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GO ONLINE, GET CERTIFIED FOR A HUNTING LICENSE

26K views 44 replies 27 participants last post by  pappybear 
#1 ·
GO ONLINE, GET CERTIFIED FOR A HUNTING LICENSE

Option allows new hunters to complete Hunter-Trapper Education anywhere, anytime.



Many first-time buyers of Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker licenses have a new, convenient option for completing the required certification course.

A new, online-only Hunter-Trapper Education course is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The course, which can be completed online in about six to eight hours, is available to students ages 16 and older. Students can use any computer, smartphone, tablet or e-reader to take the course, providing flexibility to take it anywhere at any time, said Andy Hueser, a hunter-education specialist for the Game Commission.

“People live increasingly busy lives these days,” Hueser said. “In recent years we’ve upped the number of traditional, classroom courses we offer and have offered many more courses at peak times in the fall when more people are thinking about hunting and hunter education, and record numbers of new hunters have become certified as a result.

“But demand still exists, and some folks simply can’t make the time to attend a traditional course,” Hueser said. “For them, this new, online option removes a hurdle that might have previously stood in the way of their obtaining a hunting license.”

The curriculum for the online course is identical to that taught in the traditional classroom course. Topics such as tree-stand safety, lawful trapping of furbearers, firearms safety, Lyme-disease prevention, state game lands regulations, and other programs all are covered.

Students move through the material a page at a time, making their way through 11 units. They must spend a certain amount of time on each page to make sure they’re not glossing over the material. There’s a quiz at the end of each unit, which must be passed before moving on to the next. And a test covering all material in the course is completed at the end.

After passing the test, a temporary certification card can be printed, and a license purchased immediately.

The online course is available through Kalkomey, a Texas-based company that specializes in hunter education and has been an important partner in the Game Commission’s programs for years.

There is a fee, currently set at $19.50, for the online course, which is wholly retained by Kalkomey to offset their costs of providing the course.

The course can be taken through Kalkomey’s website, http://www.hunter-ed.com.

Hueser said a full slate of traditional, classroom Hunter-Trapper Education courses will continue to be offered statewide in Pennsylvania to meet what has been a growing demand for this in-person option, and those courses will continue to be free of charge.

“We expect most students, as well as the parents of young hunters, will continue to prefer the traditional courses,” Hueser said. “They like the opportunity to interact with an instructor and to see safe hunting and trapping practices demonstrated right before their eyes.

“We will continue to work to offer as many of these courses as we can to keep up with the very high demand for them,” Hueser said. “At the same time, though, this new option is going to be a better fit for some, and we’re happy to provide it, so they can get their license and the information they need to be safe before they get out there and hunt.”



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#11 ·
So my daughter had been hunting for the last 3 years. Now she needs a class to get a license? What is the difference, please tell me, between her and a 16 year old new hunter who can take the online course.
 
#12 ·
Bad idea no matter what the age of the participant.
IMO anyone who wants to hunt should be required to demonstrate the ability to safely handle a firearm in a realistic hands on setting.
 
#14 ·
repsagA29 said:
You are equating a father of a 12 year old wanting the same opportunity a 16 year old has to crying ?
If you were referring to my post, no, mine was not directed at you in particular. I don't feel anyone should be eligible for this, it just shows yet another fast lane attempt that will lead to more expected fast lane results.
 
#15 ·
Nothing personal but there is no way to be sure that it is the 12 year old taking the test on line.

Personally I don't agree with a total on line course, if a person has the time to hunt they have time to take a six hour class (something you only have to do once in a life time, as long as you pass the test)
 
#17 ·
It amazes me the number of people who think it is ok for a mentored youth who has not taken a safety course AT ALL to go into the woods and hunt. But the same people think that an older child or adult who HAS taken a safety course, even if it is online, is not fit to hunt.

I believe this is a good thing. My wife wants to hunt. She works a full-time job, 40 hours plus a week and we have a 2 year old son. Its not that she WON"T go take a hunter safety class, it's just that this is so much more convenient to do. Do it on your own time, instead of when it's dictated to you. Coupled with the instruction I give her, I think she'll be more than competent. Call me egotistical, but I think I know more about hunting than many of the instructors I've seen anyhow. (And I'm not knocking instructors!)
 
#18 ·
kudu58 said:
It amazes me the number of people who think it is ok for a mentored youth who has not taken a safety course AT ALL to go into the woods and hunt. But the same people think that an older child or adult who HAS taken a safety course, even if it is online, is not fit to hunt.

I believe this is a good thing. My wife wants to hunt. She works a full-time job, 40 hours plus a week and we have a 2 year old son. Its not that she WON"T go take a hunter safety class, it's just that this is so much more convenient to do. Do it on your own time, instead of when it's dictated to you. Coupled with the instruction I give her, I think she'll be more than competent. Call me egotistical, but I think I know more about hunting than many of the instructors I've seen anyhow. (And I'm not knocking instructors!)
I may be wrong but thought the Online Course was ONLY for Students & NOT Adults??
 
#19 ·
This is from the Hunter Education news, the winter 2014 2015 issue sent to all active HTE instructors

The new on-line class is age restricted, for those 16 and older, and it will take a lot of time (about 6 to 8 hrs with out breaks), you must spend a certain amount of time on each chapter and answer the quiz questions correctly before moving on to the next chapter. If you miss more than one question you will have to redo that chapter before moving on to the next and if you miss only 1 that missed question will be reviewed before moving on to the next. After taking the test at the end of the program and passing the exam you will be able to print a temporary card.

This is all controlled by the program that was designed by the vendor, Kalkomey Enterprises, with parts designed for Pa,s laws with the basic concept the same as is being used in many other states at this time. The money for the class (less than $20) goes totally to the vendor.

The basic and Hands-on HTE classes held in a class room setting will still be free of charge.

The hours we, The instructors, spend either preparing for or in the class room are recorded and sent to the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service. This time has a "in-kind" value used for Pittman Robertson grant monies. Last year alone our instructors contributed nearly $1 million dollars worth of volunteer time.

Another reason to become an instructor and for those needing a class to spend it in a classroom.
 
#20 ·
We don't begin to have enough time in 6 to 8 hours of a basic class to teach our students how to hunt. We work on teaching the basic's of safe hunting practices, laying the groundwork for our students to build on as they begin their journey as hunters. Hopefully they will be blessed with good mentors to teach them the proper lessons to become not only safe and successful hunters but above all ethical hunters.

I would love to have folks, both Ladies and Gents, who are skilled it the different ways of hunting the many species we have here in Pa to step up and become instructors, especially in the advanced classes.
 
#22 ·
Talk to your local WCO or the regional office, they will get you started.

They will do a background check and get you signed up for an instructors class, some of which you do on your own, which is now 4 hours of classroom and pass an exam.

You will also need to attend a basic HTE class within 18 months, I think it can either be before or after, to become certified as an instructor.

Great to see you stepping up, I am sure you will enjoy being an instructor.

Go to the PGC website click on education then becoming an instructor, ton of info there.
 
#23 ·
Big Redneck said:
We don't begin to have enough time in 6 to 8 hours of a basic class to teach our students how to hunt. We work on teaching the basic's of safe hunting practices, laying the groundwork for our students to build on as they begin their journey as hunters. Hopefully they will be blessed with good mentors to teach them the proper lessons to become not only safe and successful hunters but above all ethical hunters.

I would love to have folks, both Ladies and Gents, who are skilled it the different ways of hunting the many species we have here in Pa to step up and become instructors, especially in the advanced classes.



 
#25 ·
Ive seen a lot of adults thru the years that should be forced to take the test again (if they ever took it in the first place).

Big Redneck, maybe you should push for a mandatory renewal test every 10 years for all hunters.
 
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