Florida · Hunter safety · 2026 Edition
Florida Hunter Safety Course 2026: Cost & Online Options
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 must complete a hunter safety course before buying a license to hunt with a firearm, gun, muzzleloader, bow or crossbow. Florida residents 17+ with prior firearms training FWC recognizes can certify entirely online, free of charge.
Florida runs the widest online provider field in this silo — eight approved vendors from free (NRA) to $49.50 (ilearntohunt.com) — and for most people that price only ever buys the knowledge half, since the standard path still ends at the FWC Field Day. The one genuine shortcut is narrow by eligibility rather than by price: the same online course, from the same vendors, certifies outright with no field day at all if you're a Florida resident 17 or older who can document prior firearms training on FWC's own application form — everyone else pays the identical vendor fee just to reach the field day, not to skip it. That field day itself is unusually flexible for this silo — Florida runs it as either an in-person session or a live virtual one over Microsoft Teams, though both are scheduled appointments with an instructor rather than the fully asynchronous shortcut Minnesota offers.
01 — Who needs it
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 must complete a hunter safety course before buying a license to hunt with a firearm, gun, muzzleloader, bow or crossbow.
The Mentoring Exception lets anyone 16 or older born on or after that date hunt uncertified under a qualified adult of 21 or older who already meets the requirement — apply to FWC for the authorization, and the license itself notes the supervision condition.
Statute: Fla. Stat. § 379.3581
02 — Course options
| Course | Format | Who | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional in-person course | In person | 12 and older | Free | Up to 16 hours of instruction by statute — Free. Classroom instruction plus a field day — live fire included, with a parental release required for under-18s. |
| Online course plus FWC Field Day | Online + field day | 12 and older | — | Online at your own pace, then one field day — The field day itself comes in two forms — an in-person session with hands-on firearms handling and shoot/don't-shoot scenarios, or a live virtual session run over Microsoft Teams. Either way it's a scheduled appointment with an instructor, not self-paced, and passing the online course doesn't guarantee a field day seat — book early. |
| Online-only course, no field day | Online | Florida residents 17+ with prior firearms training FWC recognizes | — | The same online course and vendor list as the hybrid route above — the field day just isn't required for this group. Beyond the course, also read the current year's hunting regulations and submit the Application for Hunter Safety Certification With Previous Firearms Training to an FWC Regional Office. |
A dash means FWC publishes no set price for that route — what you pay depends on the provider you pick or on the individual class.
03 — Approved online courses, side by side
| Provider | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NRA | Free | |
| HunterEdCourse.com | $19.95 | |
| Certified Hunter | $28.95 | |
| Beasafehunter.org | $28.95 | |
| HUNTERcourse.com | $29 | |
| Hunter-Ed.com | $34.95 | Also offered in Spanish, same price. |
| Recademics | $39.99 | $19.99 with the military and first responder discount. |
| ilearntohunt.com | $49.50 |
The widest field of approved online providers in this silo — eight of them, free through the NRA up to $49.50 through ilearntohunt.com — and every one of them still needs the FWC Field Day afterward, so the price only buys the knowledge half.
04 — Your certificate, and other states
A hunter safety card or certificate from a course completed in any other state is accepted in Florida.
Bowhunter education doesn't satisfy Florida's hunter safety requirement and isn't required to hunt with a bow — an archery permit on top of the hunting license covers that. FWC volunteer instructors do run an optional $20 NBEF distance-learning course for hunters who need bowhunter certification to hunt in another state.
05 — Where to register
Courses are booked through Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Find and register for a Florida course →
Got your certificate? Next step: Florida hunting license costs and permits →
Everything else we track for the state: Florida hunting seasons →
Looking for somewhere to hunt? Florida public hunting land — WMAs by county & access rules →
FAQ
Can I take the Florida hunter safety course online?
Yes. Florida residents 17+ with prior firearms training FWC recognizes can certify entirely online free of charge. Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 must complete a hunter safety course before buying a license to hunt with a firearm, gun, muzzleloader, bow or crossbow.
Is there a free hunter safety course in Florida?
Yes — at least one FWC-approved online provider certifies at no cost. Every approved provider produces the same certificate, so the free one certifies you just as well as the paid ones.
How much does the Florida hunter safety course cost?
Approved online providers run from Free (NRA). They all produce the same certificate, so the cheapest one certifies you just as well. Prices are set by the providers and change without notice — the table above was read on Aug 8, 2026.
Verified · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission · Last verified 2026-08-08
Publisher's note. Requirements and course fees read from FWC, retrieved 2026-08-08. Review due 2027-08-01. Course providers set their own prices and change them without notice — confirm before you pay.