Hunter Education

Hunter Education Requirements for North Dakota

By law, who must take a certified hunter education course prior to obtaining a firearm or bow hunting license?

• Persons born after 1961

Exceptions

• Persons younger than 12 years of age (By state law youth under the age of 12 may hunt only under direct supervision of a parent, guardian or adult authorized by their parent or guardian. The youth must also have the appropriate license(s) for the species they are hunting.)
• Youth who turn age 11 before the end of the calendar year may receive a whitetail doe license valid only for the youth hunting season without having taken the hunter education course.
• Persons who hunt exclusively on land of which they are the record title owner or operator
• Persons who obtain an apprentice hunting license

NOTE: Proof of hunter education certification must be presented when buying or applying for a hunting licenses (official courses offered by other states and Canadian provinces meet these requirements).

If you have lost your hunter education card, you can find your hunter education number and reprint your card by accessing your account on the Department's Online Services.

Hunter Education Courses

There are two types of hunter education courses offered by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department:

• Traditional Hunter Education: 14-hour course taught entirely in the classroom. Age requirement - Calendar year in which student turns 11.
• Home Study: 14-hour course time split between classroom and online study (there is a $19.99 fee to take this course online). Age requirement - Calendar year in which student turns 12.
  • Note: Students need to be enrolled in a home study course through the Department website prior to completing the online course materials.

Courses focus on safety, ethics, laws and regulations, landowner relations, wildlife identification and conservation.

Students generally receive their hunter education card in the mail 7-10 days after successfully completing a class. Hunter education certificate numbers may be found on the Department'sOnline Services once the records for a completed class have been processed.

Note: The hunter education course described above is the course hunters are required to have prior to hunting. The Department also offers bowhunter certification and fur harvester education courses which are optional, supplemental courses and cannot be used in place of the hunter education courses to meet state hunting education requirements.