NDGF talks hunter safety courses as classes begin around the state

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Most of North Dakota’s hunter education courses taught by volunteer instructors happen between January and the beginning of June. Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1961, is required by law to complete a state-certified course if they plan to hunt in North Dakota.

“If you’re going to need hunter ed before this next fall, it’s really important right now to go to our website and get signed up for our text alerts and start looking for a class in your area. A lot of our smaller communities, there’s only 1 or 2 courses a year. In some of our larger communities, those first few classes every year fill up pretty quick in places like Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks,” said Brian Schaffer, Hunter Education Coordinator.

There are a couple of options for completing a certified hunter education course in North Dakota.

“The first one is a traditional course that the majority of people who have ever completed a hunter in the state is 14 hours of in-person instruction, with our volunteer instructors going over firearm handling, wildlife conservation, all of those things. And then we also, in recent years, have really developed what we call our home study course, which is a hybrid between in-person learning and online learning. And it’s really gained popularity with kids’ busy schedules and the way kids learn these days,” said Schaffer.

There is a minimum age a student must be to enroll in a course in North Dakota.

“So sign up for a hunter education course in North Dakota, for the traditional course, it’s the calendar year in which a youngster turns 11. And for our home study course, it’s the calendar year in which they turn 12,” said Schaffer.

The demand statewide is still there for hunter education courses, which is why the recruitment of volunteers to teach in rural and larger cities remains vital.

“So there’s many of our volunteers across the state that have been teaching hunter education since the program’s inception in 1979. And it’s a testament to all those volunteer hours and dedication to the program that we were able to hit that 250,000-student certification this past year,” said Schaffer.

If you’re interested in becoming a hunter education volunteer instructor, call the Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300.

For more information on hunter education courses in North Dakota, visit gf.nd.gov.

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