West Virginia · Hunter safety · 2026 Edition
West Virginia Hunter Safety Course 2026: Cost & Online Options
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1975 must complete a certified hunter education course before buying a base West Virginia hunting license.
Like Michigan, West Virginia has no fully-online certification path — every online course still ends with a required in-person hands-on and written exam session through WVDNR, distinct from the online-course fee itself. The Apprentice License route (available to anyone who has never held a base license, not just youth) is the state's own built-in way to start hunting immediately without the course, similar to Ohio's apprentice-license alternative.
01 — Who needs it
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1975 must complete a certified hunter education course before buying a base West Virginia hunting license.
Anyone who has never held a base hunting license can instead buy an Apprentice Hunting License (Class AH, AHJ, AAH or AAHJ) without taking the course, and hunt under direct supervision of a licensed adult.
02 — Course options
| Course | Format | Who | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional in-person course | In person | Must turn 10 by the written test date to receive permanent certification | Free | About 12 hours |
| Online course + in-person exam session | Online + field day | Not stated | — | Self-paced online, then a required in-person hands-on and written exam session — Even after finishing an approved online course, every hunter must still pass a WVDNR in-person hands-on and written exam — there is no fully-online path in West Virginia, the same shape as Michigan. |
A dash means WVDNR 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 | $34.95 | |
| HUNTERcourse.com | $29 |
WVDNR also approves HunterEdCourse.com, Be A Safe Hunter, and NRA Hunter Education — only the two most-cited are priced here.
04 — Your certificate, and other states
West Virginia hunter education certification does not expire; a duplicate card costs $10 if lost.
A previous year’s West Virginia hunting license bearing certification, or certification from an association or director-approved course, satisfies the requirement — West Virginia accepts other states’ hunter education too.
West Virginia does not require separate bowhunter education.
05 — Where to register
Courses are booked through West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Find and register for a West Virginia course →
Got your certificate? Next step: West Virginia hunting license costs and permits →
Everything else we track for the state: West Virginia hunting seasons →
Looking for somewhere to hunt? West Virginia public hunting land — WMAs by county & access rules →
FAQ
Can I take the West Virginia hunter safety course online?
West Virginia does not offer a route that certifies entirely online — see the course formats above for what WVDNR does accept. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1975 must complete a certified hunter education course before buying a base West Virginia hunting license.
Is there a free hunter safety course in West Virginia?
Every WVDNR-approved online provider charges a fee; the cheapest is HUNTERcourse.com at $29. In-person courses run by the agency itself are often free — see the formats above.
How much does the West Virginia hunter safety course cost?
Approved online providers run from $29 (HUNTERcourse.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 · West Virginia Division of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-12
Publisher's note. Requirements and course fees read from WVDNR, retrieved 2026-08-12. Review due 2027-08-01. Course providers set their own prices and change them without notice — confirm before you pay.