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Ontario Hunter Education overview

Ontario Hunter Education: Hunter accreditation, Outdoors Card and licences

The hunter education course and exam, registering accreditation, the Outdoors Card, residency, carrying licences, firearms accreditation for gun hunters and the Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program.

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Hunter accreditation, Outdoors Card and licences · Question 1Score 0/0

Which of these is illegal for an Ontario hunter?

Study reference: Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary 2026 and ontario.ca (Oct 2026), Ch. 1 Hunter accreditation, Outdoors Card and licences — Hunter education page; Summary: Hunting licence information, Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program

All 14 questions in this test

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

  1. Which of these is illegal for an Ontario hunter?

    1. Carrying a 3-year small game licence on the card
    2. Keeping a PDF licence summary on a phone
    3. Buying licences online and printing the summary
    4. Holding two Outdoors Cards with different numbers

  2. You want to carry your licence summary on your phone. Which format is valid?

    1. A screenshot of your online account
    2. A photo of the printed summary
    3. A text message with your licence number
    4. The PDF provided by the licensing service

  3. A gun hunter must carry proof of firearms accreditation. Which document is NOT acceptable?

    1. A copy of the CFSC student report
    2. A valid Possession and Acquisition Licence
    3. An Ontario Outdoors Card
    4. A valid minor's firearms licence

  4. After you pass the hunter education course, what must you do before buying hunting licences?

    1. Wait for a conservation officer to visit your home
    2. Mail your certificate to the ministry office in Peterborough for filing
    3. Register your accreditation at a participating ServiceOntario
    4. Take a second exam at a licence issuer's store

  5. A new hunter has only a CFSC student report and no PAL yet. How may they hunt with a gun?

    1. Only with a shotgun, never with a rifle
    2. Only on their own family's land with a relative somewhere nearby
    3. Alone, as long as they carry the report
    4. Only under direct supervision of a valid PAL holder

  6. Who counts as an Ontario resident for hunting licences?

    1. Anyone who has hunted in Ontario before
    2. A person living in Ontario 6 months in a row in the past year
    3. Anyone with an Ontario driver's licence or an Ontario health card
    4. Anyone who owns land in Ontario

  7. Unless stated otherwise, when do Ontario hunting licences expire?

    1. One year after the date of purchase
    2. At the end of the last open season
    3. March 31 of the following year
    4. December 31 of the year they were issued

  8. Your friend can't hunt this year and offers you his deer tag. What does the law say?

    1. You may use it if he signs the back of the tag
    2. You may use it if you hunt in the same WMU
    3. You may not use or possess a tag issued to someone else
    4. You may use it if he is a member of your hunting party that season

  9. Who can take part in Ontario's Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program?

    1. Residents aged 10 to 17 hunting with a parent present
    2. Residents aged 12 to 14 who passed hunter education
    3. Non-residents aged 12 to 16 with a guide
    4. Anyone under 18 who holds a PAL

  10. You passed hunter education but not the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. What may you hunt with, once licensed?

    1. A gun, if a friend carries the ammunition
    2. A bow or crossbow, but not a gun
    3. Only an air or pellet gun
    4. Any rifle or shotgun you own

  11. In which two ways does the ministry offer the Ontario Hunter Education Course?

    1. By correspondence or by video conference only
    2. Only in person at a ServiceOntario centre
    3. Only online, with an exam by mail
    4. In person with an instructor, or online

  12. What do most people need to pass before they can get an Ontario resident hunting licence?

    1. The Ontario Hunter Education Course and its exam
    2. A shooting test at a ministry-approved range
    3. An interview with a local conservation officer
    4. A wildlife identification test at ServiceOntario

  13. For how long is an Ontario Outdoors Card valid?

    1. 3 calendar years
    2. 5 calendar years
    3. 1 calendar year
    4. For life

  14. An apprentice hunter and mentor hunt deer together with a gun. Which rule applies?

    1. Each may carry a firearm if both are licensed
    2. The mentor may be 16 if they hold a PAL
    3. The apprentice may hunt alone once the mentor is nearby
    4. They share one firearm and the mentor must be 18 or older

Hunter accreditation, Outdoors Card and licences: 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 ↗

Hunter education (updated 2026-06-29)

  • Most people need to pass the Ontario Hunter Education Course, including its exam, to get a resident hunting licence.
  • The ministry offers the course two ways: in person with a certified instructor, or online at your own pace.
  • The course covers hunting safety and equipment, laws and regulations, hunter responsibilities, wildlife management, hunting techniques and wildlife identification.
  • After passing, you receive proof of completion and take it to a participating ServiceOntario location to register your hunter accreditation.
  • With accreditation on file you can buy licences and tags and apply to big game draws; a valid Outdoors Card is needed before buying hunting products.
  • New Ontario residents who have lived here at least 6 months and took hunter education (or hold recognized credentials) in their home jurisdiction can skip the course.
  • To hunt with a gun you must also have completed the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and hold a PAL, a minor's licence or proof of completing the CFSC.
  • Many instructors offer a one-stop course combining the hunter education course and the CFSC; they can also be taken separately.

Ontario Hunter Education Course; Hunting licence information

  • Passing the hunter education course and buying the right licences lets you hunt with a bow; a gun also needs the CFSC.
  • In Ontario, people who take the CFSC and its tests get a copy of the CFSC student report, which counts as proof until the PAL or minor's licence arrives.
  • A person with only a CFSC report (no licence), or an expired firearms licence, must hunt under the direct and immediate supervision of a valid PAL holder.
  • Gun hunters (including air and pellet guns and apprentices) must carry proof of firearms accreditation; bow and crossbow hunters do not need it.
  • A PAL application can be submitted up to six months before turning 18.
  • The Outdoors Card is a wallet-sized plastic card you must carry while hunting; it costs $8.57 and is valid for 3 calendar years.
  • It is illegal to hold more than one Outdoors Card or give false information on an application.
  • Residents under 16 need parent or guardian consent to get an Outdoors Card.
  • An Ontario resident has a primary residence in Ontario and has lived here at least 6 consecutive months in the 12 months before applying.
  • First-time non-resident hunters must be at least 16 and show equivalent accreditation from their home jurisdiction.
  • While hunting, carry your Outdoors Card, your licence (on your licence summary or the back of the card) and any tags.
  • A digital licence summary must be the PDF from the licensing service; a photo or screenshot is not valid.
  • Hunting licences expire on December 31 of the year issued unless stated otherwise.
  • You may not transfer an Outdoors Card, licence or tag to anyone else, or use someone else's.
  • Tell the ministry within 10 days of a change of address, name, residency or contact information.

Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program (HASP)

  • HASP is for residents aged 12 to 14 who have passed the hunter education course and hold an Outdoors Card with accreditation.
  • Apprentices hunt under the direct and immediate supervision of a mentor aged 18 or older with a valid Outdoors Card and licence for the species.
  • Apprentice and mentor share a single firearm, and the apprentice's game counts in the mentor's bag limit unless the apprentice buys their own licence or tag.
  • Apprentices cannot apply for big game draws; people 15 and older need their own licences and tags.
  • Gun-hunting apprentices must also have passed the CFSC and carry proof.

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