Hunting is a thrilling sport, enjoyed by the brave at heart, but it also is serious business and requires following safety rules and strict guidelines. According to state laws, the proper education and course study is required to obtain a hunter’s license. These courses are mandatory for those seeking to obtain a hunter’s, archer’s, or trapping license. The hunter’s, bowhunter’s, or trapper’s education course, must be completed to be considered for a license, or a previously issued license of the same kind, must be presented.
These required educational courses are focused on educating hunters on the skills that it takes to be a safe and responsible huntsman. Many courses run from January through October to make sure that hunters are ready and licensed for the fall hunting season.
Safety is most important, and the hunter training courses have worked to lessen the amount of firearm accidents in the field. With training, hunters are participating in the sport much more ethically and have the option of using “hunter orange” clothing, which has also played a vital role in reducing the amount of hunting accidents.
There is more than just gun safety involved in the courses. There is classroom instruction, field study, and shooting range practice, among many other safety related classes on ethics, survival skills, and wildlife identification and management. Basic map and compass courses are offered to ensure that hunters know exactly where they are while out in the field, by learning to observe and record landmarks and utilize the compass to let them know in which direction they are traveling.
When the proper safety guidelines and procedures are not followed, hunters put themselves and others in danger in the field; taking away from the sense of adventure, reward, and accomplishment that can be experienced within the sport.
In many states, courses are offered in a classroom setting, online, or in a home-study version. Those wanting to acquire a license can check with their state to see what options are available. Whatever way you choose to participate in the required courses, they are hugely important to assist in making sure that hunters and trappers are functioning safely and ethically in the field, keeping everyone out of harm’s way.