Under Ontario's hunting rules, which of these counts as a firearm?
Ontario Hunter Education overview
Ontario Hunter Education: Legal firearms, bows and ammunition
Which firearms, shotguns, bows, crossbows, arrows and shot sizes are legal for big game, turkey and small game, shotgun plugs and calibre limits.
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Study reference: Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary 2026 and ontario.ca (Oct 2026), Ch. 4 Legal firearms, bows and ammunition — General regulations — Firearms; Summary of firearms restrictions; Small game; Wolf and coyote
All 14 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Under Ontario's hunting rules, which of these counts as a firearm?
- A crossbow
- A trail camera
- A hunting knife
- A turkey call
You hold a bear licence and the deer gun season is also open in your WMU. What firearm rule applies?
- Carry any centre-fire rifle you like, since bear rules apply
- Carry a shotgun with birdshot only
- Carry only a firearm legal for deer at that time and place
- Carry two firearms, one for each species
You hunt rabbits in an area where deer season is open, with no deer licence. What may you not carry?
- A centre-fire rifle
- A shotgun with No. 6 shot
- A .22 rim-fire rifle
- A bow with blunt-tipped arrows
Which firearms may NOT be used for hunting in Ontario?
- Bolt-action rifles
- Muzzle-loading rifles
- Semi-automatic shotguns with a 3-shell plug
- Fully automatic or other prohibited firearms
What is the minimum draw weight of a compound bow for moose or bear?
- 22 kg (48.5 lb) at 700 mm or less
- 18 kg (39.7 lb) at 700 mm or less
- 30 kg (66 lb) at 800 mm or more
- 15 kg (33 lb) at any draw length
What is the minimum length of an arrow used for hunting in Ontario?
- 50 centimetres (19.7 inches)
- 45 centimetres (17.7 inches)
- 75 centimetres (29.5 inches)
- 60 centimetres (23.6 inches)
Which of these is illegal when hunting ring-necked pheasants?
- Using a rifle
- Using a shotgun
- Hunting on a licensed game bird preserve
- Using a pointing dog
May you hunt white-tailed deer with an air or pellet gun?
- Yes, but only during the bow season
- Yes, if you hold a big game licence
- No, air guns are allowed for small game only
- Yes, if it shoots faster than 152 m/s
Which firearm is NOT allowed for hunting wild turkey?
- A rifle
- A muzzle-loading shotgun
- A bow with a legal broadhead
- A 12-gauge shotgun with No. 5 shot
Which rifle may be used to hunt white-tailed deer?
- A .22 rim-fire rifle
- A centre-fire rifle
- Any air rifle
- A .17 rim-fire rifle
What crossbow draw weight is required to hunt deer?
- At least 45 kg (99.2 lb)
- At least 30 kg (66 lb)
- At least 54 kg (119 lb)
- At least 22 kg (48.5 lb)
What must a broadhead used on big game or wild turkey have?
- A width of at least 22 mm and 2 sharp cutting edges
- Three blades and a field-point tip behind them
- A width of at least 15 mm and 1 sharp edge
- Barbed edges and a weight of at least 100 grains
How many shells may a hunting shotgun hold in total, chamber and magazine combined?
- 2
- 5
- 6
- 3
If you use a shotgun loaded with shot for deer, what is required?
- Any gauge, with No. 4 shot or smaller
- At least 20 gauge, with SG or No. 1 buck or larger
- At least 28 gauge, with steel BB shot or larger pellets
- At least .410, with any buckshot size
Legal firearms, bows and ammunition: 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 ↗
General regulations, Firearms
- Under Ontario hunting rules, "firearms" include rifles, shotguns, muzzle-loading guns, air or pellet guns and all bows, including crossbows.
- Semi-automatic and repeating firearms may be used for hunting; restricted and prohibited firearms (such as fully automatic firearms) may not.
- Air and pellet guns may be used for small game but not for big game.
- Shotguns must be plugged so the chamber and magazine together hold no more than 3 shells.
- Under the Criminal Code, magazines for semi-automatic centre-fire firearms are generally limited to 5 shots.
- Arrows must be at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long, measured from the base of the head to the bottom of the nock slot.
- Broadheads for big game or wild turkey must be at least 22 mm (0.87 in) wide with at least 2 sharp cutting edges.
Summary of firearms restrictions for hunting
- Moose, elk, bear and deer: centre-fire rifles only (no rim-fire rifles).
- Moose, elk, bear and deer with shot: shotgun no smaller than 20 gauge, with shot size SG or No. 1 buck or larger.
- Wild turkey: no rifles; shotgun from 10 to 20 gauge with shot sizes 4, 5, 6 or 7; muzzle-loading shotguns allowed.
- Bow for moose, elk or bear: draw weight at least 22 kg (48.5 lb) at a draw length of 700 mm or less.
- Bow for deer or turkey: draw weight at least 18 kg (39.7 lb) at 700 mm or less.
- Crossbow: draw length at least 300 mm; draw weight at least 54 kg (119 lb) for moose, elk and bear, and 45 kg (99.2 lb) for deer and turkey.
- When hunting bear while deer or moose season is open, use or carry only firearms permitted for deer or moose at that time and place.
Small game, wolf and coyote
- While hunting small game where a deer, moose, elk or bear season is open, you may not carry a centre-fire rifle or shot larger than No. 2 lead (triple BBB steel, double BB bismuth) unless you hold a valid big game licence for that season.
- In much of southern Ontario, small game, wolf and coyote hunters may not carry a rifle larger than .275 calibre (muzzleloaders excepted).
- Ring-necked pheasants may not be hunted with a rifle.
- Night raccoon hunters may use only a rim-fire rifle and must have a licensed dog with them.
Study the Legal firearms, bows and ammunition rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Hunter accreditation, Outdoors Card and licencesThe hunter education course and exam, registering accreditation, the Outdoors Card, residency, carrying licences, firearms accreditation for gun hunters and the Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program.
- Hunter orange, hunting hours and loaded firearmsWho must wear hunter orange and what counts, legal hunting hours, when firearms must be unloaded and encased, and what makes a gun, muzzleloader or bow loaded.
- Firearm safety in the fieldThe basic rules of safe firearm handling for hunters, target identification, crossing obstacles, group hunting, careless hunting, injury reporting and turkey-hunting safety.
- Roads, vehicles, boats and aircraftShooting near roads and the 8-metre rule, municipal by-laws, Sunday gun hunting, and the rules for firearms in vehicles, motorboats, canoes, aircraft and drones.
- Private land, protected areas and dogsTrespass notice, landowner permission, Crown Game Preserves, provincial parks, wolf-protection closures and the rules for hunting and tracking dogs.
- Tags, party hunting and hunter reportsHow tags work, notching and attaching them, tagging locations by species, the conditions for party hunting and mandatory hunter reporting.
- Deer, moose, bear, turkey and wolf rulesSpecies rules for big game and wild turkey: swimming animals, moose age and tags, bear cubs, dens and bait, turkey tags, calls and bait, and wolf/coyote tags.
- Small game, furbearers and migratory birdsSmall game licences and limits, furbearers and pelts, snares and falconry, federal permits for migratory birds, baiting rules, cormorants and wild pigs.
- Wildlife management and wildlife healthThe FWCA and what counts as hunting, WMUs, how moose quotas and hunter data are used, chronic wasting disease, cervid lure ban, safe carcass handling and game-meat health.
- Hunter ethics and enforcementPenalties under the FWCA, conservation officers and inspections, wasting game, buying and selling wildlife, shipping game, landowner relations and Indigenous hunting rights.