Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
June 2009
The Online Hunter Education Course
Almost 4,000 people took hunter education in Alaska last year. These students learned first hand in the classroom, in the field, and at a shooting range. Now the Department of Fish and Game is offering a new option for Hunter Education – an online course.
The online hunter education course still requires an in-person test of practical skills, face to face with an instructor, but now much of the course work and preparation can be done online.
The Online Hunter Education course is composed of two parts. For the online course, the student studies the course material and takes practice tests on the internet; there is no workbook to complete. You can take multiple chapter review tests online until the material is adequately covered. After successfully passing the Online Field Day Qualifier Exam on the internet, you must attend a Field Day where you must successfully complete a field course and a required proficiency shoot. It is only after successfully completing both parts of the course that you will receive your Basic Hunter Education Certification.
There are a few EASY steps to enroll in an Online Hunter Education course.
To complete the independent study portion of the Hunter Education course, you will need an adequate computer, printer, and Internet access.
Study the material in “Today’s Hunter in Alaska” and then complete the chapter review questions. Re-study any material you may have answered incorrectly.
When you have studied all the chapters, take the practice test as many times as you like-(free of charge) to ensure you've mastered the course material. A different set of questions is presented each time you take the practice test.
When you want to become eligible for admittance to the mandatory Field Day, take the 50 question, Field Day Qualifier Exam. There is a $15.00 charge for the online exam. This fee is collected whether you pass or fail. A score of 80% is required for passing the exam.
Upon passing the Field Day Qualifier Exam, you can print out your official Hunter Education Field Day Qualifier Certificate. This allows you to sign up online for a Field Day event in your area. The Field Day will include a brief review of key safety issues, firearms handling exercise with “cutaway” firearms under the careful supervision of the instructors, a field course, and a required shooting proficiency.
Students will then return to the classroom and take a written test. A score of 80% is needed to pass.
The student must successfully complete the field course, shooting proficiency and written test to be certified. If any portion is not successfully completed, the student must sign up to take a future course.
The course may be found at: http://www.huntereducation.alaska.gov/
The online Bowhunter Education has been active since February 2008 and has been very well received. All the information for this course is also clearly listed on the ADF&G website.
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