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.

Safety Mechanisms

A safety is a device that blocks the action to prevent the firearm from shooting until the safety is released or pushed to the “off” position. The safety is intended to prevent the firearm from being fired accidentally. However, safeties should never be relied on totally to protect against accidental shooting. Safeties are mechanical devices and subject to mechanical failure from wear and other factors, and can fail when least expected. Also, safeties can be bumped from the safe position unknowingly as your firearm is being handled or as it catches on clothing or tree branches. All safeties are located around the receiver of the firearm and are usually easy to spot. Common types of safeties are: cross-bolt, pivot, slide or tang safety, half-cock or hammer safety.