Great! You’ve spent time outdoors, contemplated the reality of taking an animal’s life for food, and decided that you want to try hunting. Where do you begin? What do you have to do to be legal to hunt? In this article we’re going to share some resources to help you get your hunting license.
To meet the legal requirements of most states, you will need a hunting license. Additionally, to hunt most, if not all, big game species (deer, elk, antelope, bear, etc.) you will need a tag; also known as a permit.
Note – There are a few exceptions to needing a hunting license that we will cover further down. Find them here
Before you run out and try to buy a license and tag, you will need to successfully complete a hunter safety course.
Hunter Safety Course
A hunter safety course is likely required by your state if you are a first-time hunter. This course is designed to teach you the legal requirements and how to stay safe while hunting. If you ever run into a Wildlife officer in the field, you can incur some hefty fines or even get arrested. Taking a hunter safety course is not a pointless government requirement. These are valuable courses that could keep you out of trouble or save your(or someone else’s) life.
What to expect
In today’s technological age, most states allow you to take the hunter safety course online. You can go to hunter-ed to find a free study guide for your state. This is an amazing, IHEA-USA (International Hunter Education Association) approved, resource. Every state is listed out and the course material is FREE. You don’t even have to log in! You only pay when you pass the course, which costs around $20 to $35. I would have loved to have had this resource when I did my hunter safety course many moons ago.
In a lot of states there are post-certification requirements before you can obtain your hunting license. Hunter-ed has any additional requirements laid out alongside your state’s hunting regulations.
Be sure you KNOW if this course meets your state’s hunter safety requirements. Some states may not recognize hunter-ed as an approved course.
For in-person courses there isn’t a consolidated resource linking you to the registration page of every state. With some googling though, you should be able to find it on your state’s DNR site pretty easily.
If this is the direction you decide to go, I would say you might get more out of it. The benefit of being able to ask the instructor questions and interact with the other students is well worth the hassle of going to a physical location. An in-person course is usually a multi-day event that takes you through the material in a traditional classroom setting. Once you have completed the course you will receive a hunter safety education card. You can then use this card as proof of completion when you purchase a hunting license.
Bowhunter safety course
Most states do not require a bowhunter safety course, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take one. Produced by the same organization that does hunter-ed, bowhunter-ed is a great, NBEF (National Bowhunter Education Foundation) approved, resource to teach you how to be safe while bowhunting. Some of the topics covered are animal identification, bowhunting methods, shot placement and recovery techniques. If you are planning on bowhunting for the first time without a mentor, this class is a really good idea. Just as before, all the course material is available for free so there’s no reason to skip it.
Some states DO require a bowhunter safety course; do your research.
Mentorship – online or in-person
Mentorship is probably still the best way to learn a skill. There is no substitute for someone taking you under their wing and showing you the ropes. My hunting story began with a mentor, in fact. I was 13 when my uncle, who is a very accomplished hunter, first took me out during the Ohio youth gun season. I had no idea what I was doing or what to expect. Over the years he patiently taught me how to shoot, how to find and pattern whitetail deer, and many more things I would need to be successful. I still carry many of those lessons with me today.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had a mentor relationship when I started. I realize the advantage I had over someone else who is picking this up for the first time by themselves. Unfortunately, personal mentorship can be hard to find, if you don’t already know someone. The next best thing is online mentorship.
This is a shameless plug for what we are doing here at Hunt. Kill. Cook.
If you have specific questions you can contact us here!
What we do
We are regularly coming out with resources to help you on your hunting journey. Hunting is often a solo sport, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a community for you to interact with. Hunting used to be a highly social activity. There was a traditional hunting camp where people would meet up, socialize, and hunt – together! Hunting is still done this way from time to time but it’s becoming increasingly rare. We are building a community of hunters where we can grow together, tell our stories, and support one another.
We’re real people who want to help. Right now, signing up for our free email list is the best way to begin engaging with us. Use the form below to subscribe.
Hunting License Exceptions
You must have a hunting license before you can hunt. As I mentioned before, there are a couple of exceptions where you may not need a hunting license:
- You are a landowner or a child of a landowner who is hunting on your own (or your parents) land.
- You are active duty military. THANK YOU!
- You are an apprentice who is hunting with a mentor.
Most states allow these exceptions but, as I’ve said before, you will have to research the laws for your state. It’s unfortunate that the laws vary so much from state to state but that’s how it goes.
Tags
While hunting licenses are good for the length of the season, you purchase tags (or permits) per animal. For small game, such as rabbits or squirrels, there are usually no tagging requirements. It’s the larger game animals where you will likely need to purchase or draw a tag.
Western states
In western states it is fairly common to participate in a lottery for a tag. At a basic level this is where you:
- purchase your spot in the draw for a specific hunting unit
- the drawing occurs on a specific date
- draw a tag, or not
If you do successfully draw, the state keeps your money and a tag is awarded to you. If do not get drawn, you will receive a refund and you may earn a preference point. A preference point positively affects your odds of drawing, in that state, in the future.
This is only a basic explanation of the lottery system and it varies a lot by state. A fantastic resource that does a great job breaking it down is HuntinFool. At HuntinFool they cover draw odds, different types of permits, draw deadlines, and they even offer application services to walk you through the process. If you are just beginning, I would definitely spend some time doing research on this site. You will likely have learned a lot about how licensing and tagging works during your hunter safety course. Using a dedicated resource like this can save you time and money.
Eastern states
In the eastern states tagging is a lot less complex. After you have your hunting license you can purchase a tag right over-the-counter or online. There are many over-the-counter options in western states as well but you may be limited to the species, hunting unit, or time of year you can hunt.
When you finally do harvest an animal, you will need to fill out and attach your tag to the carcass. Once you tag your animal you will need to call in or go online to report the kill. Some states still allow you to take the carcass to a check-station so it can be reported for you.
Get out and hunt
Hunting is an amazing opportunity to learn self-sufficiency, to be involved in the production of your food, and to get out into God’s creation. Don’t let the process intimidate you as it is really quite simple. It’s my sincerest hope that this has encouraged you to take that first big step and get hunting.
