Hunting licence categories and conditions for use

Hunting licences are issued according to the type of game to be hunted: white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, wild turkey or small game. The same species may be covered by more than one type of licence, and the conditions for use may differ.

Both of these licences are valid for only one zone (or part of a zone), as well as in wildlife reserves, ZECs with restricted access hunting sectors and outfitters with exclusive rights.

Both licences include a transportation coupon that authorizes you to kill and register 1 deer per licence (for a possible maximum of 2 deer per year).

Things you should know when purchasing your licence

You may purchase both types of licence before or during the hunting season. There is no deadline for purchasing them.

The licences may be purchased together or separately. The regular licence must be purchased first, but they do not need to be used in any particular order.

As a general rule, you may not purchase two licences for the same zone, as each licence is associated with a different zone. An exception applies to hunting zones 4, 5 East, 5 West, 6 North, 6 South, 7 South, 8 East, 8 North and 8 South, where it is possible, under certain conditions, to use both licences in the same zone.

Before signing your licence, it is your responsibility to make sure the correct zone or subzone number has been entered. Once the purchase is completed, it is no longer possible to correct the number of the zone.  

If you have won an antlerless deer hunting licence in a random draw, this fact will automatically be entered on your licence associated with the zone or territory for which you won the privilege.

If you hope to harvest two deer during your season, and if you wish to hunt in a wildlife reserve or the territory of an outfitter with exclusive rights when you won an antlerless deer hunting licence in another zone, it is better to purchase your regular licence (which includes your authorization to kill an antlerless deer) and your additional licence at the same time. If you kill an antlered deer first, you can use the transportation coupon from the additional licence and maintain the privilege of killing an antlerless deer during the hunting season for antlered deer under your regular permit. 

Advice for choosing the zone to be entered on the licence

You can use these two licences (regular and additional) in any wildlife reserve or outfitter with exclusive rights, provided you comply with the bag limits for the hunting zone in which it is located.

The number of the zone to be entered on your licence does not need to be the number of the zone in which the wildlife reserve or outfitter with exclusive rights is located. This means that, if your hunt in the reserve or outfitter’s territory is unsuccessful, you can still hunt in the zone shown on your licence, as long as the hunting season for the animal concerned is still open.

For example, you hold a deer hunting licence for zone 7 north and you are hunting in the Réserve de Rimouski  located in zone 2 east. Because you are in a wildlife reserve, you can use your licence to harvest a deer, even though it is for a different zone. If you do not harvest a deer in the Rimouski wildlife reserve, your licence will still be valid to hunt in zone 6 north. However, if you harvest a deer in the wildlife reserve, you cannot obtain an additional licence for zone 2 east because you have reached the bag limit for that zone, and nor can you obtain an additional licence for zone 7 north.

If you hunt in zones 4, 5 east, 5 west, 6 north, 6 south, 7 south, 8 east, 8 north or 8 south and you purchase a regular licence and an additional licence for the same zone, the antlerless deer hunting licence you obtained through the random draw will appear only on the regular licence.

If you hope to kill two deer during your season, it is best to purchase your regular licence (which includes your authorization to harvest an antlerless deer) and your additional licence at the same time. If you harvest an antlered deer first, you can use the transportation coupon from the additional licence, meaning that you will maintain the privilege of killing an antlerless deer under your regular licence during the hunting season for antlered deer.

If you use the services of this type of outfitter, regardless of whether you are a resident or non-resident, the number of the zone entered on your deer hunting licence (except for Anticosti, zone 20) must be the number of the zone or part of a zone in which the outfitter is located.

However, after hunting in the territory of the outfitter without exclusive rights, you can, if your hunt was unsuccessful, continue to hunt in the zone shown on your licence for as long as the hunting season for the animal and the weapon used is open.

If you are a resident, you may hunt white-tailed deer females or males with antlers measuring less than 7 cm as follows:

• During a period and in an area where sampling is authorized, with a regular or additional licence;
• In a wildlife reserve with an antlerless deer hunting licence obtained by random draw;
• In a controlled harvesting zone with an antlerless deer hunting licence obtained by random draw;
• In a zone or part thereof, with an antlerless deer hunting licence obtained by random draw.

When an antlerless deer licence is issued for hunting in a wildlife reserve or controlled harvesting zone, the licence issued for the zone is not valid there, except in the case of the Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin, as there is no licence issued for this wildlife reserve.

If you are not a resident, you can hunt white-tailed deer females or males with antlers measuring less than 7 cm only during a period and in an area where sampling is authorized, with your regular or additional non-resident licence.

To obtain this licence, you must be a resident of Québec and register for a random draw.

The licence allows you to hunt antlerless deer only in the zone or territory shown. 

Attention, this licence does not allow you to harvest an additional white-tailed deer. All it does is to allow you to kill an antlerless deer in a zone where only the killing of antlered deer (7 cm and more) is authorized. 

Things you should know when purchasing your licence

This licence is automatically attached to your regular licence or additional licence when you ask for the zone for which you won the privilege to be entered.

If you hope to kill two deer during your season and to hunt in a wildlife reserve or an outfitter with exclusive rights, and have won an antlerless deer hunting licence in another zone, it is best to purchase your regular hunting licence (which includes your authorization to harvest an antlerless deer) and your additional licence at the same time. If you harvest an antlered deer first, you can use the transportation coupon from the additional licence, meaning that you will maintain the privilege of killing an antlerless deer under your regular licence during the hunting season for antlered deer.
 

Things you should know when hunting

The random draw antlerless deer hunting licence can be shared with your entire immediate family (grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, spouse, children and grandchildren, and your spouse’s children and grandchildren). For information on how to use it, please see the section entitled Sharing your antlerless deer hunting licence obtained by random draw.

Special rules may also allow for the licence to be shared in a wildlife reserve, outfitter with exclusive rights and certain ZECs.

These licences are valid only in Zone 20. There is no purchase limit for these licences. 

This licence is valid for a single zone. The number of the zone must be entered on the licence at the time of purchase.

When buying the licence and before signing it, make sure the zone number is correct. In most zones, there are restrictions on the use of the licence based on the purchase date and a zone correction is not always possible. A licence acquired after the purchase deadline or a zone correction licence requested without following the relevant rules may render your licence invalid for moose hunting.

Advice

To hunt in any wildlife reserve; outfitter with exclusive rights; territories party to a memorandum of agreement of the Seigneurie Nicolas-Rioux, the Seigneurie du lac Mitis and Kenauk nature; as well as in ZECs with restricted access hunting sectors, you may enter the zone number of your choice on your licence, because it does not need to be the number of the zone in which these territories are located.

This means that, if your hunt in that territory is unsuccessful, you can still hunt in the zone or part of the zone you chose to enter on your licence, as long as the hunting season for the animal and your weapon is still open. 

To hunt in the territory of an outfitter without exclusive rights, the zone number entered on your licence must be the number of the zone in which the outfitter without exclusive rights is entitled to offer its services. However, if your hunt in the territory of the outfitter without exclusive rights is unsuccessful, and you purchase your licence after the deadline, you cannot continue to hunt in the zone shown on your licence. Outside your stay in an outfitter without exclusive rights, you may begin or continue hunting if you are participating in a controlled hunt in a wildlife reserve, in another outfitter with exclusive rights, in a zec offering hunting sectors with controlled access, or in the hunting zone indicated on your licence if hunting is open there.

In most zones, if you wish to hunt moose during a period allowing the use of a firearm, a bow and a crossbow, you must purchase your licence before midnight on the date shown in the table below, no matter if you wish to hunt moose with a firearm, a bow or a crossbow. 

This restriction does not apply to the purchase of licences to hunt in the territory of an outfitter without exclusive rights, or to take part in a limited hunt in a wildlife reserve, in the territory of an outfitter with exclusive hunting rights or, where applicable, in a ZEC with restricted access hunting sectors.

This licence will only be issued if the zone number entered on the licence is incorrect, as stipulated in the conditions set out below. You cannot use it simply to request a change of zone.

Attention, this licence does not come with a transportation coupon. You must still keep your incorrect licence, because you will need the transportation coupon that is linked to it.

While hunting, you must be in possession of both licences and, in the event that a moose is harvested, affix to it the unique coupon number from your incorrect licence.

Conditions for obtaining a zone correction licence

If the zone number entered on your regular moose hunting licence is incorrect, you may obtain a « moose, zone correction » licence once per year, provided you meet the following conditions:

1. The date on which the licence to be corrected was issued is prior to the start date of the firearm hunting season for the zone or subzone you wish to be entered on your zone correction licence.
2. You have not used the incorrect licence to hunt in a wildlife reserve, outfitter with exclusive rights or in a ZEC with restricted access hunting sectors.
3. You have not been able to hunt using the weapon authorized by the code on your hunter’s certificate in the incorrect zone entered on your licence:
   • Code F: The date on which your licence was issued must not have allowed you to hunt moose during the firearm season in the incorrect zone.
   • Code A or B : If either of these codes appears on your hunter’s certificate, the date on which your licence was issued must not have allowed you to hunt moose during the bow hunting season, or in the bow and crossbow hunting season, or in the firearm hunting season, in the incorrect zone.
   • If you are a resident and hold an introductory licence for moose, the date on which the incorrect licence was issued must not have allowed you to hunt moose in any of the hunting seasons in the incorrect zone.
4. If you are a non-resident, the date on which the incorrect licence was issued must not have allowed you to hunt moose in any of the hunting seasons in the incorrect zone.

If you have a disabled person’s authorization allowing you to hunt with a crossbow during the bow hunting season in the incorrect zone, you are deemed to be authorized to hunt during the bow hunting season in that zone.

This licence is available for certain zones, wildlife reserves or ZECs.

To obtain this licence, you must be a resident of Québec and register for a random draw.

Subject to certain rules related to youth hunters or group moose hunting, this licence is valid only when your regular licence has been issued. It extends the privilege of the regular licence by offering the possibility of harvesting a moose without antlers during a period when moose hunting is open in the zone or subzone.

This licence extends the privilege of the regular licence by authorizing you to hunt a moose without antlers in the zone, the subzone, the wildlife reserve or the zec for which it is issued, as well as in certain outfitters with exclusive rights (contact them directly for details).

In addition, if your random draw licence to hunt moose without antlers is associated with a particular wildlife reserve or ZEC, it must be used in the territory for which it was issued. It is not valid elsewhere in the hunting zone.

However, if a random draw is offered in a ZEC or a wildlife reserve, moose without antlers hunting licences issued for the hunting zone in which that ZEC or wildlife reserve is located are not valid there.

New rules now apply in the wildlife reserves. For additional information, please see the brochure (available in May) that is provided with the registration forms for the random draw, which takes place in spring and which lists the locations for which the licences are awarded.

This licence is valid to hunt black bears in spring, and also (in some zones) in the fall. It includes two transportation coupons, one for the spring season and the other for the fall season. 

It is possible, depending on the season, to purchase two licences for hunting wild turkey. The spring licence comes with two transportation coupons, and the fall licence comes with only one. The licences may be used only during the season for which they are issued.

Below is a list of the licences available to hunt small game:

Small game (firearm, crossbow and bow) for residents and non-residents
If you are a resident, you may also snare hares and eastern cottontail rabbits under this licence. See the list of small game species that can be hunted in Québec.

Hares and eastern cottontail rabbits (snare) for residents
A hunter’s certificate is not required to obtain this licence. The licence is available to residents only.

Frog hunting licence for residents 
Only leopard frogs, green frogs and American bullfrogs may be hunted. You must obtain a frog hunting licence to hunt all these species. A hunter’s certificate is not required to obtain the licence. 

Migratory bird
To hunt migratory birds, you must obtain both a federal migratory bird hunting licence and a provincial small game hunting licence, and you must carry both of them with you when hunting.

Only leopard frogs, green frogs and American bullfrogs may be hunted. You must be a redisant of Quebec and obtain a frog hunting licence to hunt all these species. A hunter’s certificate is not required to obtain the licence. 

It is forbidden to hunt species for which licences are not available, or for which there is no hunting season or hunting method – this is the case, for example, for birds of prey and reptiles (salamanders and turtles).