Missouri · Hunter safety · 2026 Edition
Missouri Hunter Safety Course 2026: Cost & Online Options
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1967 must hold a hunter education certificate card before buying a firearms hunting permit or acting as an adult mentor. Missouri residents 16 and older can certify entirely online, from $24.95.
Missouri's course is unusual for branching on age rather than offering separate named tracks: everyone under 16 who wants the free self-study or classroom route, or the paid online course, still finishes with the same mandatory 4-hour skills session — MDC discloses no fee for that session, so budget only for whichever knowledge portion you pick. At 16 the paid online course changes shape entirely and certifies outright, no skills session at all, which makes it the only route in Missouri that a visiting nonresident adult can complete without ever attending in person. Missouri also accepts a completed course from any other state outright, so hunters moving from elsewhere don't recertify.
01 — Who needs it
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1967 must hold a hunter education certificate card before buying a firearms hunting permit or acting as an adult mentor.
Four ways around it for now: hunters 15 and younger may hunt alongside a properly permitted adult mentor of 18 or older; anyone 16 or older can buy an Apprentice Hunter Authorization ($10.50, up to two permit years, under 3 CSR 10-5.300) and hunt the same way; a disability exemption is available from MDC's Protection Division; and landowners hunting their own land on a Resident Landowner permit are exempt outright.
Statute: 3 CSR 10-5.205
02 — Course options
| Course | Format | Who | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-study guide, then skills session | Online + field day | 11 and older | Free | Free illustrated manual, ordered online or picked up at an MDC office. Work through the chapter review questions, then bring the manual to the mandatory skills session — self-study never skips it, at any age. |
| Classroom session, then skills session | Online + field day | 11 and older | Free | 4 hours of lectures and videos — Free. Complete the chapter review questions and present them at the skills session afterward — same as self-study, this only covers the knowledge half. |
| Online course, ages 11-15 | Online + field day | 11 to 15 | — | The same paid online course adults use, but under 16 it only earns a skills-session qualifier certificate — print it or show it on your phone at the mandatory skills session that follows. |
| Online course, 16 and older | Online | Missouri residents 16 and older | — | The one route that skips the skills session entirely: pass the 60-question final exam at 80% or better and you're certified, no in-person day at all. |
A dash means MDC 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 | $24.95 | |
| ilearntohunt.com | $39.95 |
Both providers run the same age-branched course described above: 16+ certifies outright online, 11-15 only clears the knowledge half and still needs the skills session. MDC does not disclose a fee for the skills session itself.
04 — Your certificate, and other states
Missouri accepts complete hunter education certifications from every other state — proof of an approved out-of-state course means you don't take Missouri's course at all.
Missouri does not require bowhunter education. An optional online Bowhunter Education course is available through bowhunter-ed.com for hunters who need it to bowhunt in another state.
05 — Where to register
Courses are booked through Missouri Department of Conservation.
Find and register for a Missouri course →
Got your certificate? Next step: Missouri hunting license costs and permits →
Everything else we track for the state: Missouri hunting seasons →
Looking for somewhere to hunt? Missouri public hunting land — WMAs by county & access rules →
FAQ
Can I take the Missouri hunter safety course online?
Yes. Missouri residents 16 and older can certify entirely online, from $24.95. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1967 must hold a hunter education certificate card before buying a firearms hunting permit or acting as an adult mentor.
Is there a free hunter safety course in Missouri?
Every MDC-approved online provider charges a fee; the cheapest is hunter-ed.com at $24.95. In-person courses run by the agency itself are often free — see the formats above.
How much does the Missouri hunter safety course cost?
Approved online providers run from $24.95 (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 7, 2026.
Verified · Missouri Department of Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-07
Publisher's note. Requirements and course fees read from MDC, retrieved 2026-08-07. Review due 2027-08-01. Course providers set their own prices and change them without notice — confirm before you pay.