Hunter Education
Successful completion of a Hunter Education course is required for New Hampshire hunters age 16 and older who haven’t previously held a hunting license. In a Hunter Education course, you’ll learn about firearms and archery safety and handling, outdoor safety and survival skills, N.H. hunting laws, your responsibilities as a hunter and more. Hunter Education has cultivated generations of safe, responsible, and ethical hunters, resulting in the dramatic reduction of hunting-related incidents in New Hampshire.
Today, it’s easier than ever to find, register for, and participate in a Hunter Education course that’s convenient for you. Review course offerings and register online anytime at huntnh.com. Another option is the online Hunter Education course, which completes your training with a field day and practical field exam (you must be 15 years or older to take the online course for certification). To view course schedules, locations, and to register online for Hunter Education or Trapper Education, visit huntnh.com/hunting/hunter-ed.html.
Hunter Education courses cover both firearms and archery. Successful completion of either the classroom-based course or the online course with a field day allows you to purchase both a firearms and archery hunting license. If you took the course prior to January 1, 2014, you need to show proof of completion of both Hunter and Bowhunter Education courses to be able to purchase both licenses.
Help Teach Hunter Ed!
Hunter Education in New Hampshire is taught primarily by volunteer instructors and they need your help. The process for becoming an instructor is easy; the yearly commitment is minimal, as low as a few hours a year, but the results are gratifying. With your help, the number of hunting incidents will continue their decline, lands will continue to remain open for multiple uses including hunting, hunters will continue to enjoy the feasts of their bounty, and hunters and wildlife enthusiasts will continue to enjoy the woods, water and wildlife of New Hampshire. Today's hunters are going into the field knowing how to hunt safely, responsibly, and ethically. Training is provided through an instructor certification course that encourages effective educational techniques in a team-teaching environment. Visit huntnh.com/hunting/hunter-ed.html for more information and training opportunities, or call (603) 271-3212.
Hunter Education Requirements
Anyone applying to hunt with a firearm or bow must present a previous hunting or archery license or a Certificate of Completion from an approved Hunter or Bowhunter Education course from any year, any state. For duplicates of lost certificates, call 603-271-3212; date of birth must be included if applying by mail.
Youth Programs
Summer youth programs for Hunter Education and shooting sports:
- Barry Conservation Camp: One-week overnight camp sessions.
- Owl Brook: Free summer youth programs.
Visit wildnh.com for program descriptions and schedules. Help get our young people outdoors!
Owl Brook Hunter Education Center
New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, NH, offers a diversity of hands-on educational experiences, including shooting sports, map and compass instruction, Hunter Education and Trapper Education certification courses, outdoor skills, and other youth activities.
Interpretive trails and an old-time trapper cabin are open to the public when the center is open. A 14-target woodland archery course and 4-target practice archery range are open seven days a week, from dawn to dusk, May to November. The classroom, small-bore shooting range, and shotgun range are available to individual groups for customized courses instructed by our staff.
For more information, call (603) 536-1290 or visit huntnh.com/hunting/owl-brook.html.
The center was made possible through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration funds and private donations.
Wildlife Legacy Initiative
If you love New Hampshire’s fish, wildlife and wild places, give a little extra this year when you buy your fishing or hunting license or make a donation. Support the Wildlife Legacy Initiative and help the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Landowner Relations Program, working to keep New Hampshire open to all outdoor users by protecting access to private land. Donate when you buy your license — in person or online at wildnh.com. Just check off the $10 Wildlife Legacy Donation…and thank you! Learn more at wildnh.com/landshare.
