huntsafe education

South Dakota's HuntSAFE (Safety And Firearms Education) courses are designed for persons age 12 through 15.

Persons who are 11 may participate, but will not be issued a Hunter Safety certification card until they turn 12, unless the card is clearly marked that the card is not valid in South Dakota until their 12th birthday.

If a student's 12th birthday falls on or between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, they may be issued a card and eligible to obtain a license and hunt beginning Sept. 1 of that year.

Adults are also welcome and invited to attend.

three course objectives:

Teach safe handling of firearms, in the home as well as in the field.
Develop safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunters who are aware of our hunting heritage and who understand the hunter's role and relationship with the wildlife and the land.
Certify students under the age of 16, making them eligible to apply for hunting licenses.

The goal of the HuntSAFE courses is to teach young hunters safe handling of firearms, in the home as well as in the field. We also want to develop safe, legal and responsible hunters who are aware of our hunting heritage and who understand the hunter's role and relationship with wildlife and the land, as well as certify persons under the age of 16 to make them eligible to apply for hunting licenses.

HuntSAFE ID Card

Students who successfully complete a HuntSAFE course receive an identification card containing their name, date of certification, a certification number and the signature of the instructor.

Until the student is 16, a parent or guardian must present the HuntSAFE certification card to a license agent when purchasing the young person's hunting license.

Replacing HuntSAFE ID Card

If you have ever completed a HuntSAFE course in South Dakota, you can replace your card online, or send your name, full mailing address and date of birth to: wildinfo@state.sd.us

HuntSAFE Courses

South Dakota offers two delivery methods for students to choose how they want to complete their HuntSAFE Certification. The classroom style course and the independent study course provide students with the skills and knowledge to be eligible to receive their hunter safety certification. HuntSAFE classes are generally offered March through October.

HuntSAFE Classroom Course
This free, classroom-style course allows students to participate in multiple in-person sessions; providing the student with knowledge and skills relative to hunting and hunter safety. To be eligible for certification, students must be present and participate in all the required sessions.

To pre-register for a classroom style hunter safety course, please view the information below.

HuntSAFE Independent Study Course
The Independent Study HuntSAFE course is a blended learning course where a student completes their coursework online at their own pace and as their schedule allows.

The online course features a responsive design component which allows it to render and be used on all smartphone and tablet devices. There are also English and Spanish voice narrations, realistic illustrations and students can study for free and pay only when they pass.

Once complete, they will participate in an in-person field day for about 4-6 hours. At the field day, the student will review the knowledge and skills they learned online and take a written HuntSAFE final exam.

After completing their online component the student will pay $15.00 to receive their field day qualifier voucher. The student will take this voucher to the Independent Study Field Day they sign up for.

To start or view the online course, visit www.hunter-ed.com/southdakota.

To pre-register for an independent study field day, please view the independent study class listings.

HuntSAFE Independent Study Course Listing - near bottom of the page.

Contact information