Our new website is live, but you may see a few areas in transition as we continue organizing and updating content. Site search will be limited at first while Google updates its index, but results will improve over time. If you’re looking for a quick starting point, try the How Do I… section on the home page to jump straight to common actions.
State law requires anyone born on or after July 1, 1957 to complete an approved Hunter Education course before hunting in Kansas, unless they are 15 or younger and directly supervised by an adult age 18 or older.
Individuals 16 or older may also choose to hunt under an Apprentice hunting license, which provides a two‑time deferral of the Hunter Education requirement when hunting under the supervision of a licensed adult.
Kansas accepts Hunter Education certifications from all other states, Canadian provinces, and many foreign jurisdictions. While students under age 11 may attend a course if space allows, they cannot be certified until they turn 11.
Apprentice hunting licenses may be purchased at any Kansas license vendor, and online at GoOutdoorsKansas.com.
Kansas Hunter Education teaches new hunters to be ethical, safe and knowledgeable. The course consists of subjects covering hunter responsibility, ethics, fair chase, history of firearms, firearms basics, ammunition, basic gun safety, field safety, bowhunting, conservation and wildlife management, wildlife of Kansas, outdoor emergencies, Kansas hunting regulations and boating safety for hunters. Where possible, students may live fire and/or go through simulated hunting conditions.
The traditional hunter education course is organized and conducted by volunteer instructors across the state. By law, the course must be a minimum of 10 hours in length. Most courses average 12 hours of instruction over two or more days. Courses are offered throughout the year with the majority being conducted in the months spanning August through October.
This online Hunter Education Course is provided free to all Kansas residents by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and NRA.
This course is only for students aged 18 and over. Upon successful completion of this course, students aged 18 and older will be issued a final hunter education certificate and hunter education card that can be printed from a computer.
Students under the age of 18 must take a Traditional or Hybrid Hunter Education course.
The Hybrid Course format is designed to create flexibility with learning styles and flexibility with a shorter field day. The program is designed to cover the information you need to know before going hunting – the same information delivered in the traditional classroom format. Like the traditional course, there is no required fee to take the online course. This class is open to all students 11 years of age and older.
Please complete the online course prior to registration for field day. Proof of online course completion is required by either a screenshot or printout of the field day qualifier certificate.
This hybrid method is a three-part process that requires completion of the Kansas online hunter education course, pre-registration in a hybrid field day, and successful completion of a hybrid field day.
Remember the excitement of your first pheasant season opener - the camaraderie of family and friends? Or perhaps you can still smell the marsh as you followed your father into the predawn twilight on duck season opening day 20 years ago.
If you were fortunate enough to have been introduced to hunting at an early age, you know the magic. It rests in your memories forever, and it drives a basic desire to experience the outdoors each fall. Hunting is a valued natural heritage - one that must be passed on from one generation to the next. But hunter numbers are decreasing, and younger generations are in danger of missing these treasured experiences. And fewer hunters reduces the financial, social and political support needed for effective wildlife management.
"Pass It On" is a program designed to reverse the declining trend in hunter numbers. While the program is made up of many different subprograms, such as Outdoor Mentors, Shooting Opportunities, Hunting Access, Special Hunts, and Education and Awareness, its most valuable component is you. It takes a hunter to make a hunter, and it is critical that youth learn important life lessons in the outdoors from experienced hunters.
You can become involved by simply taking a youngster hunting this fall. Youth seasons provide ideal opportunities to get youngsters involved through uncrowded, noncompetitive conditions. Youth seasons often open a week or so before the regular season, and include deer, pheasant and quail, waterfowl and spring turkey opportunities. Find youth season dates on the When to Hunt page.
Hunter Recruitment & Retention Effort
Frequently Asked Questions About Hunter Education