It's not hunting season. It's hunter education season.

Shortly, we'll be counting down the days to the first opener of the fall hunting season. For some lucky youth, such as those in Utah, that opener will even come a few days early, with a special 'youth-only' hunting day. But before then, there's another season to pay attention to: hunter education season.

It's understandable if fishing, not hunting, is what's on a young hunter's mind in the middle of summer. But the truth is, if you need hunter safety certification to buy a hunting license, now is the time to make sure all your ducks are in a row-otherwise there won't be any ducks in the oven.

One good thing is that online options have made it easier to fit hunter education into a busy summer schedule. You can now take the HUNTERcourse.com approved online course in more than 25 states. You can sign in and out of the online course, so you can do it at your pace and on your time, wherever you have an Internet connection. Find out if you can take online hunter education in your state at www.huntercourse.com/usa.

After passing the online course, you complete your certification at a live field day (sometimes called a follow-up class). So you get the convenience and interactivity of an online course with the hands-on benefits of the classroom. "It's the best of both worlds," says Kerry Moher, of HUNTERcourse.com. "But it's important to get that field day scheduled in time for hunting season!"

You can usually find a list of the available field days or follow-up classes posted on the web sites of the agency responsible for hunter education. What does a typical field day look like? Check out an interactive map of Minnesota's field day. This page also has information about how to sign for a field day in Minnesota.

Four steps to get your hunter education certification online (in most states):
Sign up for your Field Day so your place is reserved.
Complete your online course with HUNTERcourse.com.
Print out your Field Day voucher and take it to the Field Day.
Pass the Field Day and get your hunter education certification!

Don't be disappointed and wait until all the class spots are filled up and you can't get your hunting certification in time for that big deer hunt you've been planning. Start your hunter education season today and be ready for the real hunting season this fall!

For more information, contact:
Kerry Moher
Vice President of Business Development
Fresh Air Educators
kerry@freshaireducators.com
877-722-8838 x 222

Developed by Fresh Air Educators, Inc., HUNTERcourse.com is the leading provider of online hunter education across North America. The fully narrated and interactive online hunter safety courses help students to meet mandatory education requirements in over 35 states and provinces. HUNTERcourse.com is a golden associate member of the IHEA.