Spring is Best Time to Take Michigan Hunter Education Classes
Michigan residents considering hunting in 2013 and who need to complete a hunter education course should enroll in a class this spring, when offerings are plentiful. Classes are held year-round, but April, May, August and September are traditionally the months when classes are most available.
“We encourage anyone considering hunting this year who needs to complete a hunter education course to enroll now in a spring course,” said Sgt. Jon Wood, hunter education program supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources. “Waiting until the last minute before you go deer hunting this fall can often translate into difficulty finding a class or an instructor available for a field day, if you are planning to take the home-study or online course.”
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 complete the course before buying a Michigan hunting license or taking an out-of-state hunting trip. Exceptions are made for youths under the age of 10 who are hunting under a Mentored Youth Hunting license or hunters older than 10 who are hunting with an apprentice hunting license. Hunters can hunt under the apprentice program for two years before they are required to take hunter education.
The traditional classroom course is a minimum of 10 hours and includes both classroom and field work with an instructor. The fee for the class is $10 or less to cover field supplies. The home-study course features a workbook to complete classwork. A field day is required with the home-study course and must be scheduled with an instructor prior to starting the course. Michigan also offers two approved online hunter education courses, www.hunter-ed.com/Michigan and www.huntercourse.com. Students who choose the online course will 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.
