General rules
Hunting times
Hunting of all species (except those listed below) is permitted from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
For information on sunrise and sunset times, use the dedicated function on a GPS device or see the Canadian government’s sunrise/sunset calculator (tabulated in Eastern Standard Time).
Exceptions for certain species
Exceptions apply to the following types of hunting:
Wild turkey hunting: wild turkey hunting starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends at midday.
Snaring of hares and eastern cottontail rabbits: no rules governing hunting times.
Frog hunting: no rules governing hunting times.
Hunting raccoons with dogs in zones 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: you may hunt at night if you comply with certain rules.
Activities not permitted at night
Night is defined as the period from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise. The following activities are prohibited at night:
- using a spotlight, a reflector or a light, night vision or thermal imaging device to detect the presence of big game in a place frequented by it or to hunt;
- at night, in an area where game is present, being in possession of a loaded firearm or an air rifle or an armed crossbow without a reasonable excuse, unless you are engaged in a permitted hunting activity.
- A person in possession of a spotlight and a firearm, crossbow or bow in a place frequented by big game is, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, presumed to be hunting at night.
- This presumption of hunting at night is valid within an hour and a half after sunset and an hour and a half before sunrise.
During the period between one and a half hours after sunset and one and a half hours before sunrise, if you are found in possession of a spotlight and a firearm, crossbow or bow in an area where big game animals are present, you are presumed to be hunting at night unless you are able to prove the contrary.
All 2022-2024 new hunting rules
Printable version.
Regulatory Information
-
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. -
Free phone line: 1-844-523-6738
-
Last update: March 22, 2023