Michigan · Hunter safety · 2026 Edition
Michigan Hunter Safety Course 2026: Cost & Online Options
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1960 must complete an approved hunter education course before buying a Michigan hunting license.
Michigan's 1960 birth-year cutoff is among the oldest of any state this project tracks, meaning most adult hunters are exempt by birth year alone. The defining feature of Michigan's system is the field day: it is not skippable under any of the four listed paths, which sets Michigan apart from the many states where a purely online course certifies a hunter outright.
01 — Who needs it
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1960 must complete an approved hunter education course before buying a Michigan hunting license.
Nonresidents can buy a Michigan hunting license using a valid hunter education certificate from another state instead of taking a Michigan course.
02 — Course options
| Course | Format | Who | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional in-person course (incl. field day) | In person | Not stated | $10 | Minimum 10 hours over at least 2 days — Maximum $10 fee. Under-10s must be accompanied by a parent or approved adult. |
| Online course + field day | Online + field day | Not stated | — | Self-paced online, then a 4-hour in-person field day — No fully-online path exists in Michigan — every route ends in a mandatory 4-hour field day (max $10 fee), on top of whatever the online vendor charges for the coursework itself. |
| Interactive online course + field day | Online + field day | Not stated | — | Self-paced online, then a 4-hour in-person field day — Same field day requirement as the plain online course, via a more game-like online vendor course. |
| Take-home study + field day | Home study | Not stated | $10 | Self-paced manual, then a 4-hour in-person field day — Requires instructor pre-approval and pickup of a paper manual at least one week before the field day. Maximum $10 field-day fee, no separate vendor cost. |
A dash means Michigan DNR 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 |
|---|---|---|
| hunter-ed.com | $29.95 | Coursework only — an in-person field day is still required afterward. |
| ilearntohunt | $49.95 | Gamified coursework only — an in-person field day is still required afterward. |
Unlike most states this project tracks, no Michigan option certifies a hunter without an in-person field day — even the online and interactive courses only cover the classroom portion, and every path ends at the same $10-max field day. The cheapest total route is take-home study (free coursework + $10 field day) if you can get an instructor's approval and don't mind a paper manual; the online vendor courses cost $29.95-$49.95 on top of the same field day.
04 — Your certificate, and other states
Michigan hunter education certification does not expire once the in-person field day is completed and the certificate is issued.
Michigan accepts hunter education certification from any other state for nonresidents buying a Michigan license.
Michigan does not require bowhunter education, though many other states do — Michigan offers an optional certificate for hunters planning to bowhunt elsewhere.
05 — Where to register
Courses are booked through Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Find and register for a Michigan course →
Got your certificate? Next step: Michigan hunting license costs and permits →
Everything else we track for the state: Michigan hunting seasons →
Looking for somewhere to hunt? Michigan public hunting land — WMAs by county & access rules →
FAQ
Can I take the Michigan hunter safety course online?
Michigan does not offer a route that certifies entirely online — see the course formats above for what Michigan DNR does accept. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1960 must complete an approved hunter education course before buying a Michigan hunting license.
Is there a free hunter safety course in Michigan?
Every Michigan DNR-approved online provider charges a fee; the cheapest is hunter-ed.com at $29.95. In-person courses run by the agency itself are often free — see the formats above.
How much does the Michigan hunter safety course cost?
Approved online providers run from $29.95 (hunter-ed.com). 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 12, 2026.
Verified · Michigan Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-12
Publisher's note. Requirements and course fees read from Michigan DNR, retrieved 2026-08-12. Review due 2027-08-01. Course providers set their own prices and change them without notice — confirm before you pay.