In 1956, Rhode Island enacted legislation mandating training in safe hunting practices and the handling and use of firearms and bow & arrow for those individuals applying for a license for the first time. Since the inception of the program, well over 40,000 individuals have completed the course, resulting in a significant decrease in hunting-related accidents not only locally, but also throughout the country.

Rhode Island law states that no license to hunt shall be issued to any person unless that person has held a Rhode Island license in a prior year or unless that person presents a hunter education card issued by Rhode Island or under an equivalent hunter safety program adopted by any other state. Persons who are serving in or have been honorably discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard are exempt from the hunter education requirement.

 

Instructors: Bill Carreira, Ken Hoffman, and John Means
RI DEM HUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAM