Hunter Education

Although many hunters enjoy the small game season, there’s a large chunk who really enjoy our big game season. They practically count the days from the close in January until the opening in September. Georgia is such a great state to reside in, and we sure get a lot of new folks coming in from out of state to join us and enjoy it. With that, it’s important to get some of them who want to hunt here up to speed on our licensing and hunter education requirements. 

If a hunter is born on or after Jan. 1, 1961 and is 16 years of age or older, that individual must successfully complete a hunter education course before purchasing a hunting license. No worries, WRD makes it really accessible to take our hunter education class. 

“There are options for everyone to take hunter education, online or in-person classes,” said WRD’s Hunter Development Program Supervisor Jennifer Pittman. “All our courses meet the International Hunter Education Association’s standards, and each course has its own unique design.

“Our in-person classes are taught by trained instructors and have been upgraded to meet today’s education standards. There are much more activities now in these classes, which allows students to practice what is taught.”

I asked her to clarify if the course would be taught in the same manner as a class that may have been taken by one’s mother or father several years ago. 

“Actually, we realize that today’s young hunters (and even some of the older ones) may not be kept fully occupied by the same instructor teaching for several hours in one day,” said Jennifer. “It’s a lot of information to comprehend. We’ve tried to make it much more entertaining while meeting the standards of hunter education.” 

As a side note, if you are hunting on your own land or the land of a parent or guardian, the certification is actually not required. However, it sure doesn’t hurt to take it.

Currently, there are several approved online hunter-education courses (with varying fees) that Georgia residents may take for a convenient alternative to the classroom course.

Follow these steps to complete your hunter-education certification completely online:

First, create a gooutdoorsgeorgia.com account, if you don’t have one. Successfully pass any of the five online hunter-education courses offered. After you pass your course, log into your account and print your new Georgia Hunter Safety Certificate. 

Of course, many of you may prefer DNR’s classroom version of hunter education. Get started by creating your free DNR personalized account and searching for the nearest class near you that meets your availability. Have a great season!