This LEO needs a hunter's safety course....

[VViper]

Looks like all the one-and-one deal is what I'll end up doing.

Anyone know if the field days are ONLY in major cities? I can go to houston, but id rather knock it out here by the house.

A list of schedule Field Courses can be found here: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hu ... tudy.phtml

Chances are, someone in yours or a nearby department knows a Hunter Ed instructor who might be willing to set up a Field Course for you and a small group of interested folks. Maybe your local Game Warden could point you in the right direction. Good luck!

[VViper]

For experienced hunters and shooters, the online course combined with the one-day field course is often a good way to go.

You can get all the information you need at the TPWD web site: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hu ... line.phtml

So for someone like me who is familiar with firearms and gun safety but is completely clueless about hunting and wants to take hunter safety as a first step, would the online class plus one-day course be a good option, or would the two-day classroom course be better?

Gigag04 wisely suggests that an excellent way to learn about hunting is to go hunting with an experienced hunter. To more directly answer your question about home study vs. the traditional two-day course, there are advantages to both. Just for fun, you can take any of the four online courses offered at the TPWD website, with no cost or committment, except an investment in your time. The first two options offered will even let you proceed to the field course without any additional fee. If you feel comfortable with what you learned online, then go on to a field course in your area and get your certification.

The field course consists of a discussion of hunting ethics, a review of the online material, an outdoor "skills trail" excercise (that can vary widely in sophistication) where you are often presented with shoot/no-shoot situations, safe field handling of firearms, etc. You will have a simple live-fire exercise, and then complete a 50-question written exam.

One advantage of the traditional two-day class is that you often have more time to interact with your instructor and ask more questions. Depending on the instructor, the two-day class may also offer more information about wild game identification and hunting techniques. Maybe.

Either way, you will be surprised at what you will learn. You might eventually want to become an instructor yourself. I have learned more by teaching than I probably could have learned in any other way. Texas Parks and Wildlife has many opportunities for instructors to continue to improve through hands-on advanced instructor workshops held throughout the year.

You can learn more about that here: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hu ... ndex.phtml

Welcome to the wonderful world of hunting! The Houston area has a number of outstanding resources available to you, and many excellent instructors who are willing to help you.

[chabouk]

I actually enjoyed my hunter safety course. Of course, I was in 7th grade, and it was taught to our entire class by an Arkansas game ranger. We spent two full days in the classroom, and the third day we went to the local Boy Scout camp and shot .22 rifles.

I'm also old enough that I don't have to take a course to get a hunting license.

[rexinthecity]

I'm slightly confused, some of these posts make is seem like taking a HSC is a requirement before being able to purchase a hunting license. I've never taken one but I walked into academy and got a license last Thanksgiving (got me a deer the next day ). Did I get lucky or something?

[Griz44]

September 2, 1971 is the magic date. If you were born AFTER that date, you have to take the course to get a hunter's license.
I guess they figure the rest of us are so set in our ways that they couldn't teach us anything new anyway, so we don't have to take it. (But I did)

[VViper]

I'm slightly confused, some of these posts make is seem like taking a HSC is a requirement before being able to purchase a hunting license. I've never taken one but I walked into academy and got a license last Thanksgiving (got me a deer the next day ). Did I get lucky or something?

It's always seemed strange to me that anyone who needs to have the hunter education certification can buy a hunting license without ever having been certified. Many people born after September 1, 1971 hunt for many years in blissful ignorance until one day they are snagged by a Game Warden and receive a citation. I guess the argument goes that everyone is offered a current hunting guide when they buy a license, and the guide clearly lists the requirements. Still, you'd think there could be a better way...