If your hunter education card number is printed on your hunting license, what is the point in having to carry it with your hunting license? Does anyone know?

I believe as long as the number is on your license then you don't have to carry the card. A GW just has to be able to verify you have it.

If you go out of state, the HE# on Tx hunting license probably won't suffice. They will want to see a card more than likely.

Watch your license closely. They have left my HE number off by accident in at least one year. This was online purchase.

Interesting mention out-of-state req'ts. I am not required to have HE in Texas, but when I went to Kansas it was required. Fortunately I actually had mine with me, but the rest of the group had to bluff the clerk by pointing out a random number on their TX license.

How did they get a tag for Kansas without knowing the rules?

Question, how do you get your HE number on your license? I have had HE since i was 12 yrs old, so 24 yrs now, i have never had a clerk ask me for my HE card. I always buy my liicense at Academy.

I had my card with me, but no one else did. The clerk apparently knew it should be on the TX license, hence the idea for the deception. She looked at my card but didn't cross ref it to the license. Everyone else just had to decide which number on their license to use. I'd have been pheasant hunting by myself with a bunch of drivers otherwise. I've never had my HE number on my license.

BTW - we were checked by the GW at one point and it was all good. We also jumped a really big buck one morning, seemingly out of nowhere, in the middle of a plowed field.

Cause the law states you do..

I sent a PM to koyote1. He should be along to answer.

The problem, for people my age at least, is that I'm not required to have HE in my home state but I am in others. Other states don't honor the TX exemption.

I was just on a group hunt up in Colorado for ducks. Some of the members didn't have hunters education cards. The outfitter took care of licensing. He bluffed the clerk using our buddies TX drivers license number as the hunters education number and it worked. I was shocked it worked.

I think that the Hunter Ed.class stuff is for the birds.I don't think it helps anyone BE more safe. I have known people ,as all of us have,some people shouldn't have a gun in thier hands period.No amount of training will cure dumbass!Now i hunt with a fellow who has never go through the hec.yet he has a cci lisence.and the state or feds won't consider that as a safty permit. The hec that i went through back in 1980 was a joke. All the stuff they taught was the 10 gun safety rules. The best thing about the class was at the end he had photos of people who had been shot. Now the was a eye opener. That got the attention of everyone in the room nowing and showing what damage that they can do. Mark

What about bag limits, plugged shotguns and spelling violations?

If the program saves one life then the program was successful.

Good question ask a gw

The curriculum could probably use some work, but the idea is sound. I don't have to have it because of my age, but I took it a couple of years ago just in case I get an opportunity to hunt out of state. It can be pretty boring, but I think it's really geared toward younger people who are not experienced hunters so it's really basic. I'm sure it has advanced substantially since 1980.

That's about the time I got mine, but my class was a lot more fun. I was in college at the time and marksmanship was offered as a PE credit! The Hunter Ed cert was a bonus for getting to shoot 3 times a week (UTA has a range under the PE bldg)and get college credit, to boot.

I am not required to have HE due to my age, and I haven't shot anyone, poached, tresspassed, or any of the things the course covers. YET !!

Why not?

It's just a matter of putting the card in your billfold with your driver's license. Then if there's a question you have proof.

BTW TPW handbook only says: "Proof of certification or deferral is required to be on your person while hunting" it doesn't say exactly what constitues proof. It also says "while hunting......persons 17 years of age or MUST carry on their person a driver's license or personal identification certificate issued by the Texas Dept of Public Safety". So why not keep 'em both together.

I'm certainly exempt from Texas, but I had to get one for out of state a bunch of years ago. When my wife started hunting with me she needed one for out of state so I signed her up and then sat in on the course with her. You can get more or less out of the course depending on attitude.

I felt honored that her instructor used me as a "guinea pig" since I was just auditing. I found that no matter how much I knew the "kids" and first timers responded better when the "adults" with experience took a positive attitude.