Legal Question
 

I didn't take a hunters saftey course. Wasn't asked when I purchased my lisence. I am over 21. What could happen to me if I get caught? I am from Ohio.
Krissy

depends on your state. when your asked for it and cant produce, i'd imagine you will get a fine.
should be part of ethics here, so if ya dont think ya need one, more power to ya....but if ya accidently kill someone, and dont have it, then its another story?

Ya, how much do you think? I ended up getting caught. DNR stopped by this morning and I have to go to court. My husband is at bootcamp too. So i'm low on money, The DNR said they judge would let me do payments.. but how much do you think it'd be?
I got turned in by an ex bestfriend.. ****ty deal

were you hunting at the time?
if not, you shouldnt get a ticket or anything.
you can own a license, the law states you cant "hunt" with out the hunter safety course

hunting without certification is not to be taken lightly,
i wouldnt hunt anywhere near someone without such,
friend should have talked you out of hunting till you get cert.
as for penalty? up to judge,
can check rules and regs in your state for such penalties,
there is more to hunting than pointing and shooting,
and if you have such disregard for the law, regardless of whether you get certified i would question your character

well I am not sure but the liability might come back on you and whoever sold you the licence to begin with. Do yourself a favor and take the class. It is not that bad, I have taken 3 of them (me and then with my kids).

Well, sorry you got caught but sometimes trying to beat the system isn't always in your best interest.

In NY you can't get a license without the hunter safety cert. Your saying you had your license and the game warden then asked you for the safety certs? That's odd that the state would issue a license with having the hunters safty coure.

I would go get the certification before my court date show it to the judge and ask for leanionsy.

ya, all my friends said it doesnt matter.. i grew up around it. the onlt reason i got caught because i got ratted out i guess. I know i should have taken the courses. I cant find the rules and regulations so i can find out what will happen to me

good idea thank you

This is all I found in the Ohio 2010 hunting regs.

"All first-time hunters must pass a hunter
education course before purchasing a
hunting license. Call 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-
800-945-3543) for information on hunter"

Here is were I found it:
http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/dow/...10huntregs.pdf

Page 28, That's really the only referance there is to a safty course. But I might have missed it.
Was this your first time buying a license?

Ron

by any chance did you happen to buy your license at walmart?
when i bought my first non res license in pa, before everything was online, they didnt check anything at walmart,
i had all my certs, but there was no way for clerk at walmart to know.
i asked them dont you need to see this? and held out my cert cards, and they were like no its ok,

Definately take the saftey course before you see the judge, your fines should be less or maybe just get put on probation. You will have to take the safety course anyways.

Yes this was the first time i got it, i did get it at walmart & they didnt ask anything. I was told "no one cared" obvouisly they do! it sucks too because i hunted with someone anyways so i shoulda done the aprentiship!
probation?? the DNR said i won't get jail time for sure & it's not something to cry over

well, from the law description below, sounds like you are at fault, as you say its the 1st time you have bought a hunting license, makes you a 1st time hunter.

My advice would be to at your earliest convenience go and do the safety course. Nobody will question the fact that yuo took it after the hunting license was issued but will question why you have the license and no safety course.

in ohio u need to show proof of compleating a hunter saftey
course. the state keeps those records for ten years. most of the time if you go to wal mart they dont ask you for it aslong as u have a valid drivers license. if u get caught u might get a fine or be required to take a class to show proof of complealtion.

You are lucky to be in Ohio. We had a local guy poach two deer in his neighbors yard while he was extremely drunk and it only cost him $200.00. He got his bow back and got to keep his hunting liscense. It should not be too bad for you.

Good luck.

Thanks guys, i understand that i am definitly at fault i was just wondering what they would do to me once i get to court

What To Expect in Court
 

1. You can expect the Conservation Officier to tell/her story.

2. You can expect the judge to ask if you knew that a safety certificate was required.

3. You can expect then when you answer that you did and purchased a license anyway, he will ask why.

4. You had better be prepared to answer any and all questions honestly.

5. Also be prepared to say that you have now taken the required course (bring proof) and that you are very sorry for what you did.

6. You can probably expect a small fine and maybe the revocation of your hunting privileges for a period of time. Please note that other states may recognize the suspension and you will not be allowed to hunt there either, just ask Ted Nugent.

THis is a little strange. You bought the license at Wal Mart, they didn't ask for your hunter's safety course completion form and issued a license, I am assuming you didn't lie to the salesman. I would get the course and any fines incurred would be paid by Wal Mart even if I had to get a lawyer. I don't see how you got a ticket if you were not hunting?

this is the problem with america...why would walmart be responsible for you not taking the class?
they give you a drivers license, assuming your not gonna run stop signs and speed.
its your own responsibility to abide by "legal means and methods", i think ethics plays a part here as well. if he shot you, and he never took the test, im guessing you could sue walmart? puuhhh leeze

There is a Hunter Education class on line but it might not be recognized as many many classes require a 'hands on' class too. But it is soemthing to think about.

I teach Hunter Education in WI. Go to IHEA (International Hunter Education Assoc.) and they have a free Hunter Ed class on line. I give tihs link to my many students more as a help or a study guide.

IHEA also lists requirements state by state too.

Telling the truth has always been the best policy.

Good luck

JW

taking the 5th aint lying?

I dont understand how she got the license.........1st time license without having the hunters safety course certificate # to put into the system to qualify a person for a hunting license??????????? If that happened the license issuer needs to held accountable to some extent,no?

Nope - ingorance of the law never won.

Not the license sellers fault.

JW

i don't know how it happened, i got it anyways. how did i get caught? well i got turned in by a jealous girl i work with because she didnt have hers and was upset i got mine.. it makes me mad, i know its my fault, but really call the DNR on me? not cool. my buddy got a ticket by the DNR for not having an orange hat on. had his license, not hunters saftey course & they didnt even look at that! just got a hat ticket. didnt even notice the saftey course missing. A tip was sent in on me & they investigated it. It's worse too because my husband is at bootcamp so i'm dealing with this on my own.
At my friends house last night. 6 of us there. only 2 took the course. all 6 had a license. 4 didnt have the classes. im the only one who got caught.. fishy. cause i got turned in

okay sorry it sounds like im blaming someone else for my mistake. it def is my mistake but really. whys it matter to them to turn me in..

Well Semper - be honest is always the best policy. The person who turned you in will get thiers is some form or fashion at some point. By standing up and admiting your mistake takes grit.

And for your friends who also do not have a Hunter Ed Certificate - man I'd be careful!

JW

and if I was closer since there are at least 5 of you - we could hold a class!

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!! that's what I'm saying. How do you get a license for the 1st time without having the hunters safety certificate??????

Does the law say you can get a license 1st then before you can hunt it's your responsibility to take a hunters safety coure? Cause if that's the case that is one a$$backwards way of doing things!!!

Yeah, I don't understand that either. In British Columbia they don't except anything but your hunting number card to get your annual hunting licence. Than you can use your current legal annual hunting licence to purchase your big game tags. But if you don't produce hunter number card you don't get a licence no matter where you go.
I have bought mine at Walmart and it's that simple.But yeah I'm sure there is alot of charges fines that could possibly get thrown your way,
but so long as you have a clean criminal history it won't be as bad as
it could be.I know of hunters that try to have their big game tags back dated cause some species have to be purchased 5 days in advance before they can legally hunt the animal.Big huge mistake, they get caught every time. Number 1. .The employees just play stupid and fill it out the way the person wants it and call the authorities up after. The licences are always numbered for a reason.If
by chance a C.O. does pull them over, they take down the number and if doesn't match in order exactly to what was sold in that order you are going to get a phone call or a knok on the door.It may not happen imediately, it may take a few months but they will get you.
Don't play games.No animal is worth the consequences.It's really not worth it.

ya, i'll see how it goes. I hope is not to expensive.. i'm kinda broke until april when my husband graduates..

i have NEVER been asked for my hunter safety course card!!

I guess one thing we learn is that all states are different. When Indiana went to the hunter safety requirement I was grandfathered in. I never had a certificate and was never asked for one. I then went to a lifetime license so I don't worry about it now. So some states might require the sellers of the license to check for your certificate and some might make it the hunters responsibility. One thing I can tell you is that weather or not Wal Mart messed up you still violated the law as well (I know the OP knows this but some people are still blaming Wal Mart) so you will pay the fine and Wal Mart may or may not be punished. Kind of like the kid that buys beer at the liquor store before he is 21. The liquor store is in trouble but the kid has still broken the law.

In B.C. You may be required to produce 2 pcs of I.D. if suspected of being under age. My sons friend produced a real Drivers Licence and real Social Insurance number under someone elses name. Picture kinda lolled like the kid but wasn't. The kid argued and wouldn't admit
when questioned by the emplyee.So the employee called the police, huge huge trouble.The kid is charged with producing false driving identification and identity theft. Could serve prison time cause he is 18 and could be considered an adult, and face up to over $50,000 in fines which the parents may have to fork out. All for booze. Just stupid.

yes i know im at fault for sure, i never blamed walmart at all. it is my fault for not understanding. i knew that people needed classes. but my husband was 20 and they asked for his and i was 21 and they didnt ask for mine so i kind of thought that over 21 you didn't need it! i don't know. i don't understand why i got caught either i was snitched or they have started doing random checks?! i think i should be okay at court. never been in trouble with the law..

I'm from maine. I took one years ago, and I couldn't find proof of mine if I had too, but up here you need to either show it to get your license or show your old licence.

Hopefully the OP learns a lesson and punishment isnt too severe,
which i doubt it will be, first time offenders usually just get a slap on the wrist and a small fine.
as for walmart, yes i do put some blame on walmart,
they do a disservice to hunters especially young hunters, who may ask the clerk questions, some of those questions can be serious legal questions,
couple lessons to be learned
always be check the regs yourself,
never take others word at face value when its your license/hide on the line.


also remember when your out in the woods,
99.9% of the time dnr agents are not out there watching you,
you will come across times where you have to make a judgement call on your own,
do you do whats legal only when you risk being caught?

Some states have a grandfather clause that you need one of:
- born before a certain date (usually covers pretty old guys!)
- a license from a previous year
- hunter safety cert

Your friends might be covered by some sort of grandfather clause.

Explain to the judge that you went with your husband, he was asked, you weren't so you thought there was an age limit. Enroll in and take (if possible) the course before the court date, bring proof.

Like I said before go get the hunters safety certificate before your court date and explain to the judge what you said above.

Be apolojetic for not understanding the full extent of the law.More than likely like someone posted above the fine will be minimual.

Was this your 1st year hunting?

They might not let you go hunting for s few years.