Colorado has made significant changes to its licensing program to encourage more hunters to participate. Colorado Parks and Wildlife now offers apprentice licenses and hunter education test-out options that, effective April 6, 2016, are intended to encourage people of all ages to get active in the outdoors.

The new hunter education test-out options are available for U.S. military and individuals ages 50 and older.

“Safety is our primary concern,” said Todd Schmidt, CPW’s hunter education coordinator. “The new options help recruit those who have the hunter safety knowledge and experience to get in the field.”

The $24.50 test-out option ensures proficiency by providing a one-time, 30-minute online test allowing participants to demonstrate their knowledge of hunter safety. Participants must pass with a score of 90 percent or better.  For more information visit, http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/HE-Test-Out.aspx.

Anyone who successfully tests-out of the hunter education requirements will not receive a hunter education card. The hunter safety number is associated with an individual’s CPW record, or Customer Information number (CID), permanently. If a card is desired, one can be purchased online at https://www.co.wildlifelicense.com/start.php, at a CPW office, or at any license agent, for $5.

The other new option is the apprentice licenses. The apprentice license waives the hunter education requirement for one year, April 1-March 31. It is available once per lifetime to applicants ages 10 and older — 12 years of age or older for big game hunting.

For more information visit http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/HE-Apprentice-License.aspx.

Parks and Wildlife regulation, Chapter W-0, pages 9 to 10, pertain to these new options.

Colorado law requires anyone who is born on or after Jan. 1, 1949, to complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license. Colo​rado Parks and Wildlife Hunter Education Courses, led by certified volunteer hunter education instructors and/or CPW staff, are offered throughout the state year round.

While the changes are meant to ease the process of gaining a hunting license, they don’t come at the sacrifice of safety of skill. The intent is to cut through prohibitive measures that may keep prospective hunters from going afield, but when they do they will have proven they have the required skills to go safely.