Frequently Asked Questions

Note: The new pricing is to cover priority mail with tracking for U.S. customers. This will mean faster and more reliable deliveries.

1. Is this the only way to get hunter education study materials?

No. To find out about options in your state or province contact the Hunter Education Office. You can find contact information at State/Provincial Info - IHEA. Home study materials may be available from the agency free or for a fee. Agencies also provide manuals to students who enroll in traditional courses.

2. If materials are available from fish and wildlife agencies, why do you sell them here?

Parents have asked us for an economical version of our videos for personal use. Our videos and DVDs were developed for instructors to use during courses, and they sell for $99.99 plus shipping and handling. Some parents have purchased the series at this price as a study aid for their children, even though we recommended they look for other materials at less cost.

3. Why do parents want the videos if their children will see them in class?

There is no guarantee any videos will be shown in any particular class unless the state requires it. Normally, the decision to use videos is up to the lead instructor. Sometimes, there is not enough time for videos, or the instructor may not have the equipment needed, or they may not have these particular videos, which are new compared to products that were made 25 years or more ago.

Hunter education courses cover a lot of material in a short time, and some parents want their children to be well-prepared for the course so that they have the best learning experience.

Silvertip Productions also supports the tradition of children learning to hunt from their parents. Without materials to guide them, parents can't be expected to know all of the subjects that are covered in a course. The CD and manuals provide an opportunity for parents to work with their children before the class. Parents may find that their children are not quite ready for the course, so home study allows the parents to make informed decisions about when to enroll in an official class.

Hunter education personnel and volunteer instructors do a tremendous job teaching hunter education classes, but some courses have a high student to instructor ratio. In other cases, class sessions leave little time in between sessions to read and study. A solid foundation of knowledge and skills going into the class gives you a better chance for a rewarding experience, and even more learning from the instructors and the lessons.

4. How do I know that the videos, manuals, and workbooks will cover the same information we will get in our hunter education class?

The manuals may look different, and some variations may exist, but our materials are based on the International Hunter Education Association's standards for hunter education in North America. IHEA's members include all state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies. Most states purchase their manuals from Outdoor Empire with some state specific customization. Many states have purchased the instructor version of the videos or DVD's for use in courses. Silvertip Productions' President has 35 years of professional hunter education experience, including close cooperation with IHEA since 1987 when he became the hunter education administrator for Ohio. Silvertip manages many projects for IHEA, including their Web site. During more than 20 years of service with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, before starting Silvertip Productions, the President personally trained thousands of students and hundreds of instructors.

5. I'm not an instructor, can I still purchase the instructor version?

Yes. The instructor version on VHS has the same videos as the CD, but the CD videos are compressed to run from the CD. The CD videos run in a window that is less than full screen at 15 frames a second. You can pause, rewind, step forward or backwards, or slide the marker to quickly advance through the video to specific sections you want to study or review.

The DVD has the same videos at much higher resolution than VHS, plus numerous additional features for wildlife identification, open captioning, shoot-don't shoot exercises, and more. The content is too big to fit on a standard DVD.

If you want the videos for personal use, the CD version is what we recommend.

Again, we made this product available because parents have asked for it. Most students, especially older ones, will do fine in their course with materials provided by the agency upon enrollment in a class. If you think you need hunter education materials for you or your child, these videos and manuals can help.

With or without our product, we wish you the best of success with the course, and many happy, safe trips together in the field. Visit www.ihea.com or your fish and wildlife agency's Web site for more information about hunter education classes.

With warm regards,

Jim Wentz, President, Silvertip Productions

1-866-888-8507