Minnesota DNR names ’25 volunteer firearms safety instructor of the year

St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR has named Grand Rapids resident Kraig Kiger the 2025 volunteer firearms safety instructor of the year.

Kiger has been a certified firearms safety instructor since 2003, helping more than 2,000 adults and youth learn about safe firearms handling and the ethics and responsibilities associated with hunting and target shooting. In 2025, Kiger conducted 12 firearms safety classes at the Itasca Gun Club, drawing students from across the state. In the past, he’s taught as many as 24 classes a year.

As the longtime shooting sports program administrator for the DNR, Kiger enjoyed a career that blended his passions. He was instrumental in developing learn-to-hunt programs and increasing participation in “Archery in the Schools.” He also was an early proponent and supporter of the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League, which is the state’s fastest-growing school-sponsored activity.

“Kraig works hard to connect with each of his students and uses many of his own experiences to keep the classes interesting and make the topics he’s covering come alive,” said Conservation Officer Tom Sutherland, who is stationed in Grand Rapids and works frequently with Kiger. “He has an amazing wealth of knowledge and an equally amazing ability to share it with others.”

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During his time as a volunteer instructor, Kiger has worked to recruit others to serve as instructors and ensure students now and in the future have options for earning their firearms safety certification and learning about the outdoors. He’s active in many state and national conservation organizations as well and makes it a priority to teach his students the connection between hunting and conservation.

“This is an honor, and I’ve truly enjoyed the chance to interact with all the students and share my passion for the outdoors,” Kiger said. “It’s all been about trying to get kids outdoors, be safe and responsible with the equipment, and increase hunter and shooter numbers. Doing this work, you can see the light come on in the kids’ eyes when I talk about the places hunting has taken me, and it all started with firearms safety.”

More than 4,000 volunteer instructors teach DNR firearms safety courses across the state. Since the firearms safety program began in 1955, more than 1.3 million students have been certified. DNR firearms safety certification is required of anyone born after Dec. 31, 1979 to buy a hunting license in Minnesota. Youth age 11 and older can attend a firearms safety certification course and receive their certificate, which becomes valid at age 12.

For more information on the dates and locations of available safety courses, and to sign up for alerts when new classes are added, visit the DNR hunter education webpage.