The Hunter Education Program of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission provides free hunter education courses throughout the year in every county.  More than a firearm safety course, instruction includes ethics and responsibility, conservation and wildlife management, wildlife identification, survival and first aid, specialty hunting and tree stand safety.

All first-time license buyers must first successfully complete a hunter education course. There are no minimum age requirements, however, classes are taught at an eighth-grade level and tests must be completed without assistance. Courses are a minimum of 10 hours, taught by wildlife officers, hunter education specialists and certified volunteer instructors, and certification is accepted in every state and province in North America.

Due to hunter education, hunting accidents have decreased by over 50% during the last twenty years making hunting one of the safest recreational activities.