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Hunter Education

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12OKHD-Hunt-Ed-Pic2.jpgHunter education is a course where students are taught how to hunt safely.

Hunter education certified hunters can buy any hunting license, if required, and hunt big game and/or small game alone, except on public lands*, (except youth participating in youth deer or youth turkey seasons must adhere to accompaniment requirements for those seasons).

Hunters 15 years of age or younger who are hunting alone during a season that does not require them to have a hunting license (small game seasons) must carry hunter education certification on their person.

*Additional public land regulations may apply, see Department-Managed Area Rules for specific restrictions.

Exempt from Hunter Education:

  1. Anyone 31 years of age or older.
  2. Anyone honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces.
  3. Anyone currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
  4. Anyone who is a member of the National Guard.

Hunter Education Courses

Students needing hunter education may attend an 8-hour class or attend a home study class which requires four to six hours of outside course work and four hours of classroom instruction.

Lost Your Hunter Education Card?

If your hunter education card is lost or destroyed, you may get a free duplicate card by logging on to wildlifedepartment.com for details. A computer printout of confirmation is valid proof of certification.

Is my card good in other states?

Certification is recognized and honored in all 50 states and all provinces in Canada.

How much do the courses cost?

Attending a course and receiving certification is 100% free of charge.

How old do you have to be to take a course?

There is no minimum age, but students should be old enough to retain material in order to pass a 50-question test.

Visit wildlifedepartment.com to see current hunter education class offerings.

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Apprentice-designated licenses allow many hunters to hunt without hunter education

The apprentice-designated license is like a learner’s permit. It is a hunting license with some additional requirements. Read below to learn who can hunt as an apprentice and what you can hunt with this license.

Hunters 8 years of age to 30:

May buy any required hunting license, but the license will have an apprentice designation and will have accompanying hunter requirements (see accompanying hunter requirements). When hunting:

Big game (deer, elk, bear and antelope) – “accompanying hunter” shall be within arm’s length of the apprentice hunter or close enough to take immediate control of the firearm or archery equipment of the apprentice.

Small game (including turkey) - “accompanying hunter” shall be in sight of and be able to communicate with the apprentice hunter in a normal voice without the aid of any communication device. When a license is not required (residents under 16 years of age, nonresidents under 14 years of age), the hunter must still be accompanied.

Hunters 7 years of age or younger:

Must be hunter education certified to hunt big game: deer, elk, antelope or bear.

May hunt small game, including turkey, with an “accompanying hunter” who is within sight of and able to communicate with you in a normal voice, without the aid of any communication device (see accompanying hunter requirements).

All hunters younger than 10:

Must be accompanied when hunting big game, regardless of hunter education certification status.

Accompanying Hunter Requirements:

Who can be the “accompanying hunter” for apprentice designated license holders?

An individual 18 years of age or older who is:

  • licensed and hunter education certified, or
  • exempt from hunter education and/or hunting license requirements.

Hunter Education Available Online Soon

12OKHD-Hunt-Ed-Pic.jpgComing soon, Oklahoma hunters 10 and older will have an additional opportunity to experience and learn the hunter education curriculum. The online hunter education class will be available to Oklahoma residents 10 years of age or older. It is an engaging and interactive way to learn important safety skills and habits.

The all-online class covers all the topics of an in-person class with the convenience of being available anytime on the internet. The course covers firearms, safety, wildlife identification, wildlife conservation and management, survival, archery, muzzleloading and hunter responsibility.

The class is being developed by the ODWC in partnership with specialists at the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma Career Tech, ensuring that the class adheres to the highest education standards. Those who choose to take the online course must pass a comprehension exam in order to receive their hunter education card.

To learn more about the class, log on to wildlifedepartment.com and click the education tab.

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Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.

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