A. There is hereby established an apprentice hunting license. The license shall be a one-time nonrenewable license that shall be valid for two years from the date of purchase and shall entitle the licensee to a one-time deferral of completion of hunter education required under § 29.1-300.1. The apprentice hunting licensee shall not hunt prior to completing hunter education unless accompanied and directly supervised by an adult over the age of 18 who has, on his person, a valid Virginia hunting license. For the purposes of this section, "accompanied and directly supervised" occurs when a person over 18 maintains a close visual and verbal contact with, provides adequate direction to, and can immediately assume control of the firearm from the apprentice hunter. The cost of the license shall be $10 for a resident and $20 for a nonresident. The Board may subsequently revise the cost of the license pursuant to § 29.1-103.

B. Possession of a valid apprentice hunting license shall serve in lieu of the state resident hunting or nonresident hunting license required under subdivisions 2 and 3 of § 29.1-303, respectively. The purchase of any other hunting licenses shall be at the same cost as specified for residents or nonresidents in this title or as subsequently revised by the Board pursuant to subdivision 16 of § 29.1-103. The purchase of the apprentice hunting license shall not qualify the holder to purchase a regular hunting license or exempt the licensee from compliance with the requirements of this title and any regulations adopted by the Department. Any previous holder of a state resident or nonresident hunting license issued under this title shall be prohibited from the purchase of an apprentice hunting license for himself.

C. Upon completion of hunter education under § 29.1-300.1, and unless otherwise required by law to be supervised, the apprentice hunting licensee may hunt unsupervised subject to the requirements of applicable state law and regulations.

D. The Board may adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this section.

2008, cc. 18, 416; 2009, c. 9; 2014, c. 244.