Breckenridge Texan

Novice or young hunters, ages 9 years and above, will have an opportunity on Saturday, Sept. 21, to qualify for a Texas Hunter Education certification card at a Hunter Education Classroom and Field Course. The class will be taught by Will Holt at the Breckenridge Junior High School Library, 500 W. Lindsey St.

The class will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a lunch on your own from noon to 1 p.m. Parents must provide a lunch or take their kids somewhere to eat. Holt said he recommends the course for those age 11 and older, but the state required minimum is 9 years of age.

The course covers the core competencies of firearm and hunting safety, hunting ethics and wildlife conservation, and all materials will be provided. The Hunter Education Classroom Course lasts a maximum of 6 hours of classroom instruction. That time does not include registration, breaks, test administration and certification card distribution.

Courses are offered across the state year round and are taught by certified volunteer instructors. The fee for the certification is $15; bring $15 cash or check made payable to “Will Holt” for the course. Pre-registration is required — click here to register. Check with the instructor for directions and any special instructions prior to going to class. Also, be sure to verify with the instructor that the class you are registering for is the Classroom Course.

When participants arrive at the course, they will need to:

• Pay the fee to the instructor
• Attend the entire course
• Take the written exam and get at least 75% correct to pass

Upon successful completion, attendees may receive a temporary card from the instructor. They may legally hunt with a valid Texas hunting license and the temporary certification card. A permanent Texas Hunter Education certification card will be available for downloading and printing from an Account Profile.

Holt said that the course on Sept. 21 will be a field course and a classroom session, all in one day.

The day’s timeline will be:

• Register between 8 and 8:30 a.m.
• Classroom Instruction from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
• Lunch from noon to 1 p.m. (on your own, parents please provide lunch or take your kids somewhere to eat)
• Classroom Test from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Field Course from 2 to 5 p.m.

For the field portion of the course, participants will need to bring comfy shoes or hunting/hiking boots, wear pants, and plan for the predicted weather. The group will carpool to the field course location, which is about 5 minutes away, on the edge of town, in the woods/pasture.

Attendees should not bring any firearms or ammunition to the classroom or the field course.

Parents are welcomed and encouraged to sit in the class with their child, or pop-in and check on the class at any time. According to Holt, the more guardians they have during the field course, the better the course will be.

Participants must independently be able to read and make a 75 percent or higher on a 50-question test. Each student taking the test must be paid for, but there is no charge for parents proctoring.
In addition to passing the written test and field course, a positive attitude and respectful behavior is also a requirement to get certified.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, every hunter in Texas (including out-of-state hunters) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must successfully complete hunter education.

If you were born on or after September 2, 1971, and you are:

• under 9 years of age, you must be accompanied.
• age 9 through 16, you must successfully complete hunter education, OR you must be accompanied.
• age 17 and over, you must successfully complete hunter education; OR purchase a “Hunter Education Deferral,” and you must be accompanied.

Accompanied means that the person must be with a person who is at least 17, who is licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed hunter education or is exempt (born before Sept. 2, 1971), and within normal voice control. Proof of certification or deferral is required to be on your person while hunting. Note: Proof of certification is not required to purchase a hunting license.

Any person 17 years of age or older who has not completed hunter education may defer completion for up to one year. A deferral may only be obtained once and is only valid until the end of the current license year. You must be accompanied while hunting if you have a deferral. Note: The one-time Hunter Education Deferral is available at license vendors and costs $10. A person who has been convicted or has received deferred adjudication for violation of the mandatory hunter education requirement is prohibited from applying for a deferral.

Click here for more Frequently Asked Questions about hunter education.

For more information, call TPWD Austin headquarters at 1-800-792-1112, ext. 4999.