As Georgia hunting season approaches, education courses required

SOCIAL CIRCLE — Dove season is fast approaching – and so is the window for hunter education courses. Hunters have two options: take the course completely online or take part in a classroom course, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

“You get to choose the method through which you take your hunter education course,” Jennifer Pittman, hunter development program manager with the Wildlife Resources Division, said in a news release. “Offering both classroom and online options gives students a choice of not only what works best with their schedules, but also with their learning style.”

There are now five available online courses. For most students, each course requires a fee, but all are “pass or don’t pay” courses. Fees for online courses are charged by and collected by the independent course developer. The DNR classroom course is free of charge.

Completion of a hunter education course is required for any person born on or after Jan. 1, 1961, who:

♦ purchases a season hunting license in Georgia;

♦ is at least 12 years old and hunts without adult supervision.

The only exceptions include any person who:

♦ purchases a short-term hunting license, i.e. anything less than annual duration (as opposed to a season license);

♦ is hunting on his or her own land, or is a dependent hunting on land of his or her parents or legal guardians.

For more information, go to https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/huntereducation or call (706) 558-3355.

Special Photo: Georgia DNR