Save on hunter and boating education courses in April

April 7, 2020

Randy Zellers

Assistant Chief of Communications

LITTLE ROCK — Kalkomey, the online source for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Hunter and Boating Education programs, is offering a special 25 percent discount on online courses for Hunter Education and Boating Education certification for two weeks in response to the coronavirus and the cancellation of in-person courses.

From April 8-22, anyone taking Arkansas Hunter or Boating Education courses may visit the following websites and enter these codes for their discount:

• Boating Education Course (www.boat-ed.com/arkansas) — Enter BoatArkansas2020 for your discount.
• Hunter Education Course (www.hunter-ed.com/arkansas) — Enter HuntArkansas2020 if you are under 16. Enter HuntOnlineArkansas2020 if you are 16 or older for your discount.

“Historically we have run a special promotion during National Safe Boating Week in June to encourage more people to get their Boating Education done before getting out on the water,” said Joe Huggins, Hunter Education program coordinator for the AGFC. “With the current situation and many people using boating as a good way to socially distance themselves from others, we wanted to offer this added help to being safe and legal while being on the water. We included online Hunter Education in this discount for the first time ever.”

With Arkansas’s turkey hunting season opening April 13 and the Arkansas Youth Turkey Hunt being April 11-12, the online Hunter Education course is an excellent way to keep safety on everyone’s mind while in the woods this spring. The increased amount of boaters and kayakers on the water during this time of social distancing also makes it a great idea to get up to date with Boating Education requirements.

“Even if you’re not going to go turkey hunting, taking Hunter Ed online is a great rainy day activity for young outdoorspeople stuck at home,” said Chris Colclasure, deputy director at the AGFC. “Many schools incorporate Hunter Education in their curriculums in Arkansas, and we want to offer people a way to continue getting that opportunity without the risk of gathering in large groups.”

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1986, and of legal age to operate a motorboat or sailboat, must have successfully completed an approved AGFC Boating Education Course and carry proof while operating a motorboat or sailboat on Arkansas water.

• To operate a motorboat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more, a person must be 12 or older, or be under the direct supervision of a person at least 18 years old.
• To operate a personal watercraft, a person must be 16 or older, be 12 to 15 years old and be under the direct supervision of a person at least 18 years old, or be under 12 and be under the direct supervision of a person at least 21 years old.

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, must complete a hunter education course and carry a valid hunter education card to hunt in Arkansas. Children under 16 may hunt without hunter education as long as they are under the direct supervision of an adult who is 21 years old. There is no specific age requirement to enroll in hunter education. However, the educational material is based on a sixth-grade reading level.

• Anyone 16 and older may take and pass the Hunter Education Course in its entirety online.
• Anyone under 16 may take and pass the Hunter Education Course Online but must complete an in-person completion course and test.