Apprentice-designated hunting license to pave way for new hunters

            Many Oklahomans have been hunting since childhood and are looking for a way to introduce a friend to their outdoor traditions, and for them, Oklahoma's apprentice-designated hunting license is a good place to start.
            The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's apprentice-designated hunting license allows hunters ages 10-35 to go hunting without first completing a hunter education course. The apprentice-designated license is the same as an annual hunting license, except it has an “apprentice” designation and the hunter must be accompanied by a mentor. The mentor must be a licensed hunter 21 years old or older who is hunter education certified or exempt from hunter education requirements. Those exempt from hunter education requirements include hunters who are 36 years old or older, members of the National Guard, or those honorably discharged or currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
            “Our apprentice-designated hunting license is extremely popular because it allows new hunters to get out in the field, even if they aren't able to get to a hunter education class in time for hunting season,” said Mike Chrisman, license supervisor for the Wildlife Department. “If you are an avid hunter, and you want to take someone new with you, the apprentice designation helps you do that.”
            The apprentice-designated hunting license is ideal for a range of circumstances, such as newcomers who are interested in learning more about hunting or for those who have been invited to go hunting before a course can be attended. Apprentice hunters can hunt big game with an apprentice-designated hunting license provided that the mentor hunter meet the specified qualifications and remain within arm's reach or close enough to take immediate control of the firearm or archery equipment. For small game, mentor hunters must remain in sight of the apprentice and both parties must be able to communicate in a normal voice without the aid of any communication device. When a license is not required (residents under 16 years of age, nonresidents under 14 years of age), the apprentice hunter still must be accompanied.
            Hunters age nine and under and who are hunter education certified can hunt big game or small game alone except during youth deer gun and turkey seasons and on public lands, where additional regulations may apply. Hunters age nine and under must be hunter education certified in order to hunt big game (deer antelope, bear or elk) but may hunt small game without hunter education as long as they hunt with an “accompanying hunter” who is within sight of and able to communicate with them in a normal voice without the aid of any communication device.
            Even those hunters who can hunt with an apprentice-designated hunting license are encouraged to enroll in a hunter education course.
            The Department's Hunter Education course teaches a range of topics including firearms safety, wildlife identification, wildlife conservation and management, survival, archery, muzzleloading and hunter responsibility. The course is available as a standard eight-hour course, or as a home study course.
            The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation offers a full listing of available upcoming hunter education courses online at wildlifedepartment.com. Visitors to the site can learn when and where classes will be held and, if pre-registration is required, a phone number is provided.
 
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