Colorado hunter education is required for anyone with a birthday on or after January 1, 1949, who wishes to apply for a Colorado hunting license. This requirement is in place for one simple reason…to make the great sport of hunting safer. Reducing the number of hunting accidents makes this program important to all hunters, young and old alike.
Hunters needing to complete a hunter education course in Colorado have an opportunity to either attend a traditional classroom setting at a location and time to be determined by the instructors, or they have a choice of home study, internet-based courses or even courses known as CRASH courses. CRASH courses are courses that are available for hunters that are non-residents of the state of Colorado. There are also courses available for women and youth. Hunters attending these courses may be charged a small fee, usually in the range of $10, to offset the cost of hunter education manuals, ammunition used when attending the course and any equipment that may be needed. Out-of-state hunters may incur a charge of up to $20 to help offset their expenses. Also, out-of-state hunters who have a verifiable hunter safety certificate from another state may use it instead of attending another hunter education course in Colorado.
Safety is the main goal of any hunter education course, in any state, and the State of Colorado is no exception. Since the hunter education requirement came into effect in 1970, the state statistics show that hunting related fatalities have dropped from an average of nine per year to an average of 1.6 per year. Hunters attending these courses will have the opportunity to learn the correct and safe way to handle firearms in many situations, including but not limited to safely transporting the firearm in a vehicle or an atv, safely handling the firearm in the field during the actual hunt, and even the correct procedure to store the firearm in the hunters residence. These hunters will also be exposed to other topics such as wildlife management, wildlife identification, hunter etiquette and responsibility, survival and first aide. Bow hunting and black powder hunting safety are also discussed during the ten hours that hunters attend hunter safety courses.
In the State of Colorado, hunting education courses are instructed by volunteers who are certified by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. These hunting education courses are held in locations through out the state at different times. Any hunter needing to attend one of these courses should pre-register for the date and location of their choice. Pre-registration helps ensure that they are able to attend at this location and at the time they wish as these courses tend to fill up quickly, especially in more popular areas. Hunters who are interested in attending one of these courses should take a visit to the Colorado Division of Wildlife to learn more about the times, locations, fees and any other instructions they may need to be aware of relating to hunter education.
