trick-or-treating tonight or heading out at first light tomorrow, be safe and enjoy the time with the people around you. 👻

10/30/2026

A new IHEA-USA fundraising auction opens this weekend.

Beginning Sunday, November 1st at 9pm ET, bidders will have the chance to take home a Savage Arms A22 Takedown, .22 LR, semi-automatic r***e. It breaks down for easy transport, runs a 10-round rotary magazine, and carries an 18" threaded barrel. A go-anywhere rimfire built for the truck, the pack, or the range.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit IHEA-USA, supporting hunter education programs, instructors, agencies, and educational initiatives nationwide.

📅 November 1-15, closing at 9pm ET
🔎 GunBroker Item #1214823567

Mark your calendar and take a look at the listing before bidding opens: https://hubs.la/Q04CFh5w0
or click the link in our bio

Thank you to Savage Arms for their continued partnership and investment in the future of hunter education.

10/29/2026

⏳ Two days left on the Savage 250th Anniversary r***e.

Savage Arms built 60 of these Axis r***es. One of them goes to somebody on Saturday, and entries close that night.

Requested donation is $25. IHEA-USA members get two entries for the same $25. Every dollar goes to hunter education.

🔗 Enter by 8pm EDT October 31. No donation necessary to enter, full rules on the entry page.

https://hubs.la/Q04Cpc840
or find the link in our bio

Thank you to Savage Arms for their continued partnership in hunter education.

10/28/2026

🦌 The deer is down and the light is going. Now what?

This week on Hunters Connect, mentor Marcus Hockett walks new hunter David Samollow through field dressing his whitetail. Evidence of s*x left attached, organs out in one piece, and the steps that keep the meat good on the walk out.

Field care starts the moment the animal is down. Do it right and everything after it gets easier. Meat care and butchering are coming in the weeks ahead.

Whether it’s your first deer or your twenty-first, there’s something here.

🎥 Full video: https://hubs.la/Q04Cpc9x0

This week on Hunters Connect, mentor Marcus Hockett shows new hunte...

10/26/2026

🏆 Utah’s 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year is John Sumner.

Hunter education happens because someone shows up. Evenings in a classroom, mornings at a range, the same material taught carefully to people who are starting from zero. Most of it is volunteer time, and most of it goes unseen.

Utah chose John for this year’s award because he has kept showing up. You can see it in the hunters who leave his courses knowing what safe, ethical hunting actually asks of them.

Congratulations, John. Thank you for what you give to hunter education across Utah. If John taught you, or taught beside him, tell us about it in the comments.

A special thank you to SOG Knives, proud sponsor of the 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year Awards, for standing behind the volunteers who carry hunter education in every state.

10/23/2026

You already do the work. Membership connects you to everyone else doing it.

Teaching hunter education can feel like a solo job. One classroom, one range, one group of new hunters at a time. IHEA-USA membership puts you alongside thousands of instructors working the same classrooms in all 50 states.

What comes with it:
✔ Instructor tools, curriculum support, and news from across the country
✔ Free educational resources and online summit access
✔ Member discounts and Guidefitter Pro pricing
✔ Industry giveaways and networking opportunities

🔗 Learn more:
https://hubs.la/Q04C4rs20

10/22/2026

🦃 The hunt isn’t over when the bird is down.

In this episode of Hunters Connect, Zach Farenbaugh walks through processing a turkey into usable cuts. It’s a simple job that doesn’t take much gear, and he covers exactly what you need.
Knowing what to do after the shot is part of hunting responsibly. Nothing gets wasted when you know how to handle it.

🎥 Full video: link in bio
https://hubs.la/Q04C4qJ90

In this episode of Hunters Connect, Zach Farenbaugh will demonstrat...

10/21/2026

🍂 You’re already going. Bring someone with you.

October is when most of us are in the field anyway, which makes it the easiest month of the year to introduce someone to hunting. Nothing extra to schedule. You’re going Saturday regardless.

https://bit.ly/4ys5iYp connects you with the tools and support to help someone get started. You don’t need a lesson plan. You need to make room for one more person.

Almost every hunter you know got here because somebody did that for them.
🔗 Learn more at https://bit.ly/4ys5iYp

10/19/2026

🏆 South Dakota’s 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year is Loren Kasuske.

Most of what hunter education asks of an instructor happens where nobody is watching. Weekends given over to a classroom, range equipment set out and packed back up, the same safety fundamentals taught patiently to one more group of brand new hunters.

South Dakota chose Loren for this year’s award because that effort shows. It shows in the hunters who come out of those courses prepared, safe, and responsible.

Congratulations, Loren. Thank you for what you give to hunter education across South Dakota. If Loren taught you, or taught alongside you, tell us about it in the comments.

A special thank you to SOG Knives, proud sponsor of the 2026–2027 IHEA-USA State Instructor of the Year Awards, for standing behind the volunteers who carry hunter education in every state.