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:

• List of certified Firearms Instructors by town from the Firearms Records Bureau. (Dept. of Public Safety)
• Your local police department may be aware of other authorized firearms courses.
• Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) website including:

Listing of other certified firearms safety instructors across the state: http://www.goal.org/training/instructor_listing.html

List of Approved Basic Firearms Safety Courses (Dept. of Public Safety) http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/msp/approved-basic-firearms-safety-course-list-updated.html

GOAL’s course schedule: http://www.goal.org/training/schedule.html
(Two of the listed courses meet gun licensing requirements: the Basic Pistol Course and the Home Firearms Safety Courses.)

 

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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

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

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston MA 01583
Tel: (508) 389-6300; Fax: (508) 389-7890