Summary of hunting regulations
Please be advised that during the hunting season, NWT Government Renewable Resource Officers will be inspecting hunters for compliance with hunting regulations at check points, border crossings, and in hunting areas throughout the Northwest Territories.
The regulations apply to hunters who require a Resident or Non-Resident Hunting Licence to hunt. The hunting rights of Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are based on traditional use and are different from those of other hunters. Hunting by many Aboriginal people is controlled by Land Claim agreements. Hunting by other Northerners and visitors may also be affected by Land Claim Agreements.
Amendments to regulations may be made periodically. Check with the Renewable Resource Officer nearest you for specific information.
Your Licence
You must have a hunting licence to hunt small game. To hunt big game you need both a hunting licence and wildlife tag(s).
Wildlife tags are issued for each species. The tags are part of your licence and must be attached to the animal immediately after the kill. Your hunting licence and wildlife tags must be carried with you when you're hunting. Licences and tags are issued for one year starting July 1 and ending June 30. The licence is valid for a species only during an open season for that species.
Licences and tags may be purchased from most Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development offices in the NWT. In Yellowknife and some of the larger communities, licences and tags may also be purchased from vendors. However, big game licences and tags for big game species hunted by non-residents may be purchased only at offices of the GNWT Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.
Licence/Tag Fees for all classes of game must be paid before you go hunting. Trophy Fees must be paid by non-residents before a harvested animal or any part thereof is exported from the NWT. All fees are subject to the 7% Goods and Services Tax.
If you require more details, copies of the Territorial Hunting Acts and Regulations may be purchased from:
Canarctic Graphics
Box 2758 Yellowknife, NT CANADA X1A 2R1
Telephone: (867) 873-5924
Fax: (867) 920-4371
Hunting Ethics
Responsible hunting has an honourable history and a code of ethical conduct that extends beyond hunting laws. If hunting is to continue as a respected and honourable activity, hunters must take ethics and responsibility seriously. The privilege to hunt carries with it responsibility to other people, wildlife and the environment.
Do not chase or harass wildlife while hunting. Only shoot what you will use and do not waste meat from animals you harvest. Please leave the area you hunt in looking the same way it did before you arrived. Pack out your trash and equipment and do not damage the land with your vehicles. If you are hunting on private lands within an area with a settled land claim, you must ask permission first.
Please dispose of any parts you leave behind on land and not on the winter roads or frozen lakes. This ensures that once the ice melts, the remains do not fall into the water, possibly polluting the area. Gut piles can also pose a safety concern for people traveling on the ice or winter roads. As well, it is considered a sign of respect in some cultures to leave the remains of land animals on the land and not in the water.
Be a safe hunter and respect other hunters in the field. Know the hunting regulations and report any and all violations to the nearest Renewable Resource Officer.
Reporting Hunting Violations
Violations of renewable resource legislation are serious offenses. Violators, such as poachers, deplete wildlife populations and destroy natural habitat. If you see something suspicious or illegal, please call our REPORT A POACHER toll-free line, 1-866-762-2437, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Provide as much detail about the situation as possible, including date, time, location, vehicle licence plate, air registration letters or boat registration number and the nature of the incident. Information you provide on the line is passed on to a Renewable Resource Officer.
General prohibitions
The rules of hunting are designed to ensure that people hunt safely and that wildlife will be conserved for future generations. Should an individual be convicted of an offence, he or she could receive a fine and/or a jail sentence for each offence and for each day that the offence continues. Firearms, equipment and wildlife seized from the person could be ordered forfeit and the person's licence could be suspended or cancelled. No one may chase, harass or molest wildlife.
Anyone who wounds wildlife shall make every reasonable effort to retrieve it.
It is an offence to waste, destroy, abandon or allow to spoil the meat of big game, other than bear, wolf or wolverine; and the raw pelt or hide of any fur-bearing animal, including bears.
It is an offence to feed the meat of big game, other than bear, wolf and wolverine, to domestic animals.
With regard to ungulates, the following are not considered waste if they are left behind: the head, the legs below the knee joints, and the internal organs. The blood-shot parts of the carcass may also be cut away and left behind. Bones, including rib bones, that are striped of meat may be left behind.
No one shall hunt wildlife without due regard for the safety of other people and property.
No person shall hunt or discharge a firearm from or within a motorized vehicle. In addition, no person shall have in or on a vehicle a firearm that has any propellant powder, projectile or cartridge that can be discharged in the breech or firing chamber, or in a cartridge magazine attached to or inserted into the firearm.
No one shall discharge a firearm from, along or across a public road. No one shall use, or have in his or her possession while hunting, any recorded game calls or mechanically or electrically operated calling device of any description.
No one shall transport wildlife within the NWT unless it was killed under a licence that has not been invalid for more than ten (10) days or he or she has been issued a Wildlife Transport Permit.
Wildlife Sanctuaries and Preserves
Although firearms may be carried for protection, hunting is prohibited in a sanctuary or preserve. Bows or crossbows may not be taken into a wildlife sanctuary. These include the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, Norah Willis Mitchener Wildlife Preserve and Peel River Preserve G/WP/01.
National Parks and Park Reserves
As prescribed in federal legislation, sport hunting is not permitted in the
national parks and national park reserves of the Northwest Territories:
Wood Buffalo, Tuktut Nogait and Aulavik National Parks; Nahanni National Park
Reserve.
Territorial Parks
Hunting is not permitted within Territorial Parks in the NWT.
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries
The hunting of migratory birds is not permitted in migratory bird sanctuaries. For a list of federal Migratory Bird Sanctuaries and regulations pertaining to them, contact: The Canadian Wildlife Service, Prairie and Northern Region
115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4
Tel: (306) 975-4087 Fax: (306) 975-4089
www.pnr-rpn.ec.gc.ca/nature/migratorybirds/index.en.html
Migratory Birds Convention Act
To hunt migratory birds (ducks, geese, coots, rails or snipes), you must
first obtain a Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit and a Habitat Conservation
Stamp. These are available from any Canada Post office. Information on seasons,
bag limits and fees is available from the Canadian Wildlife Service or outlined
in a brochure that can be obtained from any post office or on the Canadian
Wildlife Service publications web page:
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca
Firearms Information
Changes to the requirements for firearms licences and registration may have an effect on these regulations. Please check with the Canadian Firearms Centre locally (920-8395) or nationally (1-800-731-4000).
Firearms and Ammunition
When hunting big game in the NWT, you must use .23 or larger calibre ammunition.
The empty cartridge case of the ammunition must be greater than 44 mm in
length. There is an exception to this for Caribou, Wolf and Wolverine north
of the treeline, where .222, .22-250 and .223 calibres are permitted. To
hunt Wood Bison, bullet size must not be under 200 grains.
For the purpose of hunting big game, rim fire ammunition is illegal.
Ammunition containing non-expanding bullets, steel-jacketed bullets or tracer
ammunition may not be used for hunting.
When hunting small game and migratory game birds, no one may use a shotgun that holds more than three shells in the magazine and firing chamber combined.
Toxic Shot
In 1999, the Canadian Wildlife Service implemented legislation that prohibits possession of any but non-toxic shot for the purpose of hunting migratory game birds. For more information, contact the Canadian Wildlife Service or your local Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development office, or visit the CWS website: www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca
Importation of Firearms
Certain firearms are classified as prohibited firearms and are not allowed into Canada. For a list of prohibited firearms please contact :
Canadian Firearms Centre
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0H8
www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/default_e.asp
For further information on the importation of firearms, contact the customs office at your port of entry, a Canadian Embassy, or:
Canada Border Service Agency
Toll Free in Canada: 1-800-461-9999
From outsite Canada: (204) 983-3500
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/
For more information on hunting in the North,
NWT Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development
NWT Tourism Box 610, Yellowknife NT X1A 2N5 Canada
Toll-free number: 1-800-661-0788
International: +1-867-873-7200
Email: info@spectacularnwt.com
