The Teacher

My name is Wayne Schmeling and I am a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) certified hunter education training and clinic volunteer instructor.  I have been teaching DNR Firearm Safety Training classes and Wild Turkey Hunting Clinics for five years.  Over that time I have had the privilege of working with nearly 400 firearm safety students and nearly 100 wild turkey hunting novices.

I have been involved in the outdoors community and industry as a volunteer and in my career choice for nearly 15 years.  I have been hunting for 25 years across Minnesota as well as the Upper Midwest and parts of the Western United States.  I am an experienced big game, small game, waterfowl, and upland bird hunter.  Some of the game species I have pursued include elk, white-tail deer, mule deer, black bear, wild turkey, ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse, coyote, and fox.  I am an experienced rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, and archery hunter.  I also enjoy competitive shooting sports such as trapshooting, sporting clays, and archery shoots.  I enjoy the opportunity to pass on my passion, knowledge and experience to new hunters.

Each year I attempt to improve on the previous year’s courses for the enrichment of the individuals interested in our outdoors heritage.  Whether the student is young or old, novice or experienced, I try to address each individual’s familiarity, experience and interests in hunting and shooting.  This year I am hoping this website will assist in preparing the student outside the classroom for this course and beyond.

In previous years, I offered my classes through Gander Mountain Bemidji, but starting this year I am offering them at the Bemidji Trap & Skeet Club clubhouse through Bemidji Community Education.  We will also be using the Northern Mississippi Range Association’s Gordy Buchanan Memorial Range as we have in previous years for our range day exercises.