Brown named FWP instructor of the year

A Plains woman has been recognized for the second time for her volunteer efforts to make the woods a safer place during hunting season.

Lisa Brown was recently presented the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 2024 Instructor of the Year Award for Region 1. "Sanders County is lucky to have Lisa Brown," said Dillon Tabish, FWP's Region 1 communication and education program manager. Brown was honored with a special plaque for her dedicated volunteer work as the lead hunter safety instructor in Plains, said Tabish. "I think it's pretty cool, considering the number of amazing hunter education instructors out there who do a fantastic job and volunteer many hours," said Brown, who continued to give credit to "a great group of instructors that have a strong desire to share our passion for ethical and safe hunting practices."

Brown has been an FWP hunter safety instructor for 28 years and guesses she has taught around 800 people, including her own two sons, Chris and Kyle, when she was an instructor in Hot Springs. Brown believes that about 90% of those she has taught were kids between 10-14 years old, but she added that they've had more adults in the last 10 years. She received the same award about 10 years ago.

The state selects one instructor from each region. Tabish said she was selected out of around 100 instructors in Region 1. "She gives so much time and energy to her community. She's amazing," said Tabish. He said the award recognizes excellence and people who serve their community. "It's a really high honor. We look at instructors that embody the program and the volunteerism that they give to their community and Lisa really embodies that high standard," said Tabish.

Brown finished a class in March with 34 students at Plains High School. She said they hold the class about the same time of year each year so graduates can participate in spring bear and turkey hunts and apply for special permits. The class is Monday to Thursday, two hours a night finishing with a four-hour field day on a Saturday at the Plains Trap Club, where they shoot trap and 22-caliber guns at the range. They must also pass a written test.

"Our primary focus is safe firearms handling in the field, as well as in and around vehicles, and ethical hunting practices," said Brown. "We also have sessions for basic outdoor survival and our local game warden comes in one evening to present and talk about various situations and how to handle them," she said. Brown also teaches mathematics at Plains High School and last year the VFW Post 3596 in Plains presented Brown with the Teacher of the Year Award.

"I love sharing my passion for hunting with the kids. Taking a package of elk steak out of the freezer, or a family weekend of processing wild game is a very satisfying experience," said Brown, an avid big game hunter for 47 years, starting with gophers before she even went to kindergarten. It was the late Don Smith, a World War II veteran in Hot Springs, that got her started as a hunter education instructor. "And I hope that I have made him proud," said Brown. "I just want to say that no one gets an award like this on their own. It takes a great group of people to volunteer to do this," said Brown.

"We're always looking for more instructors. We need more instructors to keep our hunting traditions strong," said Tabish, who added that those traditions continue due to the volunteer instructors. "They are mentoring new hunters and passing off important lessons about being safe and responsible hunters."