MAJOR PROVINCE WIDE REGULATION CHANGES FOR 2018-2020
• Licensed grizzly bear hunting is banned in B.C.
• Hunters are now required to carry all species licences obtained or
held for the current licence year, including both cancelled and uncancelled,
while hunting
• “Edible portions” has been re-defined to include meat from the neck
and ribs, and hunters are now required to remove the edible portions
of harvested cougar
• Revised requirements to prove evidence of ### and species while
transporting harvested big game
• Aggregate bag limit of one mule deer buck in Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7A, 7B,
and 8
• Prohibition on the use of cervid derivatives (i.e., deer urine) sourced
outside of B.C. for the purpose of hunting
New information or regulation changes are
highlighted as green, bold text
One of the most common questions that wildlife staff receive is about
deer bag limits and deer species licences. On the surface it seems
confusing, with provincial bag limits vs. regional bag limits, buck limits vs.
antlerless bag limits , aggregate bag limits, individual bag limits for species,
and species licences for mule (black-tailed) and white-tailed deer. Once
the system is broken down into its parts it is straight forward.
There are two classes of bag limits, Provincial and Regional, neither of
these bag limits can be exceeded.
1) The Provincial bag limit for deer is 3 (not including Haida Gwaii/
QCI). Hunters may not harvest more than 3 deer in one licence year,
but only 1 may be a mule (black-tailed) deer buck from Regions 3,
4, 5, 6, 7A, 7B and 8 combined.
Hunters may harvest 3 white-tailed
deer (if they purchase 3 white-tailed
deer licenses), or 3 mule (blacktailed)
deer (if they purchase 3
mule (black-tailed) deer licenses), or
a combination of white-tailed and
mule (black-tailed) deer (1+2 or
2+1) providing they do not exceed
the provincial limit of 3 and not
more than 1 mule (black-tailed)
deer buck from Regions 3, 4, 5,
6 ,7A, 7B and 8 combined. The
reason hunters may purchase more
than 3 deer licenses in total is to
provide hunters with the flexibility
to harvest any combination of white-tailed or mule (black-tailed) deer up
to a maximum of 3.
2) Regional bag limits are implemented to limit the number of a species
or ### of deer that may be harvested per hunter per year in response to
local conditions. If a hunter harvests the maximum number of a species
or ### of deer within a region, they can no longer hunt deer within that
region. They can, however, continue to hunt and harvest deer in other
regions until they reach the provincial bag limit of 3.
The following table outlines the provincial and regional bag limits for deer.
Deer bag limits on Haida Gwaii are not covered in this article, as they are
a unique case.
region 1 Antlered mule deer =2 , Antlerless = 2 but regional bag limit is 3 mule deer combined
region 2 Antlered mule deer = 2, Antlerless = 2 but regional bag limit is 2 mule deer combined
region 3 Antlered mule deer 1, Antlerless = 1 , regional bag limit is 1 mule deer period.
region 4 Antlered mule deer 1, Antlerless = 0 , regional bag limit is 1 mule deer period.
Region 5 Antlered Mule deer =1, Antlerless = 1 , regional bag limit is 2 mule deer combined
Region 6 Antlered Mule deer =1 , Antlerless = 1 , regional bag limt is 2 mule deer combined ** see Haida Gwaii deer licenses for exceptions.
Region 7a Antlered Mule deer = 1 , Antlerless = 1, regional bag limit is 1 mule deer
region 7b Antlered mule deer = 1 , Antlerless = 1 , regional bag limit is 1 mule deer
region 8 Antlered mule deer = 1 , Antlerless = 1, regional bag limit is 1 mule deer.
if you kill a Buck mule deer in the regions listed at the beginning of the table, you may not hunt mule deer bucks in those included regions. Regions 1,2 and Haida Gwaii are exempt from the 2018-2020 changes to BC mule deer regulations.
I haven't included Whitetail as they are a seperate license but the Provincial bag limit for Mule deer and whitetail is combined at 3 deer per hunter, per season. * exception for haida gwaii.
