NATCHEZ &045; For most of 10 long hours Saturday a group of students sat in a classroom in northeast Adams County, learning about hunting.

Hunting season is just around the corner, and the 20 students who were in a hunter education class were getting ready for it at the Adams County Sheriff’s Range. The class taught by Jack Cupits, Willie Harris and Greg Wisner of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, is required for hunters in Mississippi.

Most of the students were young, many of them teenagers or twenty-somethings. A few older students were there as well, including one father taking the course with his young son.

One of the youngest students in the class, 11-year-old Keneth Watkins, is also the most eager, frequently answering his instructor’s questions. He said he can’t wait for deer season to start.

&8220;I hunt deer, squirrel, whatever,&8221; Watkins said. &8220;I started hunting when I was 10.&8221;

To pass the class, students must get at least 70 percent of the questions correct on a written test and also demonstrate proper technique during a weapons qualification session on the shooting range. Each student had to fire a .22-caliber rifle at a target five times. The class isn’t difficult to pass, but the information is important and the instructors said they are committed to making sure their students learn.

&8220;We’ve only had three people fail in six years of teaching,&8221; Harris said.

Given that the classes average about 25 students, that means about 600 students have come through Cupits, Harris and Wisner’s classes. The trio of teachers conducts four hunting education classes a year, one each in August, September, November and December.

The reason for classes like this one is simple; the state of Mississippi wants its citizens to be safe and have an enjoyable time while they hunt.

&8220;Back about ten years ago, we had a lot hunting accidents (here in Mississippi),&8221; Harris said. &8220;With this program, we’ve cut accidents by 85 percent.&8221;

Lindsay Novak, who made a perfect score on her written test, said she learned one important thing in the class.

&8220;They really emphasized safety all day long,&8221; Novak said.

The teacher interspersed their lecture with stories about calls they had received to go out to various types of accidents, including drownings, ATV accidents and shootings.

Greg Wisner, one of the instructors, said safety is his priority, particularly when guns are involved.

&8220;What I want you to learn is gun-handling safety,&8221; Wisner said. &8220;That’s the most important thing. Whether you know how to gut a deer or whatever isn’t nearly as important.

But make no mistake, the class covers more than just gun-handling safety.

&8220;(The class) covers just about every aspect of hunting,&8221; instructor Willie Harris said.

Topics covered included water safety, first aid, animal recognition, weapons types and specifications and hunting laws and regulations in Mississippi.