Hunter Education/Firearms Safety Certification for Youth

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Hurry! Classes fill quickly!

The DNR and its volunteer instructors hold hundreds of the various classes and certify thousands of students every year:

  • Firearms safety: Nearly 800 classes and more than 23,000 number of students certified
  • ATV safety: Approximately 150 classes and more than 2,600 number of students certified
  • Snowmobile safety: More than 200 classes and 4,000 number of students certified

While classes are held in every part of Minnesota, each year there are people who can't obtain certification - or must travel a long distance - because they waited too long to sign up for an open class. Still want to wait? Then consider signing up to receive an email whenever new classes are added.

Classroom course

  • Students ages 11 and older can attend a classroom-based firearms safety certification course and receive their certificate. The firearms safety certificate becomes valid at age 12.
    • The firearms safety class consists of a minimum of 4 separate class sessions (students must attend the entire class for which they sign up), learning the safe handling of firearms, hunter responsibility and wildlife conservation. Students then complete the additional field day.  
    • The field day consists of seven required scenario-based training opportunities. These scenarios allow students to learn and demonstrate commonly accepted principles of safety in hunting and the handling of firearms. It includes shooting a .22 caliber rifle on a range.
    • The DNR course fee is $7.50, payable on-line after successful completion of course requirements. (The instructor may charge a fee of up to $7.50 at the class or field day for any costs they incur.)

Hybrid course

  • Students age 11 and older may complete their online hunter safety course at online hunter safety course (link is external).
    • Then, attend an in-person classroom review and firearms fundamentals session.
    • Students will finish with the field day portion.

Field days fill up quickly! Register your child for an in-person field day now while they complete their online course.

NOTE: Students ages 12 and older who want to hunt this fall but cannot complete their in-person field day are encouraged to use the apprentice hunter validation.

REMINDER:
Check now to make sure you have your firearms safety certificate. If you’ve misplaced it, see the “General information” below for instructions on obtaining a duplicate.

Minnesota recognizes certificates for firearms safety training that are issued by other states.

Firearms Safety Certification for Adults (16 and older).

Outdoor News Magazine special for youth

General information

  • Purchase a duplicate firearms safety certificate online or wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
  • For more information or assistance with purchasing a duplicate safety certificate:
  • To have your firearms safety certification added to your Minnesota Driver’s License, bring your firearms certificate to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when you renew your driver’s license and request them to check the box to add it as an endorsement.
Receive updates when new courses are added to our safety training calendar.

Find (and sort) more courses on the DNR Safety Training Calendar!

Courses

To view detailed information about a class or field day, click on its title.

Scroll table right to see more »
​DateTitleLocationCounty
02/14/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class *** SATURDAYS*** Porter Yellow Medicine
02/17/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Dawson Lac Qui Parle
02/23/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Waseca Waseca
02/23/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Rochester Olmsted
02/23/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Le Center Le Sueur
02/23/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class ***MONDAYS*** Benson Swift
02/26/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Murdock Swift
02/28/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Lacrescent Houston
02/28/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Elk River Sherburne
03/02/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Ely St. Louis
03/03/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Appleton Swift
03/03/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Morristown Rice
03/03/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Rosemount Dakota
03/03/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Lester Prairie McLeod
03/05/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Oslo Marshall
03/05/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Andover Anoka
03/07/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Willmar Kandiyohi
03/07/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Spring Valley Fillmore
03/09/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Fridley Anoka
03/10/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Lake Elmo Dakota
03/10/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class ***TUESDAYS*** Jackson Jackson
03/14/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Morristown Rice
03/15/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class **SUNDAYS** Corcoran Hennepin
03/16/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Roseau Roseau
03/16/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Jackson Jackson
03/16/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Randall Morrison
03/16/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Delano
03/17/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Windom Cottonwood
03/17/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Watertown Carver
03/17/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Slayton Murray
03/17/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Warren Marshall
03/21/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Nowthen Anoka
03/21/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Austin Mower
03/24/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Oslo Marshall
03/26/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Warren Marshall
04/01/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class New Prague Le Sueur
04/07/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Pine City Pine
04/09/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Rosemount Dakota
04/13/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Princeton Mille Lacs
04/13/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Mahtomedi Washington
04/14/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Detroit Lakes Becker
04/18/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Jackson Jackson
04/23/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Rockford Wright
04/25/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Lake Elmo Washington
05/02/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Pine City Pine
05/02/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Hibbing St. Louis
05/03/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Plummer Red Lake
05/11/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Hugo Washington
05/12/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Crookston Polk
05/13/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class New Prague Le Sueur
05/16/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Marshall Lyon
06/08/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Kenneth Rock
06/13/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class New Ulm Brown
06/14/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Kenneth Rock
07/20/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Kenneth Rock
07/26/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Kenneth Rock
08/08/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class New Ulm Brown
08/11/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Crookston Polk
08/29/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Tracy Lyon
09/12/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Crookston Polk
09/28/26 Firearms Safety Classroom Class Kenneth Rock
10/04/26 Firearms Safety Hybrid Class Kenneth Rock

There are organizations that include the DNR Firearms Safety Training class as part of an event or membership package they offer. The DNR firearms safety training fee is $7.50, with an option for the instructor group to charge an additional $7.50. However, these other programs have additional costs set by the providing organization.

Organizations offering a DNR firearms safety class

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