How do I get hunter education in my state?
In the 30 states covered so far, 17 require hunter education by birth year (from 1949 in Colorado to 1985 in Montana), Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, California, Connecticut, North Carolina and Vermont require it of every first-time license buyer, South Dakota and Virginia of young hunters, and Alaska only in certain units; most offer an online route, and most let a new hunter try hunting first with a mentor or apprentice license.
Data updated October 27, 2026. Each state's facts were read on the agency's own pages on the date shown on its page.
Which states are covered so far?
| State | Who has to take it | Online course | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Anyone born after January 1, 1986 who is 18 or older must be certified before hunting in Units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20. Certification is also required regardless of age in several special areas, including the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, Eagle River, Palmer/Wasilla, Eklutna Lake and Mendenhall Wetlands areas, on military installations, and for all Youth Hunts. It is not required to buy an Alaska hunting license. | Online course ($19.95) plus a free in-person live-fire field day | Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game |
| California | California requires hunter education for anyone who has never held a California hunting license, has no hunter education certificate, and does not hold a current hunting license (or one issued in the two previous years) from another state or province. There are no exemptions for age, military service, or law enforcement. The agency also offers an equivalency exam at its regional offices for a non-refundable fee; failing it means taking the class. | 10-hour class, or online course plus a 4-hour follow-up class | California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife |
| Colorado | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 must complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license. | Online ($34.95) plus a 4 to 6 hour in-person conclusion class (up to $10) | Colorado Parks and Wildlife |
| Connecticut | To get a Connecticut hunting license you must complete a Conservation Education/Firearms Safety (CE/FS) course or an accepted equivalent from another state, or have a Connecticut resident firearms hunting license issued within the past five years. Separate courses cover firearms hunting, bowhunting, and trapping. Pistol permits do not count, and NRA hunter education certificates issued before 1982 are not valid. | Free 16-hour class, or online course plus an 8-hour field day | Connecticut DEEP |
| Florida | Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 who is 16 or older must pass a hunter safety course and show the card before buying a license to hunt with a firearm, muzzleloader, bow or crossbow (lifetime licenses excluded). People exempt from the hunting license are also exempt from hunter safety, except holders of the Resident Disabled Person license and anyone hunting on military bases. Law enforcement and military personnel are not exempt. | Online course plus a virtual or in-person field day; classroom option | Florida FWC |
| Georgia | Residents and nonresidents born on or after January 1, 1961 must complete a hunter education course before buying a season hunting license. It is not required for apprentice or short-term licenses, or to hunt on your own land or a parent's or guardian's land. Hunters 16 to 25 must show the certificate when buying a season license and carry it while hunting; those 26 and older need not show or carry it. | Free classroom or online course; paid approved online courses too | Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources |
| Illinois | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1980 must have a hunter safety certificate, or show they held an Illinois hunting license in a prior year, before buying a hunting license (520 ILCS 5/3.2). Youth Hunting License and Apprentice Hunting License holders are exempt under their own rules. | Free 10-hour class, or online ($29 to $49.95) plus free field day | Illinois DNR |
| Iowa | Residents and nonresidents born after January 1, 1972 must complete hunter education before they can buy an Iowa hunting license. Residents under 16 may hunt without a license or hunter education under the direct supervision of a properly licensed adult, one adult per youth. | Free class; ages 11 to 17 online plus field day; 18 and up online only | Iowa DNR |
| Kentucky | Under 301 KAR 2:185 and KRS 150.170(3), anyone born on or after January 1, 1975 must complete hunter education before hunting in Kentucky and carry the card while hunting. Certification is required from age 12. Hunters on their own land or in other license-exempt categories do not need it. | Free one-day class, or online (free to $49.95) plus a range day | Kentucky Fish and Wildlife |
| Maine | Anyone applying for a Maine license to hunt with firearms, other than a junior or apprentice license, must show proof of a hunter safety course or an equivalent course, or proof of having held a valid adult firearm hunting license in Maine or any other state, province or country in any year from 1976 on. A signed affidavit may substitute when proof cannot otherwise be provided. Archery hunting needs a separate archery course. | Ages 16 and up online ($29.95); free in-person class from age 10 | Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife |
| Maryland | Since 1977, anyone buying a Maryland hunting license for the first time must show a Certificate of Competency in Firearms and Hunter Safety, unless they held a hunting license before July 1, 1977, legally hunted private land license-exempt before that date, or buy a nonresident license to hunt only waterfowl. People exempt from buying a license must still meet the hunter safety requirement and get a free DNR ID. The certification is one-time. | Free in-person class, or online (13 and up) plus a free field day | Maryland DNR |
| Michigan | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1960 must pass an approved hunter education course to buy a Michigan hunting license, or show a previous hunting license other than a base apprentice license. People hunting under the Mentored Hunting Program are exempt. | Online or home study plus a 4-hour field day | Michigan DNR |
| Minnesota | Anyone born after December 31, 1979 must have DNR Firearms Safety Certification to buy a hunting license in Minnesota. | Adults 16 and up, with a virtual field day | Minnesota DNR |
| Missouri | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1967 who hunts during a Missouri firearms season, or who acts as an adult mentor, must be hunter education certified. Exceptions include hunters 15 or younger with a properly permitted adult mentor 18 or older, Apprentice Hunter Authorization holders hunting with a mentor, people with a disability exemption, and resident landowners on their own land. | Residents 16 and up all online; otherwise online plus a skills session | Missouri Dept. of Conservation |
| Montana | Anyone born after January 1, 1985 must complete a hunter education course from Montana, another state or a Canadian province before buying or applying for a Montana hunting license. | Free class from 10; online plus field day 12 to 17; online only 18+ | Montana FWP |
| New Mexico | No one under 18 may hunt with a firearm, or apply for or buy any firearms hunting license, without a hunter education certificate from New Mexico or another state, unless enrolled in the Mentored-Youth (MY) Hunting Program. Youth must carry proof of certification or a current MY number while hunting. Bowhunter education does not qualify someone to hunt with a firearm. | Fully online from age 9, or a 14 to 16 hour class or 6-hour field day | NM Dept. of Wildlife |
| New York | A hunter education certificate, from an in-person or online course, is needed to buy a first-time hunting license in New York. Bowhunting and trapping licenses need their own education certificates. | Residents only: $29.99 to $49.95; free in-person class | New York DEC |
| North Carolina | Since July 1, 2013, a person of any age cannot get a North Carolina hunting license without a hunter education certificate, a hunting heritage apprentice permit, or a hunting license issued before July 1, 2013. Some disabled license holders and holders of certain lifetime licenses may hunt without the course only when accompanied by a licensed adult 18 or older. | Free 6-hour class in every county, or a paid approved online course | NC Wildlife Resources Commission |
| North Dakota | State law requires anyone born after 1961 to complete a certified hunter education course before getting a firearm or bow hunting license, and proof must be shown when buying or applying. Exceptions are youth under 12 (who may hunt only under direct supervision of a parent, guardian or authorized adult), people hunting only on land they own or operate, and apprentice license holders. Youth who turn 11 by year end may get a whitetail doe license for the youth and regular deer gun seasons without the course. | Free classroom course or $24.95 hybrid with two in-person sessions | North Dakota Game and Fish |
| Ohio | All first-time hunting license buyers, except apprentice license buyers, must complete a hunter education course. Applicants qualify by showing a previously held hunting license, proof of a hunter education course from any state, attesting they are 21 or older and previously held a legal hunting license from any state, or by buying an apprentice license. | Residents 12 and up: $24.95 or $49.95 | Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife |
| Pennsylvania | All first-time hunters must complete a Hunter-Trapper Education course before buying a Pennsylvania hunting license. The 2026-27 digest says anyone who has not held a hunting license in Pennsylvania or another state or nation, and has no training certificate, must be certified first; people currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, or honorably discharged within six months of applying, are exempt. | Residents only: $34.95, $49.95 or the free NRA course; free in-person class | Pennsylvania Game Commission |
| South Dakota | HuntSAFE is required for hunters ages 12 through 15; hunters under 16 must show a hunter safety certificate to buy a license unless they hunt in the mentored program. Resident youth 16 and 17 buying small game licenses do not need it. In the field, youth 15 or younger may carry hunter education certification or a copy of a current or previous year's hunting license from another state. | Free class, or online ($0 to $49.95); field day only if under 16 | South Dakota GFP |
| Tennessee | All hunters, resident or nonresident, born on or after January 1, 1969 must carry proof of completing a hunter education course. Hunters under 10 do not need a certificate but must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older who stays in position to take immediate control of the hunting device. | All online from age 9 (one free course), or free class plus live fire | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency |
| Texas | Every hunter born on or after September 2, 1971, including nonresidents, must complete hunter education. Hunters under 9 must be accompanied; hunters 9 through 16 must either be certified or be accompanied; hunters 17 and older must be certified or buy a deferral and hunt accompanied. | Online-only at 17 and up; under 17, internet plus a field course | Texas Parks and Wildlife |
| Utah | Anyone born after December 31, 1965 must show proof of a completed hunter education course to buy a Utah hunting license. Participants in the Trial Hunting Program may hunt for up to three years before taking the course. | Online ($29.95) plus a field day, or a fully in-person class | Utah DWR |
| Vermont | All first-time hunters must pass hunter education before getting a hunting license; there is no birth-year cutoff. To buy a license you show either a previous hunting license or a hunter safety card from any state or Canadian province. Bowhunters must also complete bowhunter education. | Residents 18 and up all online; everyone else a free in-person class | Vermont Fish and Wildlife |
| Virginia | You must complete an approved hunter education course and carry your card while hunting if you are 12 to 15 years old (no card needed while accompanied and supervised by a licensed adult), or if you are 16 or older and hunting with your first hunting license. Resident hunters under 12 need neither a license nor hunter education, and nonresidents under 12 need a license but not hunter education; all hunters under 12 must be accompanied and directly supervised by a licensed adult. | Free self-study plus class; residents 12 and up may do it all online | Virginia DWR |
| West Virginia | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1975, resident or nonresident, must complete a certified hunter education course before buying a base hunting license, and show the certificate the first time they buy one. Apprentice license buyers are exempt. Residents born before January 1, 1947 who turned 65 before 2012 do not need a license. | Free 12-hour class, or paid online course plus in-person exam | West Virginia DNR |
| Wisconsin | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1973 must complete hunter education and have the certificate on file to buy any Wisconsin hunting license. People hunting under the mentored hunting program, or with proof of completing basic training in the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves or National Guard, do not need it. | Internet plus field day (any age), or online-only at 18 and up | Wisconsin DNR |
| Wyoming | Anyone born on or after January 1, 1966 must complete hunter education to hunt with a firearm and carry proof in the field. Those born earlier are exempt except when hunting in Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge. Proof is not needed to apply for or buy a license or preference point; there are also exemptions for some peace officers and military members. | In-person class, or online ($24.95) plus a 4 to 6 hour class | Wyoming Game and Fish |
Colorado links to our guide to Colorado hunter education requirements, which already answers this question from CPW's 2026 brochure: the 1949 birth-year rule, cards from other states, the test-out for hunters over 50 and veterans, and the apprentice certificate.
What if my state is not listed yet?
Your state's wildlife agency runs its own course and lists classes on its website. 28 of the 30 states covered here say on their agency pages that they accept a hunter education card from another state, so a card from your home state usually carries over; each state's page says exactly what its agency confirmed. More states are being added.