The first hunter and bowhunter education classes of 2018 are open to registration across northwest Montana.

Hunter education courses are currently scheduled in Bigfork, Whitefish, Libby, Plains, Somers and Trout Creek. Bowhunter education courses are scheduled for Plains and Columbia Falls. Online registration is open by visiting fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter and selecting “Find a Class or Field Course.”

Instructors in other communities are in the process of organizing additional courses and those classes will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

A student must be at least 10 years old to register for a hunter education class. Classroom courses are free and anyone is welcome to take the course.

Class days and total hours vary by area. Participants must attend all of the classroom sessions, field course, and pass a final exam to become certified.

To purchase a Montana hunting license, any person born after Jan. 1, 1985, must show a certificate of completing a hunter education course.

Online hunter education courses are available for those who are 18 years or older. The online course allows participants to complete the classroom equivalent of the Montana Hunter Education Course online. Adults must still attend a practical field course to become certified.

Volunteer hunter and bowhunter education instructors are needed across northwest Montana to teach safety, outdoor skills, ethics and responsibility to students of all ages. For more information, contact Dillon Tabish at (406) 751-4564.

For updates, follow Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Region 1 Facebook page or visit fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter.