Moved Hunter Ed Course: Online or in a Classroom?

KrisB

Ten Pointer
Hey, all,

Thinking of taking the hunter education course for the first time this autumn or next year. I wanted to ask: Do you recommend taking it online or offline in a classroom? I saw that if you take the online version, there is some kind of field day, but I don't know if that would work out with my work schedule or not. Anyway, what do y'all recommend? Also, what is the course like? What kind of things do you cover in it?

Posted this here since I'm interested in bowhunting, but let me know if I should post it elsewhere on the forum. Thanks!
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
You would probably get more comments from the General Forum. There are a number of Hunter's Education instructors here but I don't know exactly what they monitor. Personally, I would certainly recommend going to a class vs. online, especially if you are new to hunting activities. You should ask questions and you won't be able to do that very well in an online course. If I am not mistaken, the field day is mandatory. Part of it is actual handling/shooting weapons to demonstrate some level of safety proficiency as well as other aspects. Hopefully someone with more accurate information will be along shortly and get you pointed in the right direction.
 

Jrbrandt25

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Go do the classroom more hands on and interactive when you got questions , and it's not terrible a lot of it is going over the basics and Common Sense stuff but I'm glad it is required in North Carolina but obviously that doesn't mean anything because there's a lot of people that still do stupid stuff in the woods but I personally think you could learn a lot from the classes in person and different places offer different days of the course I know online is convenient tho.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
You have to take both. I just went Thru it last year. You do the whole online thing, get a certificate, and that makes you eligible to go to the classroo to take the final course. Same with trapping license
 

KrisB

Ten Pointer
Thinking of taking the hunter education course for the first time this autumn or next year. I wanted to ask: Do you recommend taking it online or offline in a classroom? I saw that if you take the online version, there is some kind of field day, but I don't know if that would work out with my work schedule or not. Anyway, what do y'all recommend? Also, what is the course like? What kind of things do you cover in it?

Posted this here to get more feedback. It's also up in the Archery forum.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Id recommend taking it in the classroom. The instructors cover the topics and can offer advice and experience. The online course covers the material, but doesnt offer the experience. If you run into something you do not understand, i dont know how many options there are to ask the questions you may have. Never met an instructor that was strictly by the book. They offer many items outside of the book and are fantastic resources.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
Take it in the classroom, it's easier than first grade. I was not even aware there is an online version but I took mine a long time ago. I had a good time when I took my course. Take a friend along for company to ease any jitters.

The course is very basic: covers gun safety, gun basics, identifying cartridges and shells, safety tips (big emphasis on turkeys). An overview of laws and bag limits. The test is literally whatever the instructor covers.
 

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
I can’t really speak to NC’s system but in WV if you complete the online course you print off a voucher to use for the “field day” and it’s good for up to a year, you just have to call the DNR (WRC down here) and reserve a spot on one of their field day dates. I took that in 2010 however, before I could drive, and never made it to a field day. So a few years later I went through the classroom version. The instructors could speak to some questions but I feel that the classroom version is better suited to new hunters with no knowledge. If you already know your way around hunting safety and whatnot I see nothing wrong with the online class, provided you actually pay attention and don’t just click through it.

It covers mostly what you’d expect. Mainly firearms safety, methods of hunting, a little bit of species identification, hunting laws, etc.
 

TheCloudX

Ten Pointer
Contributor
It's been ages since I took my Hunter Ed recourse but I remember enjoying it. That said, if you've ever taken a defensive driving course online, you'll know how boring it can get. Looks like the online course for Hunter Ed is 4-6 hours. Think I'd get way to bored. In person is better for this imo

https://www.hunter-ed.com/northcarolina/faq/
 

CJF

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am a Hunter Ed instructor and teach 6 - 8 classes a year both regular and the online field day portion. I reccomend the regular classes because most instructors teach more than just the bare minimum. My classes average 12 hours to cover all the neccessary material even though the state has cut it down to 6 hours. the online and field day portion cuts out a lot and makes passing the exam difficult.
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I did the online course and then did the "field" day that consisted of sitting in a classroom for 30 minutes, taking a test then explaining 4-5 different guns to the game warden.
 

Uwharrieman

Ten Pointer
If time permits I vote for the classroom. Lots of discussions that you learn from,
as already mentioned you can ask questions.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
As I said before and has been reiterated here, there is no substitute for face to face learning. If you have a real desire to learn anything, time should not be sacrificed for convenience. Most of the time, you will come up short.
 

Smitty010203

Twelve Pointer
I did face to face. My wife did online. I learned WAYYYY more than she did. Granted most of the stuff is common sense but there are little simple things you pick up on. Likewise with a personal instructor you almost get to know them and you get to hear personal stories about situations from them as well as the others in the class room that you can learn from.

The online for her was way easier and seemed to take up a lot less time. But. If you can swing it. I saw do an in person class.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
For someone brand new to hunting your gonna want the classroom you will have questions and they can help you.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I may just see things a bit differently than others, but am thinking, why not do both? Do the online class so you will have a better idea of what to expect in the physical class and also have the opportunity to jot down any questions that you may have ahead of time. This can be done at your leisure, and I think you can actually stop and start until finished. After that, the actual class will be understood much better and easier as all the information will not be thrown at you in one day. Just a thought.....
 

KrisB

Ten Pointer
Thank you, everybody! I've registered for the classroom hunter ed course in August. Looking forward to being able to ask a lot of questions of the instructor. :)
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
I like the classroom better. As was said by a number of the folks here, you get to hear experiences and ask questions. Better yet, you get to hear questions others have that you may never have thought to ask, and the answers. Just better overall IMHO.
 
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