Effective August 1, 2009, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Indiana online course—the official hunter education course of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Indiana certifcation.

Bolt-Action Firearms

Bolt Action: A bolt-action firearm operates like opening and closing a door bolt. The bolt solidly locks into the breech, making it accurate and dependable.

To open the action, lift the handle up and pull it to the rear.
If the firearm is loaded, the cartridge or shotshell will be ejected as you pull the bolt to the rear. To make sure it’s unloaded, visually check both the open action and the magazine for extra cartridges or shotshells.
You can store a bolt-action firearm safely by storing the bolt separately from the firearm.