Hunter Education
Who Needs a Hunter Education Card?
Anyone born after 1968 must complete a hunter education course and carry a valid hunter education card to hunt in Arkansas. There is no specific age requirement to enroll in hunter education. However, the educational material is based on a sixth-grade reading level. Arkansas recognizes hunter education cards from other states. Arkansas’s hunter education program is recognized in all states, as well as in Canada and Mexico.
Children under 16 who have not completed hunter education may hunt as long as they are under the direct supervision of a licensed hunter at least 21 years old.
Take Free, Instructor-Led Hunter Education Classes
The traditional and preferred hunter education method is through a 10-hour, instructor-led classroom and hands-on demonstration. Classes may be a few hours a night for three to four nights or a full Saturday. The final class ends with a test to pass the course.
Sign Up for Hunter Education Online
Now, there are two ways to take hunter education online.
The Original Arkansas Hunter Education Course
$24.95
Want your course to feel like a movie? The original Arkansas hunter education course offers live-action, high-definition videos featuring a combination of professional educators (who double as professional actors), entertaining storylines and up‐to‐date scenarios that give you one of the most effective ways to learn safe hunting practices.
The New Interactive Arkansas Hunter Safety Course, ilearntohunt
$49.95
Gamers, this is the course for you. ilearntohunt is a gamified hunter safety course, built around real-life scenarios. Your character is put in the driver’s seat, allowing you to put your hunter safety knowledge to the test. As you make decisions for your character, you move through the levels of the course.
Replace Your Hunter Education Card
Lose your boater education card? Replacement boater education cards are available for a small fee online or by calling 1-800-830-2268.
Deferred Hunter Education Code (DHE)
A free Deferred Hunter Education Code (DHE) can take the place of the hunter education requirement for hunters 16 and older. The code is available at any license purchasing agent, by phone or online:
- The hunter must possess a valid Arkansas hunting license while hunting.
- The hunter must be in the direct supervision of a licensed hunter at least 21 years old who is either certified in hunter education or was born on or before Dec. 31, 1968.
- The hunter may not have been convicted or forfeited bond for prior hunter education certification violations or other AGFC-sanctioned hunting privilege revocations.
Bowhunter Education Classes
The International Bowhunter Education Program is administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Hunter Education Division. The IBEP card is good for life and is recognized internationally. Hunters may attend a free, one-day, instructor-led course or take an online course for $30. Either method requires a field day which must be taken with a certified instructor.
Scheduled as needed with most occurring in late summer
Scheduled as needed
Incident Reports
If you would like to become a Hunter Education instructor, please reach out to: