Dedicated Hunter Award & Certification
The Learner Manual and the Trainer Pack for the Dedicated Award Scheme of SA Wingshooters for Dedicated Hunters are available from the office. A complimentary set was handed to officials of the Central Firearms Registry. SA Wingshooters can assess members who did not previously qualify for Dedicated Hunter status. The Training Pack is for use by the association's trainers and is a companion pack to the Learner Manual.
According to the Chairman of SA Wingshooters, Dr Raoul van der Westhuizen, the Manual was compiled and adapted from the Proficiency Award Scheme of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.
'This enabled SA Wingshooters to produce a world class outcome-based manual that meets international standards,' he said. 'Without the generous help of the BASC, it would have taken years to produce and wingshooters would have been unable to achieve Dedicated Hunter Status.
''It is important to realise that Dedicated Hunter status is conferred under the Firearms Control Act and as such is not intended as a training of hunters or wingshooters. In the first place, it is about safety and conduct in the field. The first objective of the Manual is to ensure that we all talk the same language and act the same way in the field and follow the Codes of Conduct and the Laws of the Land.'
Having dedicated hunter status covers ALL firearms and any type of hunting. The Dedicated Hunter certification is available to members of SA Wingshooters at R500 per certification, which includes the Dedicated Manual, free Registration for Assessment, two free assessment attempts and, if successful, the free issuing of the Dedicated Award and Dedicated Hunter Certificate (the practical shoot assessment fees are separate and payable to the assessor). New members who are already Dedicated Hunters, may want to buy the book purely for interest's sake.
It is worthwhile reading and highlights some very important issues! The Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 with Regulations provides for dedicated members of an Accredited Hunting Association to be certified as Dedicated Hunters by that Association if they have successfully completed the relevant training and asssessment. According to the Act, Dedicated Hunters may have more than 200 rounds of ammunition for each licensed firearm, may apply for new licences/re-licences for more than four firearms in total and may apply for a licence/re-licence of a semi-automatic shotgun.
The 200 rounds limit is of particular importance to shotgunners since it is clearly inadequate for clay or wingshooting of any substance. The Act also requires an Accredited Hunting Association to have a dedicated procedure in place to regularly evaluate its dedicated members for their:
(i) bona fides to be or remain a dedicated hunter or sports person, as the case may be; and
(ii) dedicated participation in their applicable hunting or sports-shooting activities.
The Association must keep on record the particulars of the participation by a dedicated member in hunting or sports-shooting activities as a dedicated hunter or dedicated sport person and annually and before the official year end of the organisation or association submit to the Registrar a written report reflecting the details of all dedicated members whose registered dedicated membership with such accredited organisation or association terminated; and the reasons for the termination of such dedicated membership. This is a requirement BY LAW. The association has no choice but to comply!
Summary of Dedicated Assessment Procedures:
- Apply for the Dedicated Award assessment with SA Wingshooters (R500 incl). The manual will be provided, and your registration, learnership, and theoretical assessment costs are included.
- Provide proof of RPL (if you previously qualified in hunting or sport shooting or if you are/were a dedicated hunter with another association) and study the Manual.
- Register for an Assessment for the Dedicated Award (Theoretical Assessment).The registration for this assessment is free of charge. The theoretical assessment is done on-line and if successfully completed, the practical assessment may be undertaken.
- Obtain a Clay Shooting Certificate (Practical Assessment). You must shoot a total score of at least 50% on two rounds of 25 targets per round of a standard certified clay target shooting discipline (e.g. Trap or Compak). In addition confirmation must be provided by the shooting accessor that the candidate meets standard clay shooting safety requirements.
- If the assessment is successful, the Dedicated Award is registered free of charge.
- The Dedicated Hunter Certificate is issued after ratification by ExCo and signed by a Commissioner of Oaths.
VERY IMPORTANT: Maintenance of your Dedicated Status: The Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 requires that the holder of a Dedicated Hunter Certificate must participate in ‘dedicated activities’ in order to maintain the Dedicated Hunter status. The Act also requires that the accredited association (SA Wingshooters) must have a ‘dedicated process’ in place to monitor the continued participation of Dedicated Hunters in such ‘dedicated activities’. This is the reason why dedicated members are required to submit a Dedicated Activities Report annually to SA Wingshooters at the latest by the end of October. Click here to go to the page where you can download the report.The Association has no choice and this report is a compulsory requirement by law and a must to maintain your Dedicated Hunter status.In compliance with Regulations 4. (1) (c) & (d) of the Firearms Control Act, a member of SA Wingshooters who is a Dedicated Hunter, must regularly submit his/her report on ‘dedicated participation’ in hunting activities for ‘regular evaluation by dedicated procedure’:The dedicated member must take part in a Dedicated Activity on at least two separate occasions (days) during the year. A ‘dedicated activity’ is any of the following: a. A round (25 targets) of clay target shooting, at a shooting range registered with CompakSA or the Clay Target Shooting Association, or partcipation in an official clay shooting event of SA Wingshooters (e.g. Easter shoot), b. A gamebird-shoot (including a supervised rock pigeon shoot or a Community Shoot), or c. A gundog field trial or training workshop conducted by a gundog club recognised by SA Wingshooters.d. Any other hunting-related activity, including the hunting of furred game, target shooting, rifle shooting or hunting, handgun shooting, skinning, tracking, etc. At least two activities during the year are required. The details of the shoots must be entered on a dedicated report form (see ALL DOWNLOADS section), or in the Hunting & Shooting Log in the Wingshooters Pocketbook. This form must be sent to us every year by latest November. Submit a Dedicated Activities Report annually to SA Wingshooters (when the membership renewal subscriptions are paid, or otherwise by the end of November each year).If the dedicated member was unable to participate in ‘dedicated activities’ during the year, reasonable grounds for such non-participation must be provided in a Not-Active Report.
PLEASE NOTE: Non-compliance with the Act 60 Regulations, 2000 (i.e. not submitting any report) will invalidate the member’s Dedicated Hunter status.
