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Official Washington Hunting Safety Course Link to Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Official Washington Hunter Safety Course and Hunting License Test

Welcome to the official home study online hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Washington State law requires all individuals born after January 1, 1972, to show proof of basic hunter education training before purchasing a hunting license. There are no exceptions to the law. There is currently no minimum age to purchase a hunting license in Washington State.

Two Study Options

  • Washington Hunter student manualInstructor-led classroom courses. There is no minimum age required to enroll in hunter education classes, but instructors may require a parent or guardian to attend all classes if students are under 12 years of age.
  • Three-part Independent study beginning with this online course, which is available to all Washington residents. All online home study students are required to complete evaluations in three areas: knowledge, skill, and attitude.

Note that all steps must be successfully completed in order to earn a hunter education certification card. Online hunter education is best suited to older students who can work independently and do not require instructional support. If you have any questions or doubts about the home study program, please contact huntered@dfw.wa.gov.

Is Home Study Right for You?

Individuals who enroll in Washington's online hunter education program must successfully complete each of three elements to earn a hunter education certificate.

Online home study students must successfully complete a classroom/range evaluation session which is a minimum of four hours in length. Students must pre-register for a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife home study classroom/range evaluation session.

  • Please register in advance and confirm your spot directly with the hunter education instructor conducting the classroom/range evaluation session.
  • Students should arrive prepared to take a 15-question hunter education quiz at the beginning of the classroom/range evaluation session. A quiz score of less than 80% (12) will disqualify the student from completing the evaluation session.

Knowledge

Step 1: Studying the course material online and passing the online Certification Exam satisfies the knowledge evaluation requirement. Students who pass the online Certification Exam are not required to take any other written examinations, but they are required to complete the evaluation standards for both skill and attitude.

Skill

Step 2: Students will be evaluated by a certified hunter education instructor on gun handling skills, loading and unloading firearm actions, use of safeties, and carrying positions during classroom, live-fire, and field course exercises—at ALL times.

Attitude

Step 3: Students will be evaluated by a certified hunter education instructor on attitude and participation during the classroom/range evaluation session.
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Washington Department
of Fish & Wildlife
Course Overview
Course Chapters
Testing
White-tailed deer tracks
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Washington Hunting
Information
Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: May 9, 2008
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