Ontario Hunting Information

Hunting licences

If you wish to hunt in Ontario, a hunting licence is a must. Any licence is specific to which game you want to hunt and will be listed on your licence summary.

Before being eligible to purchase a hunting licence, the hunter accreditation has to be on file with the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service. Hunters must have a valid Outdoors Card as well.

Unless otherwise stated, hunting licences expire on December 31 every year. Requirements depend on the hunting activity the hunter is undertaking.

Also, it is the hunters’ responsibility to know the open seasons for the species they wish to hunt, in addition to any other rules that may apply.

1. Ontario Residents

To hunt as an Ontario resident, you must

1. Your age is at least 16 years old (or 15 years if there is written parental consent)

2. Have successfully taken the Ontario Hunter Education Program (or an Ontario-recognized equivalent accreditation)

3. have a valid Outdoors Card

4. If you are hunting with a gun, you must follow all federal firearm regulations and make sure to carry appropriate documentation

5. have the required tag(s) and hunting licence(s) for any game you want to hunt.

Any Ontario resident from 12 to 14 years old is eligible to participate in Ontario’s Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program.

Being under the immediate and direct supervision of a licensed and qualified mentor can help to develop their hunting skills.

2. Non-Residents

You are considered a non-resident of Ontario if either your primary residence is not in Ontario or you have not lived in Ontario for at least 6 consecutive months of the immediately preceding 12 months.

If a non-resident hunter wishes to hunt in Ontario, he must:

1. Be at least 16 years old

2. Has successfully finished Ontario’s hunter education course and examination or has Ontario-recognized hunting credentials from his home jurisdiction filed with the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service.

3. Has a valid Outdoors Card

4. Follow all federal firearm regulations around declaring and transporting non-restricted firearms and carry appropriate documentation if he is hunting with a gun

5. He has the required tags and hunting licences for which game he wishes to hunt.

Hunting Species

Big Game Species:

1. Black bear

2. Moose

3. White-tailed deer

4. Elk ( Only available for Ontario residents)

Small Game Species:

1. Cottontail (rabbit) and hares

2. Grouse (ruffed, sharp-tailed, spruce)

3. Ring-necked pheasant

4. Ptarmigan

5. Squirrel (gray and fox)

6. Gray (Hungarian) partridge

7. Raccoon

8. Fox (red and Arctic)

9. American crow

10. Groundhog

11. Porcupine

12. Skunk

13. Weasel

14. Opossum

15. Coyote/Wolf ( in addition to the small game licence, a tag is also required in certain Wildlife Management Units)

16. Wild turkey ( in addition to the small game licence, a tag is also required)

17. Migratory game birds ( in addition to the small game licence, a federal migratory game bird hunting permit is also required). [8]

Hunting Season Dates

The open-season dates differ depending on the hunting species and the hunting zones. For instance, whitetail deer season can start from September to December. Also, moose hunting season generally ranges from September to December.

While the open season for elk generally ranges from September until October [there is no open season for non-residents].

When it comes to black bear hunting season, it can start from May through June and from August through November.

On the other hand, the spring wild turkey season in Ontario generally ranges from April through May, while the fall wild turkey season is generally in October.

Ring-necked pheasant and Ptarmigan hunting seasons can start from September till March. And Raccoon and Opossum seasons generally range from October to January.

Transport Of Goods

A non-resident must have an Ontario Non-Resident Export Permit to export deer, elk, black bear, or moose that were killed in the province or their parts.

Exporting any fur-bearing mammal (which includes a coyote or wolf) or their pelt out of Ontario requires having an Export Licence for Fur-bearing Mammals and their Pelts ( whether it originated from Ontario or not).

This includes pelts from carcasses, farmed animals and live fur-bearing mammals as well. Royalties are payable on all wild Ontario fur-bearing mammals before their export from the province. An export permit may be obtained from a local ministry district office.

Export permits are not required for tanned hides or taxidermy mounts of white-tailed deer, black bear, elk or moose.

Also, export permits are not required for fur-bearing mammals’ pelts or other parts that have been lawfully sold or bought and are treated, tanned, or manufactured into commercial products or that have been treated by a taxidermist.

Jewellery or artwork made from game wildlife, where the primary value is not in the wildlife but in the jewellery or artwork, is exempt from the requirement for an export permit as well.

Shipping

Unless the receptacles are accompanied by the trapper or hunter who lawfully harvested the animal, all the receptacles that contain specially protected wildlife or game wildlife that are being transported or shipped to points outside or inside Ontario must have a list of the contents and the addresses and names of the receiver and sender, written on the outside as per official regulation.

Hunting Zones

Figuring out where to hunt is one of the hardest parts of hunting. Here are Ontario provincial parks that allow hunting:

Hunting Outfitters in Ontario

Here is a list of the hunting outfitters in Ontario

1. Rainy Lake Outfitters

2. Border Country Outfitters

3. Wingfeather Outfitters

4. Wabigoon Lake Outfitters

5. Lac Seul Lodge

6. Andomoozwe Outfitters and Lodge

7. Thunderstock Outfitters

8. Gathering Lake Outfitters

9. KapRiver Outfitters

10. IrishCreek Outfitters