OUR MISSION:
Few experiences in the outdoors are as rewarding as introducing a newcomer to the sport, but it’s important they receive the proper instruction. The mission of the Great Shot Foundation is to "Grant Real Experiences And Train Safe Hunters Of Tomorrow." We will accomplish this by offering instructional experiences combined with actual hunting opportunities ........... with a special emphasis given to children from single- and no-parent families, and those with disabilities.

IMPORTANCE:
Many states have hunter safety programs that provide no hands-on experience or training, are offered at limited times, and have limited enrollment. Some children are fortunate enough to be able to attend a hunter safety course, but their hunting opportunities are limited if available at all. Often the only young people that actually get to hunt are those with parents or relatives that have the means to provide hunting opportunities. They may however, hunt too long, in cover they can barely walk through, possibly making the experience less enjoyable for the child.

More importantly, over 2/3 of our young never get the opportunity to hunt because their parent(s) do not have: 1) any area to hunt, 2) the financial means to afford to take their child to hunt, 3) the expertise and knowledge themselves, or 4 ) the time to get them to the safety classes necessary to begin hunting.

Great Shot was founded to remedy these problems. The goal of Great Shot is to produce individuals who know and practice safe hunting techniques and develop those individuals into responsible hunters for the future, who have a true passion about hunting.

Students who successfully complete our entire GSF Hunter Safety Program will receives their certificate of completion for the Illinois Hunter Safety Education Program, plus an Illinois Hunting License.

This online document is for use as the "homework" learning portion of the Great Shot Foundation’s Hunter Education Program (GSFHEP,) and is designed to provide an electronic equivalent to the printed materials used in a traditional classroom-based Hunter Safety Education course.

Upon completion of all nine chapters of information in this site, the student is eligible to enroll to take the practical portion of the GSFHEP Program, which is conducted at the Clary Creek Upland Hunting Club located near Oakford, Illinois.

Every student enrolled in the GSFHEP must have a mentor for both the homework and practical portions. This mentor is to help the student understand and apply the information learned. The student (and mentor) should read every "homework" pages carefully and commit the information presented to memory. There is a review test at the end of every chapter in this online document, which is to be used to test your memory regarding the information presented in that chapter. If you should miss any question, you should review that chapter in its entirely to ensure that you fully understand the information.

The Practical Experience Portion includes an initial examination covering the online materials followed by direct instruction, live demonstrations, and a through evaluation - during which the student must demonstrate proper use of the information learned from both onlinematerials and in the real life hunting situations. After successful completion of both the written examination and the practical field experience components, the student will receive a certificate of completion for the Illinois Hunter Safety Education Program, which is a lifetime certification document. As an added bonus, they will also receive a one-year regular Illinois Hunting License.