Hunter Safety Class – What to Expect
Whether you’ve been shooting guns your whole life, been on multiple hunts but never been the shooter, your spouse wants you to go with him/her for more time together, or it just sounds like a hobby that you can’t pass up…..you can’t pull that trigger at an animal without a hunter safety license (and tag, but that’s a different conversation).
Some people might be a bit nervous, especially if you’re new to shooting or haven’t grown up around hunters where the laws of the land have been engrained in you. No fear! These steps are here to get you through what to expect and successfully pass. This information is going to be specific to Colorado, but the process is the same in each state. You will just need to Google “[state name] hunter safety course” to enroll with your state.
Let’s get started!
Use the link https://www.hunter-ed.com/colorado/ to start your free account. It just needs some basic information from you. Thanks to modern technology, half of the class is now offered online. Get your account set up but don’t start your classes until you do the next step.
Now, even though it sounds like you’re going in a backwards motion, you actually need to sign up for your Conclusion Class first. This is the part of the class you take in person where you will take you final test and the shooting test. The reason for this is the class fills up FAST. March is usually the hardest time to get in because it’s right before applications are due for the upcoming hunting season. As soon as you have your hunter education certificate, you can start putting in for points or apply for licenses. This refers to points you must acquire in order to get a tag for certain animals (again, covered in more detail later). For now, just know that if you wait until March and want to have it done soon you might be driving a bit to get to an open class. Go to https://www.register-ed.com/programs/colorado/99/ and look at what is available. The date is important because you must take the in person portion within 90 days of the online portion. Once you’re registered it’s time to start your class!
The online portion is actually updated quite a bit from the past. If you’ve grown up around hunting or guns most of this should be a review. However, there’s always something new to learn! It does let you skip to the quiz if you feel that you are already a master in a certain category and you don’t want to do the lesson part of that category. Tip: When you’re taking the quiz, you can also Google the questions if you’re unsure of the answer. There are many study guides that will pop up to help you. However, make sure that you are actually learning the material because it is a safety factor to all involved.
The course is a self guided, walk through portion with 10 quizzes. Each quiz ranges from 10-20 questions. They say it’s an 8 hour online course, but again, if some of it is a review for you, simply skim through the information as a refresher. Once you pass, you will receive a voucher. This is also typically the only portion you need to pay for. You have the option to pay at the beginning or after you pass the quizzes, but the CO fee is $24.50. They will email you your voucher that you passed. Print it and remember where you put it.
From here, you will wait for your in person class. If you are new to shooting or hunting, I suggest you find a friend that has a bolt action rifle to practice. If you don’t know what this is don’t worry. You’ll learn about it in the class. It’s not necessary by any means, but that is typically the gun you’ll be shooting for the test, and if you’re serious about hunting you might as well start practicing now. After all, a test doesn’t help you harvest an animal. Practice does.
Now, it’s the day you have waited for! Don’t forget to bring your voucher to class. They will not let you stay in the class if you don’t have it with you. There will also be two other papers they will email you. One is a waiver you also have to take with you. The other is a medical report that is not required to be filled out. They do not have extra copies for you at the location, so don’t forget these papers!
Sign in, take your booklets they will hand you, and find a seat where you can visibly see the screen. A DOW (Department of Wildlife) officer will be conducting your class. These people know the laws in and out, and they’re also the ones who will be watching if you’re following the laws in a real hunting situation. Be sure to use them as a resource and ask questions when you have them. The instructional part of the class will last about 4 hours, give or take. Most of it is a review from what you did online, so if you feel good about that information the final test will be a piece of cake. However, I did learn some great tips and resources that weren’t online. They will also have weapons that can no longer fire. During your breaks you’re allowed to go use them to get comfortable with how they work.
Some of the information you receive will be CO hunting rules, survival techniques and requirements, important dates for the year, and a wildlife identification pocket guide. This one is important because if you shoot the wrong animal that’s not for your tag you’re in BIG trouble. 
A DOW officer will teach the class. He/she is very knowledgable about all the hunting laws, so use your time wisely and ask anything you are unsure of.
If you’re not comfortable with shooting, be sure to take advantage of the practice weapons at class. The bolt action is more than likely the type you will use for the shooting test, so if nothing else practice it a few times to make sure you’re good to go. Yes, this class will also cover shooting with a bow, shotgun, muzzleloader, and pistol.
After the class it’s time for the test. It will consist of 50 questions that are all multiple choice. Take your time because finishing first doesn’t mean you get to leave. It means you have to sit longer for all the tests to be graded. If you’re having your child attend this class, one of the volunteers is allowed to read the test to your child so he/she doesn’t have an unfair advantage by not understanding certain words or what it’s asking. The cutoff score is a 75%, so you can miss 12 on the test. My personal opinion is if you’re missing close to 12 you’re not ready to be a responsible hunter anyway.
After you pass the written test you move along to the shooting test. Typically everyone goes and is able to watch other people shoot. Some Conclusion classes have an indoor range, but remember that all of the locations are usually free of charge for the class, so if no indoor range is available they will do the shooting outside. Mine was hosted outside, and the cold and wind were so horrible they actually had everyone wait inside and brought us out in waves.
This is where most people freak out. If you’re not a seasoned shooter don’t worry. They’re more concerned about you understanding how to safely handle a gun than they are the target. They will be looking for a few main areas:
*can you safely carry the gun through the field (this is taught in the class)
*is your gun always on safe until right before you’re about to fire it
*is your finger always outside the trigger guard until you’re ready to actually pull the trigger
*is the muzzle always pointing in a safe direction
*do you have ear and eye protection
Most times the gun will be a .22 long rifle with a bolt action. Remember that a lot of children take this test, so they’re not going to require you to use something that has a huge amount of kick. A good thing to mention here is you are not able to bring your own gun. They will provide the guns and the ammo. Mine even had a left handed gun for those special people like myself. If your child is the one taking the test, the officers will be very helpful. They stand right next to the child and talk them through all the actions. The child is required to hold the gun him/herself though and is the only one allowed to pull the trigger, so make sure your child is comfortable with this.
The shooting requirements vary depending on the officer. Mine was 2 walk through rounds where the officer called out each action and we all shot together (I shot with 3 other people at the same time). Once we were good on that, they released us to shoot at our leisure. We had to complete 10 rounds of live fire.
Once you pass, the officer will sign your card and hand you a bright orange piece of paper. You passed! Way to go!
Don’t lose this card! Carry it with you as if it were any other license. While you’re out hunting you ALWAYS have to have it available in case you get stopped by an officer.
The cards are processed pretty quickly, so now you need to go online and register yourself. Visit www.cpwshop.com to create your account. This allows you to start earning points towards animals you might consider hunting in the future….bear, moose, elk, etc.
On the chance that you have already received some type of license in the past (typically a fishing license), you might have a CID number already. If this is the case, the online portion will not let you register because you technically already have an account. At this point you need to call 303-291-7227. This person can walk you through the steps on fixing your account from their end. I just had to scan in my hunters education card and drivers license and email it directly to them. I then got an email that I was all good to go.
Now your card should be verified. This means that you don’t have to carry your hunter education card with you. However, it is still best practice to take it with you anyway. Also, if you’re hunting outside of your state residence it is still required to have it on you. Ex: You live in CO but are hunting in NE
Things to Consider:
*If your shooting portion is outside make sure to bring appropriate clothing. Mine was freezing and in the middle of a field with tons of cactus. We also had to do a bit of walking. I threw in extra warm items just in case and I ended up using every single one.
*Girls – you will more than likely want a ponytail holder. If you’re like me, I hate my hair in a ponytail so I don’t have a stash sitting around. It’s helpful though to take one less stressor out where you can really focus on the shooting.
*You will be given a lunch break but it’s up to the officer for how long. Most people bring their own lunch, so either pack one or research in advance to make sure there’s a quick place to eat in whatever town you are testing.
*You are allowed to take someone with you if you need (or if you’re a parent you can attend and sit with your child). My loving husband sat through the whole thing all day that he easily could’ve taught. He even got recruited to go help the DOW set up the shooting portion. Lucky him.
*Look up your testing location beforehand. I trusted my GPS and it failed. Also, I had practically no service to call anybody and ask. We had to revert to an actual map to find the correct street and walk in to class 5 minutes late. A lot of these are held out on private land and your GPS might not recognize the location.
Now go get it done! Get out there and enjoy the great outdoors and world of hunting. If you have any other specific questions leave a comment or shoot me an email. I’m happy to help!
