Hunter education requirements by state

All license buyers 16 or older born after August 1, 1977 must successfully complete an approved hunter education course. Students taking hunter education must be ten years of age or older.

Source

Hunters born after January 1, 1986 who are age 18 or older must complete Basic Hunter Education before hunting in Units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20. Certain management areas, such as the Eagle River Management Area, require it regardless of age. This varies by unit and is not a statewide rule.

Source

Applies to: Big game

No one under the age of 14 may take big game without having completed a Hunter Education Course. No one under age 10 may take big game in Arizona. Hunter education is therefore mandatory for ages 10 through 13 before big game.

Source

Anyone born after 1968 must be hunter education certified in Arkansas. Children under 16 who have not completed hunter education may hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed hunter at least 21 years old. A free Deferred Hunter Education code covers those 16 and older who hunt under direct supervision of a licensed hunter 21 or older who is certified or born on or before Dec. 31, 1968.

Source

California requires hunter education training for all persons who have not formerly held a California hunting license; who do not have a hunter education certificate of completion; or who do not hold a current hunting license, or a hunting license issued in either of the two previous hunting years, from another state or province. CDFW states there are no occupational or age exemptions.

Source

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 must complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license.

Source

Applicants must show either a valid resident license from the past five years or completion of a Connecticut Conservation Education/Firearms Safety course or an equivalent. Online coursework must have been accompanied by a field day. Bowhunters must show proof when purchasing a small game and deer archery permit that they have completed the CE/FS bowhunting course or its equivalent. No apprentice license was found.

Source

Delaware law requires all persons born after January 1, 1967 to complete a Basic Hunter Education Course in order to obtain a Delaware hunting license or Youth Hunting License. Certificates are not issued under age 10. All turkey hunters 13 years of age or older must complete a Delaware-approved turkey hunter education course before they can legally hunt turkeys. No apprentice or mentored license was found.

Source

Persons born on or after June 1, 1975 must have successfully completed a hunter safety course in order to buy a license.

Source

Under the deferral and mentoring option, those 16 years of age or older and born June 1, 1975 or after may hunt under the supervision of a qualified hunter, meaning an adult 21 years of age or older who has a valid hunting license and has met the requirement. The license prints that the holder must hunt under supervision of a qualified hunter age 21 or older.

Source

Residents and non-residents born on or after January 1, 1961 must successfully complete a hunter education course prior to purchasing a season hunting license. Those under 12 need no course but must be under direct supervision of a licensed adult 18 or older. Those 12 to 15 must complete it unless under direct adult supervision.

Source

Those 16 to 25 must present the certificate and possess it while hunting, and those 26 and older must complete the course but need not carry it. A hunter education course is not required to purchase an Apprentice License or a license identified as a Short Term License, and it is not required when hunting your own land or a parent's or guardian's land.

Source

Anyone born after December 31, 1971 is required to take a Hunter Education Course in order to purchase a hunting license. Exempt are those born before January 1, 1972 who held a license before July 1, 1990, and holders of an approved out-of-state certificate.

Source

Hunter Ed Certification is required for all hunters born on or after January 1, 1975 in order to purchase an Idaho hunting license. A hunter is exempt with proof of a previously held hunting license or hunter education certificate from Idaho or another state.

Source

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1980 must complete a hunter safety education course before buying an Illinois hunting license, with some exemptions. An Apprentice Hunter License lets you hunt without the certificate while supervised by a licensed hunter 21 or older.

Source

Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1986 must successfully complete a DNR-offered hunter education class to purchase a hunting license. An apprentice may buy an apprentice hunting license without having to take a hunter education class, up to three times, and must be in close proximity to and able to communicate with a licensed hunter at least 18 years old at all times.

Source

Anyone born after January 1, 1972 must be certified before buying a license. You may enroll at 11, and an 11 year old's certificate becomes valid on that person's 12th birthday. An apprentice license allows the apprentice age 16 and older to hunt under the direct supervision of a mentor age 18 or older without hunter education, and is limited to two purchases per lifetime.

Source

State law requires anyone born on or after July 1, 1957 to complete an approved Hunter Education course before hunting in Kansas, unless they are 15 or younger and directly supervised by an adult age 18 or older. Anyone under 27 years old must carry their hunter education certificate while hunting.

Source

Individuals 16 or older may also choose to hunt under an Apprentice hunting license, which provides a two-time deferral of the Hunter Education requirement when hunting under the supervision of a licensed adult 18 or older. Each apprentice license is valid one year, up to two in a lifetime.

Source

Anyone born after January 1, 1975, and age 12 or older must carry a Hunter Education card while hunting. A one-time Hunter Education Exemption Permit allows hunting without certification for up to one year.

Source

If you were born on or after September 1, 1969, you must complete a Hunter Education Course. You are exempt while hunting under the direct supervision of a licensed Louisiana hunter born before Sept. 1, 1969, or of someone 18 years old and over holding a valid unrestricted Louisiana license. Supervision means audible voice range and direct line of sight at all times while hunting.

Source

For an adult firearms license, applicants must show they have either possessed an adult license to hunt with firearms in any year beginning with 1976, or successfully completed an approved hunter safety course in any U.S. state, province or country. An apprentice hunter must hunt in the presence of a supervisor at least 18 years of age who has held an adult license for the prior three years.

Source

All first-time hunters must present a Certificate of Competency in Firearms and Hunting Safety. Maryland frames this as a first-time hunter rule, not a born-after date. Exemptions include those who held a license issued prior to July 1, 1977, those who hunted on private property before that date while legally license exempt, nonresidents buying only a waterfowl license, and Regulated Shooting Area licensees.

Source

Under an Apprentice Hunter License the standard requirement for hunter education and competency certification does not apply.

Source

Hunters qualify by either of two paths: I have earned a government-issued Basic Hunter Education certificate (from any jurisdiction), or I held a hunting or sporting license before January 1, 2007 (from any jurisdiction).

Source

To purchase a hunting license in Michigan, an individual born on or after January 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete an approved hunter education course. Mentored Hunting Program participants are exempt.

Source

Minn. Stat. section 97B.020: a person born after December 31, 1979, may not obtain an annual license to take wild animals by firearms unless the person has a firearms safety certificate or equivalent, a driver's license with a valid firearms safety qualification indicator, a previous hunting license with that indicator, an apprentice-hunter validation, or other evidence of a recognized course.

Source

Active-duty military who completed basic training are accommodated. The apprentice validation is a short-term exception to the requirement for completing trapper education or hunter firearms safety training, and it may be purchased in two license years in a lifetime.

Source

All persons born on or after January 1, 1972 must satisfactorily complete a hunter education course approved by MDWFP before purchasing a Mississippi hunting license. A resident apprentice hunting license may be issued to a resident older than 16 who does not have the required certificate of hunter education, and an apprentice license may be issued only once to a resident.

Source

Missouri's hunter education course is required for any hunter born on or after Jan. 1, 1967. Anyone 11 or older is eligible to take the course and exam. An Apprentice Hunter Authorization exempts you if you are 16 or older and will be hunting with a properly permitted adult mentor 18 or older.

Source

If you were born after January 1, 1985, you are required to show proof of completing a Montana hunter safety and education course or an approved hunter safety course from any other state or province prior to applying for or purchasing a hunting license.

Source

Successful completion of Hunter Education is required for hunters age 12 through 29. If you are under the age of 30, you will need certification or an apprentice hunter education exemption certificate before you can legally hunt. Certificates cannot be issued to anyone under 11. Nebraska's trigger is age-based, not a born-after date.

Source

NRS 502.330: no hunting license may be obtained by any person born after January 1, 1960, unless the person presents to the Department a hunter-education certificate, an equivalent IHEA-standard certificate from another state, province or country, or a prior hunting license bearing a hunter-education mark.

Source

Hunter Education is required for New Hampshire hunters age 16 and older who have not previously held a hunting license. To buy a license online or at Walmart you must have held a hunting or archery license, or passed Hunter or Bowhunter Education in New Hampshire, in 2000 or later. An Apprentice Hunting License allows a one-time deferral of the previous-license or Hunter Education requirement.

Source

Hunter education is required for first-time licensees. Complete the HunterCourse.com online program, pass the written test and print the completion voucher, then attend a mandatory live-fire session run by NJ Fish and Wildlife.

Source

An apprentice license is available at ages 14 and older for bow and 18 and older for firearm, with no hunter education required, and must be used under direct supervision of a mentor 21 or older. Apprentice hunters may hunt with air gun, bow, or shotgun only. There is a lifetime limit of two apprentice licenses per type, and apprentice time does not qualify a hunter for a regular license.

Source

No one under 18 years of age may hunt with a firearm without first possessing a certificate proving that he or she has passed this, or another state's, hunter education course, or is currently enrolled in the New Mexico Mentored-Youth Hunting Program. Bowhunter education is recommended but not mandatory and does not satisfy the firearm requirement.

Source

All first-time hunters, bowhunters, and trappers must pass one or more courses before they can purchase a license. New York has no apprentice license.

Source

Junior hunters ages 12 and 13 need a mentor 21 or older, with three years of experience for deer and bear implements; ages 14 and 15 need a mentor 18 or older with one year of experience. First-time hunters aged 16 and 17 must be accompanied by a licensed hunter 18 years or older with at least one year of experience with the same implement. The mentor must maintain physical control over the junior hunter at all times.

Source

Except as specified in the digest, a person, regardless of age, may not purchase a hunting license in this state without producing one of these: a hunter education certificate of competency, a North Carolina hunting heritage apprentice permit, or a North Carolina hunting license issued prior to July 1, 2013. Youth under 16 lacking certification must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult.

Source

Persons born after December 31, 1961 must complete a certified state or provincial hunter education course and provide a hunter education number to the license vendor to purchase a North Dakota hunting license.

Source

The apprentice hunting license requires the hunter to be born after Dec. 31, 1961, be at least 12, and not hold a hunter education certificate. An apprentice hunter validation covers only one license year in a lifetime, is limited to small game and deer, and requires direct supervision by a properly licensed adult at least 18.

Source

All first-time hunting license buyers, except apprentice license buyers, must successfully complete a hunter education course. The apprentice license is open to new hunters and trappers, both adults and youth, who must be accompanied by a licensed hunter or trapper 21 years old or older. A mentor may not accompany more than two apprentice license holders at the same time.

Source

Anyone who wishes to hunt without an apprentice-designation must obtain hunter education certification unless exempt. Exempt are anyone 31 years of age or older, anyone honorably discharged from or currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, and National Guard members. Oklahoma's trigger is age-based, not a born-after date.

Source

Persons 9 years of age or younger may take the hunter education course but are not eligible to receive certification; they must hunt as an apprentice. Anyone 30 years of age or younger who is not hunter education certified must hunt as an apprentice and abide by the accompanying hunter requirements.

Source

Before hunting, youth 17 years of age or younger must complete a Hunter Safety Education Course from any U.S. state, Canada or Mexico. Adults 18 and older are not required to.

Source

Hunter-Trapper Education must be completed before a first hunting license. The Mentored Hunting Program, initially open only to youth under 12, has expanded to offer opportunities to unlicensed hunters of all ages. Mentored hunters age 12 and older may participate a maximum of three license years before needing a standard license. A mentor must be a licensed hunter at least 21 years old.

Source

Mentored hunters need not complete Hunter-Trapper Education, but must do so to move to a standard license. A mentor must possess a valid, current hunting license, or otherwise qualify for a license and fee exemptions.

Source

Persons applying for a hunting license or archery permit for the first time or not having been a member of the armed forces must complete a course in safe hunting or archery practices and have been issued a Hunter Education Certificate.

Source

All residents and nonresidents born after June 30, 1979 must successfully complete a hunter education course that is approved by SCDNR before a hunting license can be obtained. Under the annual Apprentice Hunting License the apprentice must be accompanied by a licensed South Carolina hunter at least 21 years old with no hunting-violation convictions, maintaining visual and oral communication.

Source

SDCL 41-6-14: except as otherwise provided in section 41-6-81, a person under the age of sixteen shall comply with chapter 41-7, pertaining to firearms safety, before being granted a resident or applicable nonresident hunting license. HuntSAFE courses are offered for anyone 11 and older, and anyone younger than 16 must complete an in-person Field Day. The trigger is an age threshold.

Source

SDCL 41-6-13: if a hunting license is granted to a person who is under sixteen years of age, the licensee shall be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. The mentored hunting program under section 41-6-81 is the exception to the firearms safety prerequisite.

Source

All hunters, resident or nonresident, born on or after January 1, 1969, must possess proof of successfully completing a Hunter Education course. Hunters under 10 are exempt but must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age who remains in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device. An Apprentice License exempts hunters 10 and older for one year, renewable up to three consecutive years.

Source

Every hunter, including out-of-state hunters, born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must successfully complete a Hunter Education Course. The minimum age of hunter education certification is 9 years. Ages 9 through 16 must complete the course or be accompanied. Age 17 and older must complete the course or purchase a deferral and be accompanied.

Source

The deferral allows a person 17 years of age or older who has not completed a hunter education program to defer completion for up to one year. It may only be obtained once and is only valid until the end of the current license year. Accompanied means by a person at least 17, licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed hunter education or is exempt, and you must be within normal voice control.

Source

If you were born after Dec. 31, 1965, you must provide proof that you have passed a hunter education course approved by the Division before you can apply for or obtain a hunting license or a big game permit. The Trial Hunting Program is the alternative: a three-year authorization with a mentor 21 or older, no more than two trial hunters, and written parental permission for minors.

Source

A certificate or a letter of proof showing satisfactory completion of an approved hunter education, archery, or trapping course from Vermont or any other state or province is required, or a previous license, or an affidavit. A mentored license holder must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older holding a valid Vermont license and stay within 15 feet of that adult.

Source

Hunter education is required if you are 12 to 15 years of age, or if you have not previously purchased a regular hunting license. You may also purchase an apprentice hunting license without completing hunter education.

Source

Anyone born after January 1, 1972 must complete and pass an approved Hunter Education course before he or she may buy a license or hunt in the State of Washington. The deferral program is the apprentice equivalent: a one-year, once-in-a-lifetime deferral for an applicant at least 10 years old who has not failed a course in the last 12 months.

Source

The hunter accompanying a deferred hunter must be at least 18 years of age, may supervise only one deferred hunter, and must remain close enough to the deferred hunter to have uninterrupted, unaided visual and auditory communication while hunting.

Source

No base hunting license may be issued to a person born on or after January 1, 1975 without a hunter education certificate or certification from a prior year's license. An Apprentice Hunting License, Classes AH, AHJ, AAH and AAHJ, permits hunting without hunter education, but the holder must be accompanied and directly supervised by a licensed adult.

Source

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, must complete a hunter education course and have a hunter education safety certificate on file to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin. Hunters are exempt if hunting under the mentorship program or if they completed basic U.S. Armed Forces training.

Source

Under the mentored program the mentee must have all required hunting approvals for the applicable season and must remain within arm's reach of the mentor. The mentor must have any valid, non-expired Wisconsin hunting approval regardless of the game pursued, may not use any deer harvest authorizations issued to the mentee, and must only serve one mentee at a time.

Source

Hunter Education is required to hunt with a firearm in Wyoming if you were born on or after January 1, 1966. The Hunter Education Temporary Exception, or HETE, is the mentored program: the mentee must be at least 12 to hunt big game, and the mentor must be at least 18, hunter education certified, and hold a valid Wyoming hunting license.

Source

A HETE mentor may supervise only one hunter mentee at a time in the field and must maintain direct supervision, meaning within sight and direct voice contact. One special authorization is valid for one year.

Source