Hunting License AZ—3 Easy Steps to Get Yours in 2026
In Arizona, hunters ages 10-14 must complete a hunter safety course before getting a hunting license.
Hunter education in Arizona helps hunters understand how to stay safe in the field, along with the ethics of hunting. While not required for hunters older than 14, the safety essentials you'll learn in a hunter safety course include outdoor safety, handling firearms and bows safely, tree stand safety, animal identification, why hunters wear blaze orange, and more.
So if you want to hunt in Arizona in 2026, keep reading to learn how to take the hunter safety course. We'll also cover how to get the hunting license AZ requires in three easy steps!
How to Get Your Arizona Hunter Education Card in 2026
Young hunters ages 10–14 must have a valid hunter education card before hunting. However, even though hunters ages 14 and older are not required to carry a hunter safety certification, everyone is welcome to take a course and get certified.
The State of Arizona offers four options for taking the hunter education course and getting certified.
Option 1: Take a Classroom Course
This option includes up to 16 hours of classroom instruction. It's ideal for students who learn better with in-person instruction and classwork.
When choosing a class, plan to be available for all four required phases that make up the class. You'll need attend every session. Young hunters will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian for each session.
Note that this hunter education option does not include a live-fire session. If you're looking for a live-fire opportunity or simulated hunt, choose the Hybrid course.
Option 2: Take a Hybrid Course (with Live-Fire)
This hunter safety course option includes a self-paced online course with an in-person Field Day. If you choose this option, you'll need to complete the online course before signing up for the Field Day.
The in-person portion takes place in a single day and can include multiple phases, such as live fire, ammo matching, simulated hunt, and a 50-question written evaluation.
Option 3: Take a Bonus Point Field Day Course
Adult hunters ages 18 and older with a minimum of three years of hunting experience can complete the online course, then schedule an in-person field practical. The practical tests your knowledge of legal, safe, and ethical hunting in the field.
Option 4: Take an Online-Only Course
Arizona residents can complete the Arizona hunter safety certification completely online (no in-person field day required).
ilearntohunt is pleased to be an online course approved by the Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD)! Our course teaches everything you need to know to hunt safely, legally, and ethically in Arizona.
How to Get the Hunting License AZ Requires in 3 Easy Steps
With your ilearntohunt hunting education course complete, you're ready to get your hunting license.
Note: You'll only need to take and pass the hunter safety course once. Your certification is good for life!
Here are three easy steps for getting your hunting license, AZ hunters.
- Meet the AGFD Requirements for Hunter Education
Again, hunters between the ages of 10 and 14 must complete a state-approved hunter education course before purchasing an Arizona hunting license.
ilearntohunt makes it easy to meet this requirement! Our course is approved by the AGFD. - Choose and Purchase the License You Need
Make sure you buy the right hunting license based on what you plan to hunt. Arizona offers general, combo, youth, and other types of licenses.
Then, purchase your license online. You can also pick up the hunting license AZ requires in person through a license dealer. These locations include Wal-Mart stores, Cal Ranch, hardware stores, and other locations. - Carry Proof of Your License When Hunting
When in the field, carry your valid hunting license (along with your hunter education card). You'll need to show these documents if a wildlife official asks for them.
If you also need tags or stamps for a legal hunt, carry them in the field with you.
How to Take the Arizona Hunter Safety Course Online
The easiest (and fastest) way to get your Arizona hunter safety course certification is to start with the ilearntohunt online course!
The ilearntohunt course:
- Is approved by the AGFD and the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA).
- Is a game-style format. It's fun and educational for hunters of any age!
- Saves your progress (you can start and stop as needed).
- Can be completed (quickly) in under 3 hours.
- Is a character-driven story with real-life scenarios and quizzes to help you learn the required material.
- Allows two attempts to pass the final exam. You must score at least 80% on the exam to pass.
- Is available anywhere you can connect to the internet using a mobile device or computer.
Why Hunter Safety Education is Important
Why should hunters in Arizona take a hunter education course? And why does the state make it mandatory?
Hunter education in Arizona isn’t just paperwork you knock out before buying a tag. It’s about stepping into the desert, mountains, or canyon country with the skills and judgment to keep yourself and everyone around you safe—and to protect the hunting traditions we care about.
The information isn’t only for brand-new hunters or kids heading out on their first Coues deer or javelina hunt. It’s a smart idea for anyone planning to hunt across Arizona’s wide-open deserts, ponderosa forests, high country, or along its river corridors, whether you’re carrying a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, bow, or crossbow.
When hunters complete a state-certified course, everyone heads into the field with the same baseline of knowledge. You’ll cover safe firearm handling, identifying your target and what’s beyond it, ethical shot selection, and understanding Arizona’s hunting laws and land access rules. Just as importantly, you learn how to communicate clearly with your hunting partners, respect private property and public lands, and make smart decisions when conditions change fast.
That common foundation matters. It reduces accidents, builds trust with landowners and other outdoor users, and helps preserve access to the places we hunt. Over time, hunter education strengthens the future of hunting in Arizona by showing that safety, ethics, and conservation aren’t afterthoughts—they’re the standard.
What Does Hunter Education Do?
Hunter education in Arizona helps you become a safer, more capable, more thoughtful hunter every time you step into the field.
A hunter education course helps:
- Reduce accidents and close calls: Safe firearm handling, disciplined shot choices, and being absolutely certain of your target (and what lies beyond it) are what keep a solid day in the desert from turning into a disaster. The goal is simple: everyone heads home in the same shape they left, whether you’re glassing for mule deer or calling in coyotes.
- Build confident, self-sufficient hunters: Arizona’s course goes beyond the basics. You’ll cover navigation skills, survival priorities in extreme heat, emergency readiness, basic first aid, and how to properly use and maintain your gear. Just as important, it emphasizes hunting respectfully around others and taking care of the lands we rely on—from rugged backcountry to high-country forests and wide-open desert basins.
- Strengthen ethical hunting practices: How you conduct yourself matters as much as what you harvest. The course highlights fair chase, respect for wildlife, and following the seasons and regulations established by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Those standards are what keep game populations healthy and hunting opportunities strong across the state.
- Hunters stay informed and on the right side of the law: Knowing the rules helps you avoid expensive mistakes and ensures everyone in camp and in the field is operating with the same understanding.
Hunter education in Arizona keeps people safer, passes down practical know-how, and supports conservation statewide. Whether this is your first season in the Sonoran heat or you’ve been chasing elk in the high country for years, the training helps you head out prepared, and come back with good memories instead of close calls.
Why is it Important to Take a State-Specific Hunter Education Course?
Most states honor hunter education certificates from elsewhere—that’s called reciprocity. It’s convenient. But it doesn’t automatically mean you’re up to speed on the details that matter once you’re hunting here in Arizona.
Every state has its own playbook. Season structures, draw requirements, tag validation, blaze orange rules, transport laws, and public land access can all look a little different once you cross a state line. And those small differences? They’re exactly the kind that can lead to a citation (or an unsafe situation) if you assume it works the same way it does back home.
Arizona’s regulations are built around its unique wildlife, terrain, and hunting culture—from desert mule deer and javelina to high-country elk. What’s perfectly legal in another state may not line up with the rules set by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Before relying solely on an out-of-state certificate, it’s worth taking the time to understand Arizona’s specific laws, conservation priorities, and safety expectations. An Arizona-approved hunter education course walks you through what applies here, so you’re not left guessing when it matters most.
It doesn’t take long, and it’s worth it. A little time learning how Arizona does things means fewer surprises, safer hunts, and more confidence, whether you’re glassing desert ridges or heading into the pines at first light.
Why Choose ilearntohunt?
When you choose ilearntohunt for your Arizona hunting education, you learn everything required by the state in an online format that's fun and interactive.
Choosing ilearntohunt means:
- AGFD-Approved Hunter Safety Education: Our interactive (and fun) course meets the hunter education requirements set by IHEA-USA and the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
- Real-Life Scenarios: You'll choose a character to start the course. Then, you and your character will apply what you learn to make choices in different scenarios.
- Better Information Retention: Studies show that instruction engaging the brain with words and images can significantly increase student comprehension and retention.
- No Minimum Time Requirements: There are no timers when working through an ilearntohunt course! Complete it in less time than other online courses.
When you've worked through all the levels and passed the final exam, you've met the hunter safety education requirement for Arizona!
Get Your Hunter Safety Certification for Arizona with ilearntohunt!
Make sure you're ready for hunting season in Arizona! Take the ilearntohunt hunter safety course to get certified. You can't get the hunting license AZ requires without it!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We have answers to the top questions about the Arizona hunter safety course!
Q: Can you take a hunter safety course online in Arizona?
A: Yes, you can take a hunter safety course online in Arizona! The most convenient way to take the course is through AGFD-approved providers like ilearntohunt.
Q: Can you get the hunting license AZ requires without taking the safety course?
A: Hunters ages 10-14 must have proof of hunter education to buy an Arizona hunting license. Hunters older than 14 are not required to have a hunter education certification.
Q: How much is the hunter safety course in Arizona?
A: If you take the online, game-style hunter safety course for Arizona through ilearntohunt, the cost is $49.95.
Q: How long does the AZ hunter safety course take?
A: The online AZ hunter education course through ilearntohunt typically takes three hours (or less) to complete.
Q: When should I sign up for the Arizona hunter education course before hunting season?
A: We recommend signing up and completing the course at least several weeks before your planned hunt to receive your certification and avoid last-minute issues.
