C.O.R.E (Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education) is a certification required by the Province of British Columbia in order to hunt wild game in the Province. Detailed information about the CORE program is available from the BC Wildlife Federation website.
Our next complete CORE class is scheduled for the weekend of April 29/30, 2023. Paypal registration for this course is available at the bottom of this page.
Persons who have completed the BCWF Online CORE course or have prepared at home to challenge the CORE written and/or practical tests may do so. The fee for each test is $30. Persons who can produce a Course Report proving they have attended and passed the CFSC (PAL) course are exempted from doing the CORE practical exam. Please call 250 612 1185 for more information prior to registering for a test challenge session.
About our CORE training
Prince George Outdoor Training instructors each have a minimum of 25 years experience teaching the CORE course. Most are professional educators.
Our courses are usually held over a weekend, although weekday courses can be arranged.
Students are advised to prepare for the CORE Course by reading the course text and completing the chapter review questions. Familiarity with the current BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis is also recommended. In addition, the Canadian Firearms Safety Course Training Videos should be reviewed. A minimum of four hours should be devoted by students before class time to prepare for course attendance.
How to register
Courses are offered on an irregular basis throughout the year. We try to match demand in the Prince George Region by putting on courses in the spring prior to Limited Entry application deadline time (usually early May), and in late August or early September just before the local ungulate hunting season.
Registration for our courses may be done online via this website or in person at Hobby Brews on Ospika Blvd., or at Books and Company on 3rd Ave.
Our Fees
If you choose to pay online via paypal you will be registered in the next course.
Students may register online through this website with a credit card using the link below.
- $170 – Full Course registration fee (includes examination fee but does not include the textbook)
- $30 – Written exam fee only (for persons in possession of a valid PAL)
- $30 – Practical exam fee only (for persons not in possession of a valid PAL)
- $60 – Written AND Practical exam fee only.
Course Textbook
The title of the course text is “Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education”, and it typically costs around $15 to $20 new. Any edition of the textbook is adequate for studying the course material. Retailers carrying the text in the Prince George area include: Books & Company and Wholesale Sports. The PG Public Library also has copies. The B.C. Wildlife Federation also has the text for sale through their website.
Students should also be familiar with the BC Hunting and Trapping Synopsis. Copies of this publication are available for free from hunting license retailers, it is also available online from the Government of BC Fish and Wildlife website.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What’s the difference between CORE and the Canadian Firearms Safety Program?
The two are unrelated. BC residents need a B.C. Hunter number earned by successfully completing the CORE course. This is regardless of hunting method – whether you wish to hunt with a bow, a spear, a firearm, or a slingshot. If you choose to hunt with a firearm, you must have a valid PAL or POL (Possession and Acquisition or Possession Only License) These are Federal licenses, gained by successfully completing the PAL course.
If you are 18 years of age or older and you wish to hunt with a firearm, it is recommended that you successfully complete the Canadian Firearm Safety Course (CFSC) prior to registering for the CORE program. Persons who hold a valid PAL are exempt from participation in the CORE practical exam. It takes an average of 5 weeks for a PAL application to be processed after completion of the PAL course and exams.
What is covered in the CORE course curriculum?
The CORE exam set consists of both a written and a practical exam. The exams can be challenged without taking the course, but extensive self-study is recommended if this approach is to be taken.
The CORE course curriculum and exams consist of 7 sections:
- Outdoor Ethics
- Ecology and Conservation
- First Aid and Safety
- Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft
- Firearms Safety
- Animal and Bird Identification
- Field Care of Game Meat
- BC Hunting Regulations
How does one obtain a license after successful completion of the course?
Any BC resident 10 years of age or older may qualify to hold a Resident Hunting License. Successful completion of the CORE course is the prerequisite to qualify for a Hunting License. Upon completion of the course, students are required to forward a copy of their registration form to the BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) Office with a $30.00 administration fee. Students who pay an extra $20 to the BCWF when they submit their registration form may receive their graduation certificate sooner by express courier. The CORE certificate in itself is not sufficient to obtain a hunting license; for this you require a BCFWID number. To obtain a BCFWID number, students must take their CORE certificate, along with photo I.D., to a Government Agent office. A parent or guardian must accompany the student if under 18 years of age. There is no charge for the transaction. BCFWID numbers are valid for life, and are required to apply for “Limited Entry Hunting” (LEH) and/or to purchase annual hunting licenses and species tags.
What is a Youth Hunting License?
No one under the age of 10 may hunt. A person who causes or allows a person under the age of 10 to hunt wildlife commits an offence.
A $7.00 junior license can only be issued to a parent or guardian on behalf of his / her child or ward who is 10 years of age or older and under the age of 18. A Youth Hunter need not have completed a hunter training program, but must be accompanied by and be under the close supervision of a person 18 years of age or older who carries the proper licenses. Wildlife taken by a junior hunter under this license is included in the bag limit of the accompanying licensed adult.
When a BC resident who is 10 years of age or older successfully completes CORE, he or she is entitled to a BCFWID, and to have a bag limit of his or her own, to purchase a hunting license, and to enter the limited entry hunting draw.
What is an Initiation License?
BC residents who are 18 years of age or older and who have never held a hunting license in BC are eligible to hold this license. It is a one season only license. License holders must be under the close and personal supervision of a qualified supervising hunter, and any wildlife killed will be included in the bag limit of the accompanying hunter. The cost for this license is $19.00.
Who can be a Supervising Hunter?
Supervising Hunters must meet the following qualifications:
-If a resident, have a resident BCFWID number and a valid current BC hunting license.
-If not a resident, must have passed a hunter safety training course in another jurisdiction in North America.
-Supervising Hunters must be 18 years of age or older, not prohibited from possessing or carrying firearms, and have held a Resident Hunting License in BC in not fewer than 3 of any of the license years preceding the current license year.
Prince George Outdoor Recreational Certifications 