"Hunter's Safety" Help Requested: Adult-oriented Classes?

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average_shooter

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I figured I'd try this question here as in my searching online I've become a little confused about my situation.

I'm an adult, have been for a while now (I'm in my mid-twenties), Minnesota resident and I've never taken a hunter's safety course as required by at least MN and WI in order to hunt. The past few years I've been really wanting to hunt, but college got in the way.

In looking at the DNR websites and local class offerings it looks to me like most or all of the classes are oriented towards kids. However, I'm wondering what course of action I might take to satisfy the safety-course requirement?

If anyone could give me any advice, especially MN specific, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd really like to get my hunter's safety taken care of so I can get into hunting.

As a side note, my nine-month-old lab puppy, unlike my previous dog, really perks up to the sound of gunfire and hates being stuck inside when it's going on. I feel she deserves to know a few hunts in her time too.
 
Why not just take the full blown course?
Kids.. adults.. We can ALL learn from experienced hunters / shooters. ( each other ). Just do it.
 
Why not just take the full blown course?
Kids.. adults.. We can ALL learn from experienced hunters / shooters. ( each other ). Just do it.
Click to expand...

Because I wasn't sure if it was open to adults, hence why I'm asking here. The video clips and pictures I've seen showed classrooms full of kids with the adult DNR folks up front teaching the class.

This may seem simple to everyone else who's done it, but I'm the first one in my family that's young enough to be required to take the class to get a tag.
 
My father needed to take a gun-related class to get his VA carry permit. So, at the recommendation of the clerk of the court for the county, he took a hunter safety class at age 68.

Two honorable discharges from the Army Air Force in WWII, former VA state trooper, gun owning mountain kid during the Depression and there he was in class.

He loved it, said the kids were just wonderful and so into it all.

John

P.S. - He ended up with 2 discharges because they lost his paperwork on some little island between New Guinea and the Philippines and discharged him (on paper) for a day.
 
I've taken it myself.
Didn't have to, nephew asked me to do it with him.
The only drawback I experienced, were folks that I know that were there with their kids, asking me " what I got busted for"
Once I explained why I was there...
ALL good!!
 
I teach hunter ed here in Kansas. Every class we have several adults 20-25 year old range. Hunter Ed is boiled down to very basic info yes that kids can understand as well. There is alot of info that is good for hunters of any age to learn though. We get several people who complain about the length of our class. Wednesday night from 6:30-9:30 pm, Saturday from 8:00 am-6:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00-5:30 pm. By the end of the class the people who complained the most about time are the ones thanking us for the info. Take the class you may be glad you did.
 
when i lived in wyoming, everybody under the age of about 163 was required to pass hunters safety class. true enough, the class was geared towards kids, and even though i had been hunting big game for a decade prior to moving to wy (and could prove it), i still had to take the class.

for me, i found the class to be a huge waste of my time. but i wanted to hunt, so... i was one of about 4 or 5 adults in the class of 25 or so.

for you, w/ minimal hunting background, regardless of age, you will do well in the class. also, use the time before and after class to network. developing a hunter network will lead you to all types of hints and tricks that will speed up your learning curve tremendously. everything from where to hunt, to how to hunt at certain times of the year. it will be a good class that is worth your time. further, when you decide to go after elk in wyoming, you will be legal to do so as you will have already taken the class...
 
JohnBT,
Your father was mis informed. His DD214 (discharge paperwork) replaces the requirement for a gun related class. All he had to do is go to the sheriffs office and fill out the paperwork and hand over his $50. I will be doing that exact thing this summer.
 
I have been a hunter safety instructor since 1986 here in Georgia. Yes the class is geared towards kids, but we always have a few adults in the classes. In GA anyone born prior to 1963 is exempt, but we used to get a lot of adults who were planning out of state hunts who were required to have the class in the state they were going to.

Take the class anyway. It will probably be more fun than you realize and there will be other adults there to meet. If nothing else the instructors enjoy having other adults to talk with during breaks.

I have no idea if other states offer this but GA offers the course online. You complete the course on your time and print out a document. You do have to take the document into a location and just complete the written test in order to get credit for the course. It allows you to complete the course without as much class, or travel time.
 
Thanks everyone for all the info. I do fully intend to take a class. I just wasn't sure if the "regular" class was what I needed, or if I had to do something different like a mentor-program after finding info about that on the MN DNR website. I guess I'll be looking around for the next local Hunter's Safety and just sign up.

EDIT to add:
Here's the MN DNR website that kind of confused me.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/index.html

Notice it lists "Firearms Safety for Youth," "Firearms Safety for Adults - Independent Study," "Apprentice Hunter Validation," etc.
 
When I carried my son to get his HSC, there was almost as many Dads and adults as kids in the class. After the class was over the Game Warden told all the adults that they could get their HSC card, I got mine. Never had it check in the 22 yrs I had it! Funnest part of the class was when the GW asked the kids(as a test) what the deer limit(3 at the time) was that yr. Most of the kids answered correctly, but one kid who was about 4 yrs. old(not taking class, but there with dad and brother) who held up his hand as if to ask a question. The GW who was about 300 lbs and 6' 3" strolled over close to the kid with his hand up ....."son you want to ask about something" ... little boy said "my daddy killed 9 deer last yr." ... you should have saw the dad trying to crawl under the school desk he was sitting in... the GW stared point blank into the dad and said " HE DID?" everybody chuckled out loud!

Jimmy K
 
Even though the class is geared towards kids of about 12 years of age, if you lack a mentor, it'd be a good thing regardless, and as noted, in some states it's mandatory anyway.

On top of that, as an instructor that puts through 40-50 kids a month through hunter ed about 9 months out of the year, I can tell you that I am happy to have level headed adults as students in class. I suspect most instructors feel the same way.

Edit:
JohnBT,
Your father was mis informed. His DD214 (discharge paperwork) replaces the requirement for a gun related class. All he had to do is go to the sheriffs office and fill out the paperwork and hand over his $50. I will be doing that exact thing this summer.
Click to expand...

State laws may vary on this for hunter-ed purposes however. For instance, here in Utah, that would exempt him from the shooting test portion of class, but not the written test or the mandatory 12 hours of class attendance.

They are serious about it too. If I get caught signing off someone who did not attend at least 12 hours of class, it's a felony charge for me.:what:
 
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In the state of Kansas a DD214 means squat when it comes to hunting. I get at least three or four calls before each class. Someone wanting to know why in the world they need hunter safety because they are vets. Very little of hunter safety has to do with shooting. That excuss does not sit well with me. I am a vet and so are alot of folks on this forum. Fort Riley Kansas is very strict on hunter safety cards to hunt the military reservation. So if you are going to go hunting; hunter safety is not a bad thing to take no matter how old you are.
 
In Richmond, VA in 2005 to get one's Concealed permit, the Hunter Safety course was an acceptable course to fulfill a requirement.

It was filled with kids, around 8-16 years old, and their dads; and in a few cases their moms.

It may have been geared for kids, due to the basic nature of the course, but certainly there were so many situations covered, that everyone benefited from the three nights, that the ages of those in attendance was not what was important.
 
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When I was in my 30's I had hunted in several states and a couple of different countries. I am also a NRA certified instructor. I still had to take the hunters ed course to hunt in a certian state.

The class is to make sure you know what your doing with animals. Take the course.
 
Understood. That's why I pointed out that individual laws vary state to state. We've got guys from at least a half dozen states posting in this thread.
 
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