This is the time to get your Hunter Education Certification before hunting season starts. It is offered locally free of charge through classes offered jointly with MDWFP and Wayne County 4-H. Local MDWFP Officers, along with Lanette Crocker and Jessica Sibley, Mississippi State University-Extension Service Extension Agents and other volunteer instructors teach these sessions.
Classes scheduled for this fall are Saturday, October 1; and Saturday, November 5. These classes are held at the Wayne County Extension Office from 8 am until 6 pm. You must go online to mdwfp.com to register for Hunter Education Classes. On the MDWFP homepage, select Education Outreach under the Quick Links on the left side of the page. After Education Outreach has loaded, select Hunter Education. Next scroll down and click the Search All Classes link. On the next page you will search under Wayne County for the upcoming classes. Click the link next to the class you want to register for and fill out the information. You will have to register as a new user to complete the registration. This new online registration allows you to enter all of the information needed and eliminates chances of misspelled name, incorrect addresses, etc.
Hunter Education works. Since 1950, when formal hunter safety programs were introduced, the number of hunting and firearms-related accidents has declined dramatically nationwide. In Mississippi, we know that our hunter education efforts have reduced firearms accidents and saved lives. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks offers hunter education classes free of charge at locations across the state. The hunter education course includes 10 hours of instruction, including live shooting. To obtain hunter education certification, students must be at least 10 years of age and must attend all classroom hours and pass written exam.
All persons born after January 1, 1972 are required to complete a hunter education course before purchasing a Mississippi hunting license. Also Effective July 1, 2000, anyone twelve (12) years of age and under sixteen (16) years of age must have a certificate of satisfactory completion of a hunter education course approved by the Department before hunting alone in this state. A child at least twelve (12) years of age and under (16) years of age may hunt without having the certificate of hunter education if the child is in the presence and under the direct supervision of a licensed or exempt hunter at least twenty-one (21) years of age when hunting
If you take the online Hunter Education Course, there is a charge for that. You also must still attend the afternoon session of one of the regular classes and complete the firearms safety section and test in order to complete the requirements. If you have taken the online course, please be sure to bring a written copy of your participation and make sure you register online for our class.
You can call the Mississippi State University-Extension Service Wayne County Office for more information 601-735-2243. Programs of Mississippi State University Extension Service are open to all people, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or group affiliation. MSU Extension will provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities or special needs. Please contact our office at 601-735-2243 prior to a program or event to request reasonable accommodation
