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The Official Website of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

 
MassWildlife Hunter Education Program

Basic Hunter Education Courses

WHO NEEDS TO TAKE A BASIC HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE?

The Basic Hunter Education Course is mandatory (and designed) for first-time hunters in Massachusetts.  In order to purchase a hunting license, a hunter must have taken a Basic Hunter Education class from any state, Canadian or Mexican province OR has held a license in any state or province.

  • If you have successfully completed a Basic Hunter Education class in the past or in another state, you do not need to take this class. You can purchase a hunting or sporting license immediately. (You don't need the document in hand, during the purchase of your license you will be checking a box swearing that you have met the hunter education requirements.)
  • If you held a hunting license from another state or province, you do not need to take this class. You can purchase a hunting or sporting license immediately. (You don't need the document in hand, during the purchase of your license you will be checking a box swearing that you have held a license in the past.)

All courses are free of charge. Below is the current schedule of Basic Hunter Education Course offerings. More courses will be listed as our volunteers set up the schedule. Please note - students must attend ALL dates listed. Course enrollment opens at least 2 months in advance. Detailed Course Description

To be notified about upcoming courses fill out a form and when they are scheduled you will receive notice about any courses in your area.

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If you are only looking to get training to apply for a MA firearms license (FID or LTC), other courses offered by authorized individuals and groups may be more convenient and legally meets requirements for firearms safety training:

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Course Enrollment Status Update: The information below is not updated in "real time". Sometimes it takes 24-48 hours to update course status. The Hunter Education office has the most up-to-date information. Thank you for your patience.

Last Updated: 05/20/2013

2013 Basic Hunter Education Courses
Course Dates*
Town
Location
Hours
Enrollment Information
May 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, & 31 Hanson Hanson Rod & Gun Club
104 Davis Road
Directions
6pm-9pm
This class is full
May 21, 23, 28 & 30 Norwood Norwood Sportsmen's Club
550 Nichols Street
Directions
6:30pm-10:30pm
This class is full
June 1 & 2 Braintree Braintree Rifle & Pistol Club
788 Liberty Street
Directions
8am-4:30pm
This class is full
June 1 & 8 Granby Granby Bow & Gun Club
85 Chicopee Street
Directions
8am-4 pm
This class is full
June 3, 4, 6, 10, 11 & 13 Bourne Monument Beach Sportsmen Club
Dump Rd off MacArthur Boulevard
Directions
6pm-9pm
6/4 5:30pm-9:30pm
To Enroll Call (978)772-0693
June 4 & 22 Plainfield Ashfield Rod & Gun Club
161 North Street
Directions
6/4 6pm-10pm
6/22 8am-6pm
This class is full
June 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 & 27 Bourne Otis Fish & Gun Club
Rt. 28, near MA Military Reservation Base
Directions
6pm-9pm
To Enroll Call (978)772-0693
June 17, 19, 22 & 24 Princeton Norco Sportsman's Club
91 Houghton Road
Directions
6pm-9pm
6/22 8am-4pm
This class is full
Handicapped Accessible
July 16, 18 & 20 Shirley Shirley Rod & Gun Club
End of Kittridge Road (Off Rte 2A)
Directions
6pm-9pm
6/22 8am-4pm
To Enroll Call (978)772-0693 Handicapped Accessible
July 29, 30, August 1 & 2 Worthington Worthington Rod & Gun Club
458 Dingle Road Rte 112
Directions
6pm-9pm
6/22 8am-4pm
To Enroll Call (978)772-0693 Handicapped Accessible
July 30, 31, August 3 & 6 East Falmouth Falmouth Rod & Gun Club
203 Carriage Shop Rd
Directions
6pm-9pm
7/31 5:30pm-9:30pm
8/3 8am-4:30pm
To Enroll Call (978)772-0693
Courses are scheduled by our volunteer instructors from January through early October. This calendar is regularly updated to reflect new course offerings. Course enrollment opens 2 months in advance. 

To get a sense of scheduling and locations from the past, see the following link.

For additional information, call the Hunter Education office in Ayer, Massachusetts at (978) 772-0693.

Note: The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) provides external links to the websites of entities mentioned on this page as a public service. The Division does not exercise control over the content of these websites. A link's presence here should not be construed as an endorsement of its contents by MassWildlife.

Last Updated: < May 20, 2013