Hunter Education Certification Available Online For Kentucky Residents

As we continue to wait for the coronavirus pandemic to subside, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife will not be offering in-person hunter education classes. However, the good news for aspiring hunters is that they have made the courses available online. Here's what you need to know!

If you were born after January 1, 1975, you must have a valid hunter education course completion card with you in order to hunt in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For those who still need to acquire their certification before heading out into the wild, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is allowing would-be hunters to take the in-class portion of the course online and video submissions for the range-portion of the course.

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To learn how to take the classroom portion of the training, you can visit Fw.ky.gov. There are three different options for the classes ranging in price from free - $28.95. You can expect the classroom portion to take 5 hours or more. Once you've completed the online classes, you must also complete a "range day." This portion of the certification requires a number of steps to be completed and in a specific order. You can learn more about how to participate in the video range day here.

There is an opportunity for you to hunt in Kentucky without first gaining your hunter education certificate. It is available only once and is good for one year. Both Kentucky residents and non-residence are eligible for the exemption but again, it is only available once. If you apply for the exemption, you will need to complete the hunter education certificate if you plan to hunt once the exemption has expired. You can learn more about applying for the exemption here.