With a young hunter in tow, Forum Member down4dacount arrowed this South Zone buck recently. Hunters under the age of 16 may hunt without a license, under adult supervision. Those 16 years of age or older, and born after May 31, 1975, must pass a Hunter Safety Course before purchasing a license; alternately, they may buy a license and hunt under the supervision of a licensed hunter who is at least 21 years old. Check out down4dacount's reports and others on the General Hunting Forum.
From Tony Young, FWC Media Coordinator, Outta' the Woods
With the dog days of summer upon us, it's hard to think about hunting. However, if you're between the ages of 16 and 37, and haven't yet taken the state's hunter safety class, now is the perfect time to be thinking about it. Many of these classes, offered statewide, fill up fast during hunting season while people scramble to get certified. Summer months offer smaller class sizes and offer a better opportunity for students to attend, because they often have more free time then.
People 16 years old or older and born after May 31, 1975, must complete the FWC's hunter safety requirement before they can buy a Florida hunting license.
There is an exception, though. A law passed a few years ago by the Florida Legislature enables individuals who fall into that category to hunt without having to complete the state's hunter safety certification.
It's called the Hunter Safety Deferral, and it allows people the opportunity to purchase a license to hunt while under the supervision of a licensed hunter who is at least 21 years old and meets the hunter safety requirement. It's designed to encourage experienced hunters to teach novice hunters safety, ethics, wildlife and hunting skills and respect for the great outdoors.
It's a great incentive for getting more people to try hunting and, I hope, for the experienced hunters among us to hook some new folks on the sport we love. However, to hunt by yourself unsupervised, you still have to take and pass a hunter safety class and purchase a regular hunting license.
If you're a youngster and already hunt, I suggest you go ahead and take a hunter safety class before you turn 16. Of course, until then, you may hunt under adult supervision.
You can register for a hunter safety class by going to MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by contacting your nearest FWC regional office. Also, there are two versions for your convenience.
There's the traditional course, which is 12 hours of classroom instruction plus a four-hour “field day.” You can opt for taking the online or CD-ROM version at home. But, you'll still have to sign up for the “skills day” part.
The traditional course is offered during four weekdays or on a Saturday-Sunday. If you take it during the week, each session is three hours and offered after normal working hours. On the weekend, you'll spend eight hours Saturday and four hours Sunday morning in the classroom. The remainder of Sunday you'll move over to the shooting range to complete your certification.
The first thing you'll learn about in the traditional class is Florida's many hunting laws. An FWC law enforcement officer gives this introduction. Volunteer hunter safety instructors teach the remaining curriculum.
You'll be taught ethics, hunter responsibility, parts of firearms, various hunting lingo and the proper way to shoot. You'll discover the differences between various bullets, calibers and gauges; how to identify game animals; and learn wildlife conservation and best management practices for native species. In addition, you'll find out about outdoor survival techniques and learn how to administer first aid in the field. Archery and fundamentals of bowhunting also are taught.
In your last hour in the classroom, you'll be given a standardized test of true-false and multiple-choice questions. All you need is to score an 80 percent or better, and then you get to move outside to the shooting range for the field day portion.
This part takes about four hours. During that time, you'll get to shoot clay pigeons with a shotgun, practice your archery skills and target-practice with a .22 rifle. You'll also receive a muzzleloader demonstration, where you'll have the chance to shoot one if you'd like. All guns, bows, targets and ammo are provided. All you have to do is take aim!
After you complete the field day, you'll be given your hunter safety card. At that point you can purchase a Florida hunting license and get ready for opening day.
If you choose to take the hunter safety class online or by CD-ROM, you'll learn all of the above-mentioned material and be given a practice test to prepare you for the last segment – the skills day.
Skill days take about four hours to complete. You'll learn much of what is taught during the traditional course, including hunting laws and ethics, how to handle firearms safely, when to take a shot and where to place the crosshairs. Then you'll get to shoot on the range and take the same standardized test.
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