FRANKFORT, Ky.(WKYT) – The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission has recommended a change to regulations that would allow hunters the option of completing their training through a free online course, rather than traveling to a firing range for in-person training.

The proposed changes would not remove the opportunity for participants in Kentucky hunter education courses to shoot a gun at a range during training if they choose to do so.

The state says the proposed changes make it more convenient for people to obtain their hunter education certification, and it will help the Fish and Wildlife Commission set elk permit quotas for the 2020-21 season and adopted fishing regulations for newly introduced cutthroat trout.

These changes mirror those made by other states and would need to be approved by the Kentucky legislature. If approved, the changes would take effect on March 1, 2020.

The commission also proposed a new requirement that individuals exempt from hunting licenses — primarily landowners and their immediate families — obtain hunter education certification if they were born on or after January 1, 2002.