For those born after September 1st, 1971, a Texas hunter safety course is not just recommended—it’s required by law. And since I’ve had so many requests from you guys I finally got this Hunter Safety Course review series going. This post ranks the best online Texas Hunter Safety courses, ensuring you’re legally prepared and safe for your next hunt. I’m getting the other states reviewed as we speak and will be rolling them out shortly :). For those of you that may not know a hunter safety course is the same thing as a hunter education course. So if you see either of the terms, they mean and get you the same thing.
Don’t have time to read? My favorite course is Hunter Safety USA. If you want to know why, keep reading. Otherwise click here to check them out.
Best Texas Hunter Education Course: Quick Summary
If you are on your phone you can scroll horizontally to the right to see the rest of this chart.
| Rank | Course | Price | Company | Content Quality | Length | Usability | Mobile-Friendly | Enter-tainment |
| #1 | Hunter Safety USA | $29 One Time Fee | Local Texas Small Business | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| #2 | iLearnToHunt | $49.95 One Time Fee | Large Investment Firm Owned | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| #3 | Hunter-ed | $34.99 + $15/mo* | Large Investment Firm Owned | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
Introduction
To provide a comprehensive ranking, I’ve evaluated each Texas Hunter Safety Course based on several criteria: price, content quality, company, usability, mobile-friendliness, and entertainment value. Our aim is to give you a clear picture of what each course offers, ensuring you make an informed decision.
In Texas, Hunter Safety Education courses for the most part require the same steps to complete it, set by Texas Parks and Wildlife. If you are 17 and older you will complete the online course, print or save your temporary Hunter Education Certificate (Your permanent one will get emailed to you from the TPWD within a week or so depending on the course.. Note that the temporary one is valid for 90 days according to the TPWD website). Once you’ve completed and passed the course you are ready to go hunting.
Review Criteria for Texas Hunter Safety Courses
Here’s the criteria we based our review on for the best online Texas hunter safety course. Every thing is rated on a scale of 1 to 5.
- Price: I evaluate price of the course… This one is obvious
- Company: What kind of company is this? A small business? A foreign company? A large company? You may ask why that is important… to be frank, I care about supporting small business, but that may not be a big deal to you, and thats ok. It’s there for the people that care :).
- Content Quality: I rated the content based on how easy it was to understand, how well it was broken up, how well it flowed, how in-depth it was, and over all general quality of the assets.
- Course Length: I rated the length based on how long the course is, this may vary per student, but for me I want it to be concise and not full of fluff.
- Usability: I rated the usability on how easy it was to navigate the course.
- Mobile Friendly: This is self explanatory. How well did the course work on my phone.
- Entertainment Value: How entertaining was the content. I rated this on whether or not it kept me engaged or was it boring and I found myself struggling to pay attention.
This is the criteria I found important and sufficient to really give an in-depth review of each course. Note that all of the courses in the review are accredited and approved by Texas Parks and Wildlife. So whoever you end up choosing, they are all legit and will get you your required Hunter Education Certificate. Now keep reading to see who has the best Texas Hunter Safety Course.
The In-Depth Texas Hunter Safety Course Review
#1 Hunter Safety USA
Hunter Safety USA came in as my favorite Texas Hunter Safety Course based on the criteria I laid out. It was overall a great experience and honestly as good as I could have hoped for. The whole course was made up of videos which was awesome because I didn’t have to sit there and read, even though they also give you the text version in case that is what you prefer. Let’s dig into the details below.
1. Course Price: 5/5
$29 one time fee. I gave Hunter Safety USA a 5/5 as they had the best price of the 3 courses. And like all the courses approved in Texas, they collect a $5.50 fee on behalf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife that is mandatory for anyone that is 17 and older.
2. Company: – 5/5
Hunter Safety USA is a small Texas based family owned and operated business. From what I learned about them they started their business in 1996 and have always operated in the education space. I Gave them a 5/5 on this because I support small business.
3. Content Quality – 5/5
I gave the content quality for their Texas Hunter Safety Course a 5/5. It was made up of all videos which I personally enjoyed. They were very well done and went into just the right amount of detail.
4. Course Length: – 5/5
This course is just over 3 hours long. They did a good job of breaking it up into shorter videos.
5. Usability – 5/5
I found the course really easy to use so I gave it a 5/5. The Texas hunter safety course overview page listed all my scores for each of the quizzes I had completed and showed me my overall progress and how much of the course was remaining. The course had the navigation bar on the left that listed out each of the modules and sections including which ones I had completed so I knew where I was in the course the whole time. The layout of the course looked good on my computer and phone and everything worked for me without any issues.
6. Mobile Friendly – 5/5
This worked perfect on my iPhone. I didn’t experience any issues and was able to use all the features as far as I could tell to take the Texas hunter safety course from my phone.
7. Entertainment Value – 4/5
I gave the entertainment value a 4/5. It was indeed entertaining and kept me engaged. They had a good mix of live action footage, arial footage, animal footage, and good music.
8. Summary
Overall this was a great course. I liked it the most, had a great experience, and it had the best price. All this being said, it why I have it the title of the Best Online Texas Hunter Safety Course.
#2 iLearnToHunt
1. Course Price – 2/5
$49.95 one time fee. Like all the courses they collect a $5.25 fee on behalf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife that is mandatory for anyone that is 17 and older. I felt this was high compared to the other Texas Hunter Safety courses.
2. Company – 3/5
iLearnToHunt is owned by a large investment firm in the North East US according to their website and press releases. They also own the #3 course on this review “Hunter-Ed.com.” I prefer to support small businesses when I while this was a downside to me, it may not bother you at all. And I’m not saying it should. I’m just giving my opinion here.
3. Content Quality – 5/5
This quality of content in this Texas Hunter Safety Course was good. Although I will note it looked out dated, like it was created in the 90s. I didn’t take any points here for that though. I decided to take the point off the entertainment value.
4. Course Length – 5/5
This course is interactive and you can get through it in a few hours. I liked that so I gave it a 5/5.
5. Usability – 4/5
Overall it was pretty good, a little clunky, but not too bad. I give it a 4/5.
6. Mobile Friendly – 5/5
This worked as expected on an iPhone. I couldn’t tell you if it works on all phones, I can only test on my iPhone.
7. Entertainment Value – 4/5
It looked a little dated even though their main company website said it was launched in 2019. I gave it a 4/5.
8. Summary
Overall this was my second favorite Texas hunter safety course. It was well balanced, but the price was a little high for what you get. But thats just my opinion.
#3 Hunter-Ed.com
Hunter-Ed.com overall was a decent experience. It wasn’t as user friendly as I would have hoped and it was A LOT of reading, which I wasn’t a fan of. But it did a good job covering the details for the Texas Hunter Safety Course. To be honest they really lost me on the pricing. I wasn’t a fan of the Initial fee plus $15/mo thing. I’ll talk about that more below.
1. Course Price – 1/5
$34.50 + $15/mo after 3 months. I gave this course a 1/5 on the price because of the $15/mo fee they charge. Like all the other Texas Hunter Safety Courses they collect a $5.25 fee on behalf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife that is mandatory for anyone that is 17 and older which isn’t a big deal.
If you don’t finish the course in 3 months it looks like they charge you that $15/mo indefinitely until you cancel. This didn’t seem very friendly to me, especially how it wasn’t clear that the $15/mo gets charged. I did come across multiple negative google reviews from people stating they felt ripped off after only discovering the fee much later on their credit card statement.
2. Company – 3/5
Hunter-Ed is owned by the same large investment firm as iLearnToHunt according to their website. As I mentioned above I prefer to support small businesses when I can. And while this was a downside to me, it may not bother you at all. I’m just giving my opinion here. The $15/mo fee wasn’t something I was too keen on to be honest. You can cancel anytime, but I didn’t see it stated on the pricing page right there in front of your face, so I worry that not everyone find it.
3. Content Quality – 4/5
The quality of the content on this Texas hunter safety course was actually really good. I gave it a 4/5 because there is a significant amount of reading. The content itself is broken up well and had a good flow, beyond having to read most of it. There are videos as well which were really well done in my opinion.
4. Course Length – 3/5
It was the longest Texas Hunter Safety Course. Personally I want to get in and out of courses. I rated it a 3/5 on the length.
5. Usability – 3/5
I give it a 3/5 on usability. First the pricing wasn’t upfront and transparent. I had to dig to find it, or find it once you sign up. The interface was a little confusing once in and didn’t quite flow as well as the others.
6. Mobile Friendly – 3/5
It was pretty clunky here and the layout on some parts were off. I give a 3/5 on mobile friendliness. This was on an iPhone, so it may look different on other phones. Better or worse. I’m not sure, I could only test on the phone I have.
7. Entertainment Value – 3/5
I found their Texas Hunter Safety Course videos entertaining. Some of the text though for me made it a little boring. It was a lot. I’d prefer to be entertained with the least amount of effort on a course. That being said I gave it a 3/5.
8. Summary
Overall this one made the bottom of my Best Texas Hunter Safety Course list. Again this is just my opinion, but as I laid out, the pricing was a big factor for me, the company, and the amount of reading.
Conclusion
I hoped this review gave you some insight and helped you out when it comes to selecting the right Texas Hunter Safety Course. Here is a link to Hunter Safety USA to check them out. If you are interested you can check out more reviews I’ve done.
P.S. I want to point out that if you are under 17 in Texas, you will need to also take an in person field day course accompanied by an adult. These are free to the public and you can get registered on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. You can either do an online course + a half day field day. Or just an all day field day. Its just based on your preference.
A lot of people tend to opt for the online Texas hunter safety course + half day field day. Also note that the earlier in the season you get this done, the more options you will have. By November the field day courses become slim pickings. I’m not sure why, but I imagine because the field day courses are run by volunteers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sign up for the Texas Hunter Safety Course?
To sign up for the Texas Hunter Safety Course, visit HunterSafetyUSA.com, then locate the course either through the “Courses” section or the homepage. Click on the Texas Hunter Safety Course listing and hit the “Sign Up” or “Enroll Now” button. Enter your email and password details, then proceed to the payment section. After entering your payment information, complete the registration process by providing any required hunter education certificate information like your full name and DOB which will need to match your ID and hunters license. Finally, check your email for a confirmation with further instructions and course details.
How old do I have to be to take the Texas Hunter Safety Course?
To take the Texas Hunter Safety Course, you must be at least 9 years old. This age requirement ensures that participants have the maturity needed to understand and apply safe hunting practices. If you’re under 17, you’ll also need to complete the course under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
What year do you have to be born to be exempt from the Texas Hunter Safety Course?
To be exempt from the Texas Hunter Safety Course, you must have been born on or before September 1, 1971. If you were born after this date, taking the course is required by law. For those who fall under this exemption, the course is still highly recommended for ensuring safe and responsible hunting practices.
How long is the Texas Hunter Safety Course?
All IHEA-approved Texas Hunter Safety Courses must be a minimum of 3 hours long. However, course lengths can vary, with some extending beyond this minimum requirement. For instance, HunterSafetyUSA.com offers one of the shortest video-based courses available, yet it effectively covers all essential material, leaving you well-informed and confident in your hunting knowledge.
I am Sam Billings, an entrepreneur who runs a printing business. In my free time, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt and often spend hours pursuing game. I am passionate about hunting gear and equipment, and I take great pleasure in helping fellow hunters find the right gear for their needs. From rifles and scopes to clothing and accessories, I am always happy to share my knowledge and expertise.