What is the main Ontario law that regulates hunting and trapping?

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997

The Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act

The Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

Why is CWD hard to control once it is established?

Infected animals can look healthy for years and spread it

It only spreads on hunters' clothing, boots and vehicle tires

It can be cured, but the medicine is very costly

It infects only old animals near the end of life

What is the most immediate tool Ontario uses to manage moose populations?

Feeding moose in deep-snow winters

Banning moose hunting every second year

Moving moose between regions each winter

Ontario Hunter Education overview

Ontario Hunter Education: Wildlife management and wildlife health

The 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.

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13 questions
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Wildlife management and wildlife health · Question 1Score 0/0

You harvest a deer with an ear tag showing 1-866-514-2327. What does this mean?

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Study reference: Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary 2026 and ontario.ca (Oct 2026), Ch. 10 Wildlife management and wildlife health — General regulations; Moose; White-tailed deer — CWD; Human health and hunting

All 13 questions in this test

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

You harvest a deer with an ear tag showing 1-866-514-2327. What does this mean?
1. It is a research animal and must not be shot
2. It was once chemically immobilized; call before eating it
3. It is a farmed deer that escaped its enclosure
4. It has tested positive for chronic wasting disease
What is the main Ontario law that regulates hunting and trapping?
1. The Firearms Act
2. The Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act
3. The Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
4. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997
Why is CWD hard to control once it is established?
1. It only spreads on hunters' clothing, boots and vehicle tires
2. Infected animals can look healthy for years and spread it
3. It can be cured, but the medicine is very costly
4. It infects only old animals near the end of life
What is the most immediate tool Ontario uses to manage moose populations?
1. Adjusting tag quotas
2. Feeding moose in deep-snow winters
3. Banning moose hunting every second year
4. Moving moose between regions each winter
Which animals can be infected by chronic wasting disease (CWD)?
1. Black bears and wolves
2. Ducks, geese and swans
3. Deer, moose, elk and caribou
4. Rabbits and hares
Which deer lure is legal to use in Ontario?
1. A synthetic or plant-based lure
2. Doe urine collected in another province
3. Buck gland oil sold in a hunting store
4. Deer saliva mixed into an apple scent
If aerial surveys show a moose population is declining, what usually happens?
1. Calf tags are eliminated everywhere
2. Planned harvests are reduced
3. Seasons are made longer
4. Planned harvests are increased
Under the FWCA, which of these counts as hunting?
1. Only carrying a loaded firearm outdoors
2. Only hunting game that you intend to eat
3. Lying in wait for wildlife, even without firing
4. Only shooting at and killing wildlife
Who is responsible for making sure wild game meat is safe to eat?
1. The ServiceOntario centre
2. The hunter
3. The landowner where it was taken
4. Government meat inspectors
Which disease risks does the summary warn hunters about when handling birds and being outdoors?
1. Rabies from every grouse and woodcock
2. Lyme disease from eating venison
3. Avian influenza and tick-borne diseases
4. West Nile virus from handling ducks
Why does Ontario restrict bringing in whole deer carcasses harvested in other provinces?
1. Because out-of-province deer meat cannot be eaten in Ontario
2. To make hunters buy Ontario tags instead
3. To prevent chronic wasting disease from entering Ontario
4. To protect the price of venison sold in Ontario
How does the ministry use the information hunters submit in their reports?
1. To assign hunters to particular wildlife officers
2. To decide which hunters may renew a PAL each year
3. To set the prices of licences and tags for the following year
4. To monitor populations and set quotas, seasons and limits
What precaution is recommended when field dressing a deer?
1. Field dress only after the carcass has fully cooled overnight
2. Rinse the body cavity with lake water before you start
3. Remove the head first so it can be sent for testing
4. Wear rubber or latex gloves and avoid the brain and spinal cord

Wildlife management and wildlife health: 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 ↗

Wildlife management

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA) is the main Ontario law for hunting and trapping.
Hunting includes lying in wait for, searching for, trailing, pursuing, chasing or shooting at wildlife, whether or not it is killed; you need a licence to do any of these.
Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) divide the province; seasons, tags and rules vary by WMU.
Moose tag quotas are the most immediate tool for managing moose; they are usually held stable for 3 to 5 years until a new aerial inventory.
If a moose population declines, planned harvests are reduced; if it grows, increases can be considered.
Moose tags are allocated by a points system; points reset after you claim a tag awarded by points.
Hunter reports, bear teeth and CWD samples all feed the science behind seasons and quotas.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) and human health

CWD is a contagious, fatal disease of deer, moose, elk and caribou; no evidence of it has been found in Ontario.
An infected animal can look normal for years; the disease spreads through saliva, urine, feces and blood, and prions can stay infectious in soil for years.
It is illegal to use or possess any product containing urine, feces, blood, gland oil or saliva of any cervid; only synthetic or plant-based lures are allowed.
Ontario restricts importing whole carcasses and high-risk parts of cervids harvested elsewhere.
Wear rubber or latex gloves when field dressing and minimize contact with brain, spinal cord, eyes and lymph nodes.
Do not eat meat from animals that test positive for CWD or look sick; report sick deer.
Game meat is not government inspected; hunters are responsible for proper field dressing, transport and processing.
Avian influenza can infect birds and some mammals; spring and fall migrations are high-risk periods.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Animals with an ear tag showing 1-866-514-2327 were once chemically immobilized; call before eating the meat.
Report escaped deer or elk and any pig outside a fence.

Study the Wildlife management and wildlife health rules as flashcards →