The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced that first-time hunters now can use the Internet to complete a part of their hunter education course. The online course can be found on the DNR's new Hunter Education Web Page at www.michigan.gov/dnr.
"The online course material is essentially the same as the printed material currently used in the traditional class, and it is a good alternative to the home study course as well," said Sgt. Kevin Davis, field coordinator for the DNR hunter education program.
The current home study course requires the student to receive materials a few weeks ahead of the scheduled field-day portion of the hunter education course, where each student must demonstrate safe firearm handling. The home study course also requires the hunter education instructor to check in with the student to ensure he or she has "done their homework."
Students who successfully complete the online course will be issued a pre-certification exam certificate which they will provide to a certified hunter education instructor in order to take the field or skills portion of the class. At the end of this one-day session, all students must take and pass a proctored exam to earn their hunter safety certificate.
"The pre-certification exam certificate earned from the online course is not sufficient to meet the requirements to purchase a hunting license," Davis said.
There is a $15 fee for the online course, which covers the cost of maintaining the site and processing the exam. If a student does not pass the exam it will cost $15 to retake the test.
