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Ontario Hunter Education overview

Ontario Hunter Education: Small game, furbearers and migratory birds

Small game licences and limits, furbearers and pelts, snares and falconry, federal permits for migratory birds, baiting rules, cormorants and wild pigs.

  • 13 questions
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Small game, furbearers and migratory birds · Question 1Score 0/0

When may snares be used under a small game licence?

Study reference: Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary 2026 and ontario.ca (Oct 2026), Ch. 9 Small game, furbearers and migratory birds — Small game and furbearing mammals; Hunting licence information; Important messages

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 may snares be used under a small game licence?

    1. For raccoons, if set within 10 m of a den
    2. For cottontail rabbits on any farm in southern Ontario with consent
    3. For any furbearer, if checked once every day
    4. Only for snowshoe hare north of the French and Mattawa

  2. What must a hunter do with a cormorant they shoot?

    1. Retrieve it at once and count it in the bag
    2. Leave it, since cormorants are a pest
    3. Report it to the ministry within 7 days
    4. Leave it for other wildlife to eat

  3. When is a small game licence NOT valid in northern Ontario?

    1. During every gun season for moose
    2. From December 1 to March 31
    3. From April 1 to May 31
    4. From June 16 to August 31

  4. What licence do you need to hunt ruffed grouse or rabbits in Ontario?

    1. No licence for birds and rabbits
    2. A furbearer trapping licence
    3. A big game licence
    4. A small game licence

  5. You see a pig running loose in the woods. What does Ontario law say?

    1. Shoot it, but only with a small game licence
    2. Shoot it, since wild pigs are an invasive pest
    3. Trap it and return it to the nearest farm
    4. Hunting pigs is illegal; report the sighting

  6. What is the daily limit for cottontail rabbits?

    1. 10
    2. 5
    3. 3
    4. 15

  7. Which ammunition must be used to hunt double-crested cormorants?

    1. A single slug from a 12-gauge shotgun
    2. A rim-fire rifle with solid bullets
    3. Lead shot from any shotgun of any gauge, including rifled slugs
    4. Non-toxic shot from a shotgun no larger than 10 gauge

  8. Which animal is a furbearing mammal that can be hunted under a small game licence?

    1. White-tailed deer
    2. Raccoon
    3. Wild turkey
    4. Black bear

  9. Besides a falconry licence, what must every falconer hold to hunt?

    1. A firearms possession licence
    2. A CFSC student report
    3. A valid small game licence
    4. A big game licence

  10. A field was baited for ducks until 5 days ago. May you hunt migratory birds within 400 metres of it?

    1. Yes, once the bait has been eaten up
    2. Yes, if the bait was placed by someone else
    3. Yes, if you hunt more than 100 m away
    4. No, it must be bait-free for at least 7 days

  11. Besides an Outdoors Card and small game licence, what do you need to hunt ducks in Ontario?

    1. A falconry licence and a pelt licence
    2. A federal migratory bird permit and a habitat stamp
    3. A wild turkey tag and a firearms licence
    4. A big game licence and a provincial boat operator permit

  12. You still have a coyote pelt when the season closes. What do you need to keep it?

    1. A fur dealer's licence
    2. A second small game licence
    3. Nothing, pelts may be kept freely
    4. A free Licence to Possess a Pelt

  13. Which level of government sets the seasons and bag limits for ducks and geese?

    1. The federal government
    2. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
    3. The local municipality
    4. The Ontario ministry

Small game, furbearers and migratory birds: 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 ↗

Small game and furbearing mammals

  • Small game hunters need a small game licence on their licence summary or the back of their Outdoors Card.
  • Arctic fox, raccoon, opossum, red fox, skunk and weasel are furbearing mammals that can be taken under a small game licence; wolves and coyotes are furbearers too.
  • A small game licence is not valid in northern and some central parts of Ontario from June 16 to August 31.
  • Some southwestern Ontario municipalities also require a municipal licence for pheasant, cottontail and hare.
  • Daily limits: 5 cottontails and 3 European hares; possession limit 15 of each.
  • To keep furbearer pelts after the season closes you need a free Licence to Possess a Pelt; pelts must never be abandoned or allowed to spoil.
  • Snares may not be used under a small game licence except for snowshoe hare north of the French and Mattawa rivers with copper or brass wire.
  • Falconers need a small game licence plus a falconry licence; falconry season runs September 1 to March 31.

Migratory game birds and cormorants

  • Migratory game bird seasons and rules are set by the federal government under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994.
  • To hunt migratory game birds you need a federal migratory game bird hunting permit, a wildlife habitat conservation stamp, an Outdoors Card and an Ontario small game licence.
  • Permits and stamps are sold at most post offices and online.
  • It is illegal to hunt migratory birds within 400 m of bait unless the place has been bait-free for at least 7 days.
  • Double-crested cormorants may be hunted only with shotguns no larger than 10 gauge and non-toxic shot; single-projectile shells are not allowed.
  • Shot cormorants must be retrieved immediately and counted in the bag; unwanted birds must be disposed of properly.

Other

  • Under the Invasive Species Act, 2015, hunting pigs is illegal in Ontario; any pig outside a fence is a wild pig and sightings should be reported.
  • Bullfrogs may be taken for personal use under a fishing licence, and only bows may be used as firearms for them.

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