Where to go Hunting (without having to take the safety course)?

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SkinnyGrey

SkinnyGrey

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My good friend and I want to go hunting (deer or wild hogs) in December for a weekend. Neither of us have finished our hunting safety courses and he is a doctor so the likelihood of him being able to find the time to complete such a class in the next month is slim. I have read a lot about the apprentice hunting licenses and they sound great, however we don't have someone with a hunting license we can hunt under. So, I was wondering if there are many (or any) states which you do not need to take a hunting safety course in order to go hunting in? If so, which states would they be? We were hoping to go somewhere close to the East Coast, maybe the South or even Texas. Any help will be appreciated.
 
No time to take the safety course but enough time to travel to Texas? I don't get it. I believe one can even take the course online these days.
 
None for deer that I know of in the north east or south (I live in Maine and work in Louisisana). I just confirmed (by word of mouth) that this applies to FL, AL, LA, and TX. In my opinion the Hunter SAFETY course requirements are in place for a very good reason. There may be southern states that do not require a hunting license and therefor safety course just for wild hog hunting. However I would STRONGLY advise not going hunting especially with someone else (good friend or not) without finishing the safety course. I agree with what sleazyrider said.
 
Contact the state Dept. of Natural resources and get a schedule. Many classes can be completed in just a few weeks, one night a week.
 
There are some units in AZ that have over the counter archery deer tags in December. No hunter safet course required.
 
Could find one of these places that uses a high fenced property and "domestic" pigs so you don't need a license.....
 
There are lots of doctors who are idiots when it comes to guns and hunting. I know, I went to school with several and at one time, I was one of them.

Take the course and make sure he does too .. or else stay home.
 
If you're not going to do it safely, and not wanting to take the course is indicative of a lack of concern for safety in itself, then please don't come south. We have enough people hunting without a license, breaking rules, shooting at motions or sounds, and in other words being "richards" around here without adding a few transplants. I don't know you, but I can see from the question that you should avoid western NC. (which you will anyway, because you have to have a safety class here to do it legally)
 
Hopefully, there is NO PLACE that would/should allow anyone to hunt without first having completed safety and sportsmanlike instruction.
 
Under the provisions of Section 23-2-106 of Wyoming statues(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no person born on or after January 1, 1966, may take any wildlife by the use of firearms on land other than that of his own family, unless the person possesses or can demonstrate they have obtained a certificate of competency and safety in the use and handling of firearms as provided by subsection (b) of this section.
 
You CAN take an online hunter safety course as offered thru the Fla. Conservation Comm.. You DO have to supply proof of firearms competency via a training course/ccw licensure or what have you.

I too agree that if required I simply cannot see why someone would try to skirt the requirement....it really isn't that big a deal!
 
That would depend on your age in Alabama. I have never taken a hunter safety course in my life. Safety meant "don't shoot your eye out" when I was coming up.
 
Tx has a waiver if born before 1971. Get your TX license and most States have reciprocity so that you can get a license without a Hunter Ed safety card. Plenty of good TX hawg hunts available online.

You both have time to complete the IHEA online course and should. It teaches everything you learn in a classroom course. I understand the issue is that you missed the classroom courses that are never offered during hunting season because the excellent folks who volunteer their time to teach these courses are hunting. Do the online course. Hunt hogs in TX. Enjoy. Be safe.
 
I believe most ranches where you pay to hunt on their private farm (mostly pigs, elk and more exotic animals) don't require a safety course or even a hunting license.
 
Well in some states if you are the land owner or the leasee, you don't need a license. Otherwise, depending on the state laws, even on a hunting reserve where you pay to hunt, you are required to buy a license, and most hunting licenses have a section that says Under the penalty of perjury I have completed a certified hunting safety course, or legally hunted before XXXX year. Some game reserves make a person a "limited leasee" for the day from sunrise to sunset, and thus get around the license requirement.

LD
 
In Missouri you can take the course online and then show up for the test. It is not that much of a time commitment.
 
You can take a CD safety course in Georgia.
Click to expand...

You can take the course online, or by using a supplied CD, but you still have to show up to one of the classes to take the test. It will save a lot of time. The course will take 6-8 hours and can be done at home in you spare time. Finding a location close enough to physically take the test on short notice is the hard part.
 
I was once told that there was a question regarding igloos on the Alabama HSC. Totally rumor but it sounded about right for the DNR to ask that question.
Almost like the DMV explaining how to drive in snowy conditions.

People hunted and shot guns all over here prior to the present time without needing anything other than a gun. I know my grandfather never had a hunting license and he routinely took squirrel with a 22 as they were in flight as well as running rabbits. We're talking single shot with iron sights at 65 years old. (He was 65. Not shooting AT 65 year olds.)

I guess we all feel safer knowing that everyone in the woods took a 6 hour course on safety.
 
Tennessee has an apprentice or beginner's license, but requires being accompanied by someone with a license. An online or cd course option is available, but requires an instructor supervised range day to complete a test and shooting session.
 
I was once told that there was a question regarding igloos on the Alabama HSC. Totally rumor but it sounded about right for the DNR to ask that question.
Almost like the DMV explaining how to drive in snowy conditions.

People hunted and shot guns all over here prior to the present time without needing anything other than a gun. I know my grandfather never had a hunting license and he routinely took squirrel with a 22 as they were in flight as well as running rabbits. We're talking single shot with iron sights at 65 years old. (He was 65. Not shooting AT 65 year olds.)

I guess we all feel safer knowing that everyone in the woods took a 6 hour course on safety.
Click to expand...

I've been a Hunter Safety Instructor since 1986. GA only started requiring it a few years earlier and only for people born after 1961 I think. Since requiring the course the OLDER guys who never had the course have been responsible for the vast majority of the gun related accidents. At this point VERY few gun related accidents happen (far less than back in the day), and most now are tree stand falls.

Regarding the Igloo question. In order for Western States and Alaska to recognize a class you took in Alabama we are required to cover survival techniques you may need if hunting out of state.
 
The first year that a HSC was required in Maryland (iirc) there were 13 hunting accidents, all by untrained individuals. Today it's rare that there is a hunting accident in this state involving a shooting. Most are guys falling out of treestands when they transition from the ladder to the platform... sometimes getting in, and sometimes coming down.

LD
 
Oklahoma has gone to mostly on-line this year. A guy should be able to take and pass the course in a few hours. I have seen kids sit through the all day course and pass the test. And they were 5-6 y/o.
 
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