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BC CORE overview

BC CORE: Definitions and bag limits

What hunting, big game, small game and wildlife mean, the licence year, B.C. residency, bag limit notation, deer limits and illegal guiding.

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Definitions and bag limits · Question 1Score 0/0

When does the B.C. hunting licence year run?

Study reference: B.C. hunting regulations and federal firearms rules (Oct 2026), Ch. 10 Definitions and bag limits — Synopsis 2026–2028, Definitions; Provincial Bag Limits; Deer Bag Limits; Illegal Guiding

All 13 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. When does the B.C. hunting licence year run?

    1. July 1 to June 30
    2. April 1 to March 31
    3. January 1 to December 31
    4. September 1 to August 31

  2. What is the provincial bag limit for deer in one licence year (outside Haida Gwaii)?

    1. 3
    2. No limit
    3. 5
    4. 1

  3. Under the Wildlife Act, which activity counts as hunting?

    1. Watching birds through binoculars, unarmed
    2. Taking photos of deer from a parked car
    3. Lying in wait for wildlife with a firearm
    4. Hiking on a trail without any weapon

  4. Which of these is big game in B.C.?

    1. Ruffed grouse
    2. Wolverine
    3. Snowshoe hare
    4. Raccoon

  5. Whose bag limit does a deer taken under a youth hunting licence count against?

    1. The parent's next year
    2. The supervising adult's
    3. The youth's own limit
    4. No one's bag limit

  6. Which animals are designated as wildlife under the Wildlife Act?

    1. All animals, including insects, fish and crabs
    2. Only animals listed as endangered in Canada
    3. Only the big game species that are hunted
    4. Native vertebrates and some others, not fish

  7. Which is a small game species?

    1. Mountain goat
    2. Black bear
    3. Snowshoe hare
    4. Cougar

  8. Your neighbour offers to guide you on a moose hunt for cash but has no guide licence. What is the risk to you?

    1. None, if you pay in cash and not by cheque
    2. None, since only the guide breaks the law
    3. You can be charged as a party to the offence
    4. None, if the hunt takes place on Crown land

  9. Which of these is a Schedule C species that may be hunted without a licence?

    1. European starling
    2. Black bear
    3. Mule deer
    4. Ruffed grouse

  10. In the regional schedules, what does a bag limit of 2(1) mean for an ungulate?

    1. Two hunters may share and tag one animal
    2. Two per day, and one more on the next day
    3. Two per season, one of which may be antlerless
    4. One per season, which counts as two animals

  11. You took your daily bag limit of grouse this morning. What may you do this afternoon?

    1. Stop hunting grouse for the day
    2. Keep hunting if you give some away
    3. Keep hunting in another region
    4. Keep hunting until sunset

  12. How many mule deer bucks may one hunter take in a year from Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7A, 7B and 8 combined?

    1. 5
    2. 2
    3. 1
    4. 3

  13. How does the synopsis define a B.C. resident who is a Canadian citizen?

    1. Has a B.C. driver's licence for at least one week
    2. Was born in B.C., wherever they live today
    3. Owns property anywhere in B.C., even if living elsewhere
    4. Lives mainly in B.C. and was here most of 6 of the last 12 months

Definitions and bag limits: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Definitions

  • Hunting includes shooting at, attracting, searching for, chasing, following, stalking or lying in wait for wildlife, with intent to capture it or while carrying a firearm or other weapon — whether or not anything is killed.
  • Big game: mountain sheep, mountain goat, bison, caribou, elk, moose, deer, black bear, cougar, wolf, bobcat, lynx, wolverine and others designated.
  • Small game includes fox, raccoon, coyote, skunk, snowshoe hare and game birds; game includes big game, small game, game birds and furbearers.
  • B.C. resident (Canadian citizen or permanent resident): primary home in B.C. and physically present for most of 6 of the last 12 months.
  • Wildlife: all native vertebrate animals (not fish or invertebrates) and some non-native species; protected under the Wildlife Act.
  • Schedule C species (e.g. European starling, house sparrow, rock dove, eastern cottontail, bullfrog) have no closed season or bag limit and need no licence.

Bag limits

  • The licence year runs April 1 to March 31.
  • Once you take the daily bag limit for a species you must stop hunting it that day; once you take the seasonal limit, stop for the season.
  • Notation "2(1)" for ungulates: a season limit of two, one of which may be antlerless; "10(20)" for birds: daily 10, possession 20.
  • Provincial deer bag limit: 3 per licence year (outside Haida Gwaii), with no more than one mule deer buck from Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7A, 7B and 8 combined.
  • Regional bag limits may be lower; neither regional nor provincial limits may be exceeded.
  • Wildlife taken under a youth or initiation licence counts in the supervising adult's bag limit.
  • Guides must be licensed: a person who guides for pay without a guide outfitter licence or assistant guide authorization commits an offence, and the client can be charged too.

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