Michigan –-(Ammoland.com)- Michigan parents of children interested in learning to hunt should consider enrollment in a hunter education class as part of their “back-to-school” plans. Now is the best time for new hunters to enroll in a class so they are ready to hit the woods this fall.
“Although classes are held year-round, April, May, August and September class opportunities are typically the most plentiful,” said Sgt. Steve Orange, Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section supervisor in the DNR Law Enforcement Division. “However, waiting until the last minute to enroll sometimes makes it difficult to find an available class.”
Sgt. Orange encouraged students to complete the course instruction no later than Oct. 1 so that instructors are available for the mandatory field day.
Michigan has three types of hunter education courses: traditional classroom, home-study and online. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete the course in order to purchase a Michigan hunting license or to participate in an out-of-state hunting trip. Exceptions are made for youths under the age of 10 who are hunting with a Mentored Youth Hunting license or hunters older than 10 who are hunting with an apprentice hunting license. New hunters can hunt under the apprentice program for two years before they are required to take a hunter education course.
The traditional classroom course is a minimum of 10 hours, typically held over two days, and includes both classroom and field work with an instructor. The fee for the class is $10 or less to cover expenses. The home-study course features a workbook to complete the class.
A field day is required with the home-study course, as it is with all hunter safety education courses, and it’s recommended the field day be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the course.
Michigan also offers three approved online hunter education courses, www.hunter-ed.com/Michigan, www.huntercourse.com, and www.hunteredcourse.com/state/michigan.
Students who opt for the online course complete their classwork online and then have a field/skills day with an instructor and take a written exam. The field day must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the online course. The online courses have varying fees but all are priced under $25. There may be an additional cost of up to $10 for the field day.
For more information about hunter education or to find a class in your area, go to www.michigan.gov/huntereducation.