Area hunter education courses open registration

Hunter education courses are open to registration in Kalispell, Polson, Eureka, and Plains.

Registration is free and available at https://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter-education.

Dates, locations and specific instructions for each class, as well as contact information for the instructors, are available in the class descriptions online.

Additional courses will become available this spring in other communities across the state, and information will be posted online at https://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter-education.

In-person, instructor-led hunter education courses are available free to anyone aged 10 and older and are led by trained volunteer instructors who are passionate about preserving Montana’s hunting tradition, teaching firearm safety, ethics, and outdoor skills. Instructor-led courses provide new hunters with a hands-on learning experience and can be particularly beneficial for people who have minimal experience in the field or handling firearms.

Montana also provides a self-paced online-only hunter education course that is available for anyone 12 and older. The online course provides a convenience for those who are comfortable with eLearning or who already have a solid firearms and hunting background.

For youth to be eligible to hunt and be fully certified during the 2022 season, they must be 12 years old by Jan. 16, 2023. Students aged 10 and 11 can take the course and hunt as an apprentice, but will not be fully certified until the year they turn 12.

To purchase or apply for a Montana hunting license, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must complete a hunter education course issued by Montana, any other state, or any Canadian province.

If you are interested in the future of hunting, in improving sportsmanship and safety in the field, or teaching an appreciation for the vast hunting resources in Montana, then we need you to sign up as a volunteer instructor. In northwest Montana, contact Dillon Tabish at (406) 751-4564 to learn more.

For more information, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter-education.