To Parents with Young Students,

We are excited that your child has signed up for our Hunter Safety Course. We would like to share some information for you to consider prior to attending the course. To be clear, there is no minimum age to hunt in Maryland or to take the “traditional” in-person class. Based on our experience as Hunter Education Instructors, we have found that the course can be challenging for some young students.

The course and written test are meant to be taught on a 5th grade level. The course has an advanced vocabulary of terms and new concepts related to the parts of a firearm and the safe practices of handling a firearm. In the course, students will be required to demonstrate safe handling of a firearm in the classroom, on a firing range with live ammunition, and during a hunter safety trail walk where simulated obstacles are encountered. Students must show proper methods to safely navigate those obstacles while carrying a training firearm. At times, the weight of the firearm itself can be an obstacle to younger students.

Other topics in the course include ethics, wildlife habitat and conservation terminology, identification of proper ammunition, tree stand safety, first aid and survival. These topics and the corresponding test questions are often missed by young students unless parents provide additional study time with their children.

You know your child best. Some younger children do well and feel a great sense of accomplishment after successfully completing the course. Many younger students do not pass the course, which becomes difficult for some children, leaving them tearful and feeling devastated. Telling a child that they did not pass the course is the most difficult part of being a Hunter Education Instructor. Failure to successfully complete the course may leave a child with a negative feeling that is hard to overcome in the future. We want children to be successful and become lifelong, enthusiastic hunters.

We want you to be aware of an option you may wish to consider: the Maryland Apprentice Hunting License. An Apprentice License allows a young hunter to take a short, online Apprentice Hunter Safety course, and upon successful completion, allows a junior hunter to hunt with a licensed adult, who becomes a mentor to the junior hunter. Junior hunters are now eligible to purchase an apprentice license for consecutive years up to 17 years of age. Because there is no longer a one-year limitation, many consider the apprentice license program to be a better option for younger hunters until they are mature enough to successfully complete a basic Hunter Education class. We encourage parents to take advantage of the apprentice license for any junior hunter, especially for those under 10 years of age.

If you believe your child is ready, they are certainly welcome to join the class as it is a great learning experience. We will do all we can to ensure that all material we cover is understood by all students, but please note that “coaching” or providing answers to students during the test taking process is not permitted.

Additional Information About Young Students in Hunter Ed Courses

1. Any student under the age of 13 years old must have an adult (18 years or older) accompany them during any session of the Hunter Education Course unless otherwise stated on the registration site.
2. Training teams will have the discretion to require adult supervision for students 13 to 16 years old or non-drivers of any age.
3. Training teams will have the discretion to require any student chaperones to remain outside the actual classroom, trail walk and/or range. Refer to the individual class description on the registration page.
4. Teaching teams are the guests of the facilities that allow them to teach there. Therefore, some classes may have specific limitations in order to accommodate facility by-laws or insurance regulations. Please read the class description on the registration page thoroughly.
5. Students who rely on transportation from another person must ensure that the transportation is on time. If the student’s transportation is more than thirty minutes late, the instructor may at their discretion dismiss the student from further participation in the course.
6. Hunter Education classrooms are filled with students of all ages. The curriculum is designed to accommodate approximately 5th grade students. Although students of any age may attend, the success rate of students decreases below that age. Instructors will make every attempt to achieve the success of every student where possible.
7. Parents may not assist their children with any portion of the training. This includes testing, trail walk or range events. If reading is an issue, please communicate with the instructors at the time of the class and an instructor may be available to read the test aloud.

Students With Special Needs

Any student registering for a class that has a special need (i.e. translator, physical or mental disability, etc.) must contact the Chief Instructor of your class immediately upon registration in order to allow the team time to prepare appropriate accommodation.

The Hunter Education Program will make all reasonable efforts to provide a safe and effective training environment for all students. Considering the physical nature of some of the tasks, this can be challenging at some facilities. Hunter Education Instructors may:

1. Redesign some of the physical training components to create a safe training environment
2. Work with the student or family to find an alternate location where accommodation can be achieved
3. Work with the HE Staff to provide additional resources in the classroom

In order to allow for greater chance of success, please provide as much notice to the Chief Instructor as possible.