Range Officer Certification Courses

Range Officer Certification Course

The Range Officer Certification will provide participants with training in various areas of the proper running and overseeing of any shooting range through a mixture of classroom and on-range training.

Topics Covered Include:
Suggested Safety Rules | Rules of Operation | Range Layout | Range Control and Commands | Basic Fundamentals of Marksmanship | Range Exercises | Official Scoring | Trap and Skeet Procedures | Firing Positions and Shooting Order | And Much More!
The Range Officer Certification Course is open to all current AHEIA members in good standing who assist with AHEIA sanctioned events. All Participants must be 18 years of age and older, and possess a valid PAL. 

AHEIA is offering a Range Officer Certification Course at our Alford Lake facility on April 20, 2024 and the Calgary Firearms Centre on May 11, 2024.

More information on our 2024 courses will be posted here when available.

Shotgun Coaching Workshops

Shotgun Coaching Workshop

The Shotgun Coaching Workshop will provide participants with training in numerous areas of shot gunning and how to be an effective coach through a mixture of classroom and on-range training.

Topics Covered Include:
Firearms and Range Safety | Fundamentals of Trap Shooting | Firearms Actions and Use | Proper Ammunition | Proper Firearms Fit | Styles of Shooting | Range Courtesy | Shotgun Nomenclature | Maintenance | Proper Coaching Techniques | And Much More!
The Shotgun Coach Workshop is open to all current AHEIA members including the general public. All participants must be 18 years of age and older, and possess a valid PAL. 

More information on our 2024 workshop offerings will be posted here when available.

Youth Hunter Education Camp

Due to the continued success and popularity of our Youth Hunter Education Camps, we hope to once again be offering four camps this summer! The Youth Hunter Education Camp is a five-day event of fun-filled learning activities. Experts share their knowledge and provide instruction in the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education Program, the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and much more.

The cost of the program includes lodging, breakfast, lunch and supper Monday through Thursday and breakfast on Friday. Also included is all instruction, course handbooks and testing for the various certifications as well as an A.H.E.I.A. camp t-shirt. Upon successful completion of the appropriate exams, students are certified in the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education Program and the Canadian Firearms Program. They can then update their Wildlife Identification Number (WIN Card) Profile to be eligible to hunt, and are able to apply for their Minors Permit for firearms.

Camp 1: Sunday, June 30 - Friday, July 5, 2024 
Camp 2: Sunday, July 7 - Friday, July 12, 2024
Camp 3: Sunday, July 14 - Friday, July 19, 2024  
Camp 4: Sunday, July 21 - Friday, July 26, 2024

AHEIA Teachers Workshop

Monday July 29 - Wednesday July 31

The AHEIA Teachers' Workshop is held annually at the AHEIA Alford Lake Conservation Education Center for Excellence.  Attendees there can certify to teach Hunter Education, Fishing Education, the Pleasure Craft Operator Training, and the AHEIA NASP Program. These programs are offered in Alberta schools through the Alberta Education curriculum within the Careers and Technology Studies option, Natural Resources (NAT) Program or Careers and Technology Foundations Programs for Grades 5 to 9. The programs offered at the AHEIA Teachers' Workshop meet all requirements specified by the Alberta Education curriculum guide.

Wednesday, August 7 - Sunday, August 11, 2024

The Outdoor Women's Program (OWP) began in 1994 with the intention of encouraging women to enjoy the great outdoors by providing opportunities to gain confidence, increase competence, acquire experience and promote personal growth in skills pertaining to the out of doors. 

This program is not only educational but is an excellent way for women to come together and enjoy each other's company at AHEIA's beautiful Alford Lake facility each year in early August. The days at OWP are jam-packed with courses - from fly fishing to archery, canoeing, firearms basics to field dressing. OWP has something for every woman to learn and enjoy.

 Below is the information package including activities that will be offered at this year's OWP.

If you would like to join the OWP 2024 notification list, please click the button below.

Friday, August 16 - Sunday, August 18, 2024

The goal of the Outdoor Youth Seminar is to increase awareness of outdoor recreational opportunities. To this end the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association (AHEIA) holds their annual Outdoor Youth Seminar for young outdoor enthusiasts (ages 7 and up) and their parent(s) or guardian(s). All youngsters must be accompanied by at least one adult. The seminar is a two-day event filled with fun and learning activities. Some of the sessions the participants get to choose from are; outdoor cooking, archery, crossbow basics, rifle and shotgun shooting, black powder shooting, survival, introduction to trapping, fly fishing, GPS and geocaching, waterfowl hunting basics, and much more.

Please note that everyone attending the Outdoor Youth Seminar (participants and guardians), must fill out a separate registration form.

Registration coming soon.

Fall 2024 Rifle Sight-In Day Details Coming Soon.

More information will be posted here when available.

AHEIA is offering a Rifle Sight-In Seminar at our Alford Lake Conservation Education Centre for Excellence! AHEIA staff and volunteers will be on site to offer assistance checking rifles, scopes, and bore sight (if required) if needed. Ranges available: 25, 50, 100, 200 and 300 yards.

Provincial Hunting Day

The fourth Saturday of every September has become a special date within Alberta. In 2007, the Alberta Government declared this day each year to be Provincial Hunting Day. The next event will take place on September 28, 2024. It marks the 17th annual Provincial Hunting Day and is a reminder to all Albertans of our hunting heritage, and of the importance of securing a future for wildlife and wild places, especially within our province.

This year the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association is celebrating the Provincial Hunting Day at our Alford Lake AND our Calgary Firearms Facility. 

The Provincial Hunting Day activities at the AHEIA Calgary Firearms Centre in DeWinton include the shotgun sports such as trap, skeet and sporting clays, archery and a hunting dog demonstration. This event runs from 8:30a.m. until 2:00p.m.

AHEIA and Hunting for Tomorrow are offering a daylong event at Alford Lake for those who want to explore the outdoors and expand their shooting and hunting knowledge.  A partial listing of the sessions we are working on are Crossbow Basics, Shotgun Shooting Basics, Centerfire Rifle Shooting, Rimfire Rifle Shooting, Archery Basics, Black Powder Shooting, Making Your Own Survival Kit, Make a Moose Call, Whitetail Hunting Techniques plus more sessions will be added (subject to change). This event runs from 8:30a.m. until 4:00p.m.

We will also be providing a complimentary lunch, snacks, and beverages at both locations.

2025 Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association Annual General Meeting

Details to come.

The next AHEIA Annual General Meeting will be held in 2025 at the Calgary Conservation Education Centre for Excellence at 911 Sylvester Crescent SW. This will be an in-person meeting. Beverages and light snacks will be available. We hope to see you there!