PSA: Hunter Safety Courses

HorizontalHunter

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For any that are considering hunting this fall you should get your hunter safety course in as the classes fill up fast; especially this time of year. Very few courses are offered during the season as the volunteers that conduct the courses are out hunting.

The mass course is free. I also highly recommend the Map, Compass, and Survival course. It’s a great course on basic navigation for inexperienced folks getting started. All of their courses are free.


The Texas course is 100% Online but it isn’t free. But it’s a great option for those that can’t get into a Mass course. It is always better to take the course in the state you plan on hunting as they cover the laws and regulations for that state.

The course is $28.95 and hunters over 17 also pay a $5.25 state fee.


In Massachusetts we have a combination Sporting license that includes both the firearm and archery seasons. Many states separate the firearms and archery into two separate licenses And because the archery is a separate license they require and archery hunter safety course. Connecticut is one state that does this.

Bob
 
For any that are considering hunting this fall you should get your hunter safety course in as the classes fill up fast; especially this time of year. Very few courses are offered during the season as the volunteers that conduct the courses are out hunting.

The mass course is free. I also highly recommend the Map, Compass, and Survival course. It’s a great course on basic navigation for inexperienced folks getting started. All of their courses are free.


The Texas course is 100% Online but it isn’t free. But it’s a great option for those that can’t get into a Mass course. It is always better to take the course in the state you plan on hunting as they cover the laws and regulations for that state.

The course is $28.95 and hunters over 17 also pay a $5.25 state fee.


In Massachusetts we have a combination Sporting license that includes both the firearm and archery seasons. Many states separate the firearms and archery into two separate licenses And because the archery is a separate license they require and archery hunter safety course. Connecticut is one state that does this.

Bob

Clarification: The Mass Sporting License is for Fishing and Hunting. The Archery/Primitive seasons are covered by the hunting license, but you need separate "season" stamps for hunting in those seasons. For instance: you can hunt deer with a bow during Shotgun season, and not need a stamp, but to hunt in the other seasons, you need stamps for the season(s).

Mass does not require a separate bowhunting course.

I'm unsure of the status of Mass HE courses - our spring course was Covided, and crowd size limits may....limit things.

If you take a non-Mass course....MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE EXTRA FIREARMS WEIRDNESS WRT HUNTING. It's your responsibility to know the [rules]
 
Clarification: The Mass Sporting License is for Fishing and Hunting. The Archery/Primitive seasons are covered by the hunting license, but you need separate "season" stamps for hunting in those seasons. For instance: you can hunt deer with a bow during Shotgun season, and not need a stamp, but to hunt in the other seasons, you need stamps for the season(s).

Mass does not require a separate bowhunting course.

I'm unsure of the status of Mass HE courses - our spring course was Covided, and crowd size limits may....limit things.

If you take a non-Mass course....MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE EXTRA FIREARMS WEIRDNESS WRT HUNTING. It's your responsibility to know the [rules]
I know the abstracts lay out what you can/not use to hunt basically anything that's in season, and that there are times when you can't carry a rifle or handgun (e.g. in WMAs where pheasant are stocked, during the pheasant season). Besides these, and the general license/transport/storage laws, is there anything I'm missing?
 
The big thing is that an LTC (regardless of restriction, or lack thereof) does not allow you to carry a handgun while deer hunting (basically being in the woods). You're not permitted to use a handgun on deer, and having it on you is construed as hunting.

Also having a loaded long gun leaning against your vehicle counts as transport.

There are other quirks, but mostly they're covered in the Abstracts.
 
Yup. Unlike the Ma gun laws the hunting laws are pretty specific. I just know you shouldn't pull a critter out of a log. 😁
 
Yup. Unlike the Ma gun laws the hunting laws are pretty specific. I just know you shouldn't pull a critter out of a log. 😁

Or a wall.

Also, it's unlawful to hunt with ferrets [laugh]

The other caveat is that the definition of "hunting" is extremely broad: driving deer towards a buddy's location is lawful, but the drivers need to have a license, whether or not they have a gun or bow in their possession.

On this, I once asked an EPO if, when I had been out with some falconers, whacking brush piles with a ski pole, had I actually been hunting without a license? He said, "Yes, but we generally leave falconers alone, because they're all crazy." [laugh]
 
I've been trying to get my son (13) into a course, but the state ones are full by the time I see them posted.
Are they any states that have them online but don't require a field day for youth?

I have this same question! Impossible to get my kid into a class and even if he could get in, none of the classes are close to where we live.
 
I've been trying to get my son (13) into a course, but the state ones are full by the time I see them posted.

Are they any states that have them online but don't require a field day for youth?


I have this same question! Impossible to get my kid into a class and even if he could get in, none of the classes are close to where we live.

The Texas class is all online. The information is in the first post.

Bob
 
I've been trying to get my son (13) into a course, but the state ones are full by the time I see them posted.

Are they any states that have them online but don't require a field day for youth?
I got my son into one in April , he is a little older but I put my name on the list to be notified when a course opens up. I found out that as soon as you get the email you need to sign up because they fill up in a couple of hours.
He is doing a remote class and then a field class, does anyone know what is involved in the field class?
 
I got my son into one in April , he is a little older but I put my name on the list to be notified when a course opens up. I found out that as soon as you get the email you need to sign up because they fill up in a couple of hours.
He is doing a remote class and then a field class, does anyone know what is involved in the field class?
Generally it's a little land nav, a walk with the dummy guns to prove you know how to safely walk with one, and a "shoot/don't shoot" event with fake decoys and archery target fake animals in the woods to prove you know the safety rules. Maybe some other stuff too but none of it is too difficult.
 
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