A hunter was certified in another state. Does North Dakota accept that certificate?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.2
A rancher hunts only on land the rancher owns. What does section 20.1-03-01.3 say about hunter education?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.3
An adult got a license through an apprentice hunter validation. May that adult accompany another apprentice?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
By statute, the director provides an online hunter safety education program for people of what age?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.1
Does a bowhunter certification or fur harvester course meet the hunter education requirement?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
Does an apprentice hunter validation take the place of the licenses and stamps for the hunt?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
For an apprentice hunter, what does "accompanied" mean?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
For how long is an apprentice hunter validation good?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
How much in-person classroom time does the traditional hunter education course require?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
How old must a person be to receive an apprentice hunter validation?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
In the hybrid course, when do students attend in person?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
Show all 85 questions (74 more)
Hunter education and the apprentice validation, continued
Instead of the certificate itself, what else may a hunter show to be issued a license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.2
May a student mix sessions of the traditional course and the hybrid course to earn the certificate?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
To enroll in the hybrid online and in-person course, a student must reach what age by the end of the calendar year?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
To enroll in the traditional classroom course, a student must reach what age by the end of the calendar year?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
What is buying a hunting license without completing the required course?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.2
What may the holder of an apprentice hunter validation hunt?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.5
What subjects does section 20.1-03-01.1 name for the classroom instruction?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.1
When are hunter education classes mostly held in North Dakota?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
When must proof of hunter education certification be presented?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
Which young hunters are exempt from the hunter education requirement?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.3
Who must show a hunter education certificate before North Dakota issues a hunting license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-01.2
Young hunters and licenses 12
A game warden asks a hunter in the field for a license. What must the hunter do?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-27
A youth turns 11, 12 or 13 in the year of a youth deer season. What is the youth entitled to receive?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-11
Does the fourteenth-birthday limit apply to big game licenses for hunting by bow and arrow?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-11
For a big game license with a firearm, which birthday must fall in the year of the season?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-11
How may a youth under 12 hunt in North Dakota?North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Hunter Education page
May a hunter use a family member's hunting license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-31
To be eligible for a first-time youth spring wild turkey license, how old may the hunter be on opening day?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-04-07
What license must a person obtain before any small game or big game license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-02
Where may a resident and family living with the resident hunt small game in season without a license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-04
Which birthdays in the year of an antelope season let a youth apply for an antelope permit?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-11
Which residents may take small game or waterfowl without a small game license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-04
Who must accompany a youth hunting deer or antelope under the youth provisions?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-03-11
Orange, seals and big game 13
A big game animal is killed by a vehicle on a highway. What must a person who wants it do?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-27
At what time of day does the open season on deer and antelope begin?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-03
Before a dog is used to recover a big game animal, whom must the handler notify?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-04
How much daylight fluorescent orange must a big game hunter wear?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-06
How must a dog be handled when it helps recover a big game animal?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-04
What does "small game" include under North Dakota law?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-02
What is "shining for deer" under section 20.1-05-04?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-04
When may artificial light be used in connection with big game?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-04
When must the locking seal go on a big game carcass?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-07
Which animals may be used while hunting big game, apart from dogs in a recovery?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-04
Which list is "big game" under North Dakota law?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-02
Which two items must be daylight fluorescent orange on a big game hunter?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-06
Who is exempt from the fluorescent orange rule of section 20.1-05-06?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-05-06
Posted land, buildings and crops 15
A bird shot on land where the hunter may lawfully hunt falls on posted land. What does section 20.1-01-19 allow?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-19
A hunter opens a gate in a fence around farm premises and leaves it open. What happens to the hunting license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-23
Besides signs, how may an owner post land under section 20.1-01-17?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
How close to an occupied building may a person hunt on another's premises without consent?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-21
Land is entirely enclosed by a fence. Where do signs have to go to post all of it?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
May a hunter take down a posting sign that looks old?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
What does a hunter need before hunting on legally posted land?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-18
What does a person need to place bait on someone else's property?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-37
What does entering posted premises with a firearm and without permission amount to?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-20
What is hunting on legally posted land without permission, for a first offense?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-18
What is needed to hunt in unharvested cereal or oilseed crops?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-22
What is the greatest distance allowed between posting signs?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
What must appear on each posting sign?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
Who may post land against hunting?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-17
Whose consent lets a person hunt inside the occupied building distance?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-21
Vehicles, lights and conduct 23
A dove is resting on a power line. May a hunter shoot it there?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-22.1
A hunter drives off the trail to retrieve a big game animal that cannot easily be reached. How must the vehicle return?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-07
A person is convicted of being afield with a gun while intoxicated. What happens to the hunting license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-06
After a second conviction under section 20.1-01-06, for how long is the person ineligible for a hunting license?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-06
Between which times is taking wildlife with a spotlight unlawful, apart from the listed exceptions?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-08
May a drone be used to disrupt another person's lawful hunt?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-31
May a hunter use a pickup to flush game toward other hunters?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-07
May an archery hunter have a handgun in possession during a lawful archery season?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-32
May live ducks or geese be used as decoys?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-04-11
May one person pay another to hunt big game for them?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-12
May the driver of a motor vehicle intentionally chase a wild animal with it?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-11
The off-trail vehicle rule of section 20.1-01-07 covers small game other than which birds?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-07
What color must the light be when hunting coyote, fox, raccoon or beaver afoot at night?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-08
What does "afield" mean in the game and fish title?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-02
What does section 20.1-01-13 say about helping to hide unlawfully taken game?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-13
What is hunting through the internet under North Dakota law?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-35
What is the general rule of N.D.C.C. 62.1-02-10 on loaded firearms and motor vehicles?N.D.C.C. § 62.1-02-10
What is the largest power source allowed for a light used afoot for coyote, fox, raccoon or beaver?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-08
What may a snowmobile operator not do to wildlife?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-11
When may ducks and geese be taken from a boat that has a motor?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-04-11
Where may a vehicle be parked under section 20.1-01-07?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-07
Which place of concealment may not be used for taking ducks and geese?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-04-11
While hunting big game or upland small game, what is needed to drive off an established road or trail?N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-07
How this list was compiled: Written from the North Dakota Century Code as the Legislative Assembly publishes it: chapter 20.1-01 (general provisions) at https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t20-1c01.pdf, chapter 20.1-03 (licenses, hunter education, the apprentice hunter validation) at https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t20-1c03.pdf, chapter 20.1-04 (birds) at https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t20-1c04.pdf, chapter 20.1-05 (big game) at https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t20-1c05.pdf and section 62.1-02-10 at https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t62-1c02.pdf. All were read on 2026-10-13; each question names its section. The course facts (the two course formats, their hours and enrollment ages, when classes are held) are the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's own, read the same day on its Hunter Education page at https://gf.nd.gov/education/hunter; that page is the published outline this page follows. The department publishes no question count, pass mark or time limit for the course test on that page, so none is given here. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the text of the North Dakota Century Code and the facts on the Game and Fish Department's public page; nothing is copied from a hunter education manual, a study guide, an online course, a chapter review or an examination.
How it works
An unofficial North Dakota hunter safety practice test: our own questions from title 20.1 of the Century Code. The hunter education course also teaches firearms and bow safety, in the classroom.
Read the full guide
Rules that are North Dakota's own
Big game hunters wear a head covering and outer garment totaling 400 square inches of fluorescent orange, and lock a seal on the carcass immediately. Land may be posted by sign or online. Nobody hunts within 440 yards of an occupied building without the occupant's consent.
What the course is
The Game and Fish Department teaches a free classroom course of 14 or more hours, or a hybrid of online study and two in-person sessions, the last one for testing. It publishes no question count or pass mark: the 25 questions of exam mode are this site's choice, and no pass mark is set.
Off an established road or trail, a vehicle needs the landowner's written permission.
An apprentice hunter validation is good for one license year in a lifetime.
Questions and answers
Who needs hunter safety in North Dakota?
Anyone born after December 31, 1961, before getting a hunting license, under section 20.1-03-01.2. Exempt are children under 12 who hunt only with a parent or guardian, and people who hunt only on land they own or operate.
How old do you have to be to take hunter safety in ND?
A student must turn 11 by the end of the calendar year to enroll in the traditional classroom course, and 12 for the hybrid online course, says the Game and Fish Department.
Can you hunt in North Dakota without hunter education?
For one license year, yes. A person 12 or older may get an apprentice hunter validation and hunt small game and deer beside a licensed adult, close enough for unbroken sight and unaided talk.
Is this the official ND hunter education test?
No. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The questions are our own, written from the Century Code; none comes from the department's test or its course material.