Registration Open for In-Person Hunter, Bowhunter Education Courses in Helena

In-person hunter and bowhunter education courses for the Helena area are posted and open for registration. Courses in other areas of the state will be announced soon.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has reopened its in-person hunter and bowhunter education courses-statewide. While the online option is still available to anyone who will be 12 by Jan. 16, 2022, or older, FWP highly encourages attendance at one of its in-person courses.

Hunter and bowhunter education courses are led by volunteer instructors who are passionate about Montana’s hunting tradition, teaching firearm safety, ethics and other crucial outdoor skills. Students will enjoy hands-on experiences in such things as firearms handling, live firing of firearms and bows, blood trailing, survival equipment and techniques and much more that is not possible with an online only course.

Registration is free and available online.

Students are required to pick up materials and complete the course manual before the first class. Dates, locations, and specific instructions for each class, as well as contact information for the lead instructors, are available in the class descriptions online.

Students must be at least 10 years old to register for an in-person Montana hunter education course. Students must attend all classroom sessions, the field course, and pass a final exam. Hunters must be 12 years of age by Jan. 16, 2022, to hunt this fall, but those ages 10 and 11 may hunt as an apprentice. Find out more about the apprentice program online.

Bowhunter students must be at least 11 years old by the first night of class to register for the bowhunter education course.

Instructors are needed in communities across Montana. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer instructor, please contact Wayde Cooperider, FWP’s Hunter Education Program Manager, at 406-444-9947 or visit https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/education for more information.