Process to get deer license

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DK519

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Kitchener, ON
Hi all,

Found some heavily worn paths made by deer the other week while I was out camping and got me thinking maybe next fall is the year I get into deer hunting.

Could someone lay out in plain and simple terms how I would go about being able to hunt a deer in Ontario. Would just be me, most likely with a bow in WMU 46. I know there are draws and what not but the MNR site doesn't go into great detail about what is required. (OR I'm just not getting it due to my newb status)

Can I just buy a tag? Do I need to be in a draw before I get a tag? Am I limited to bucks or does?

Thanks.
 
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/OC/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_091032.html

HUNTING
In order to get your first hunting-version Outdoors Card (available at participating ServiceOntario centres ONLY[\url]) you'll need all of the information listed above, as well as proof that you are eligible to hunt in Ontario. Applicants under the age of 16 will also need to complete a consent form.

If you're an Ontario resident, you'll need one of the following to prove you are eligible to hunt:
an Ontario Hunter Education Exam Certificate/Report issued to you after January 1, 1968 (If applying for a Class H1 Outdoors Card, proof of passing the Canadian Firearms Safety Course is also needed if the Ontario Hunter Education Exam Report was issued after January 1, 2006.)
an Ontario resident's hunting licence or hunting licence verification certificate which must have been issued to you after January 1, 1968 and before January 1, 2006.
Click to expand...



Sounds like you will need to take and complete the hunter's course, then drop by ServiceOntario Kitchener 30 Duke Street West, 2nd Floor.


I think, I'm not from Ontario, and I don't have my hunting license yet so I might have missed some steps.
 
take hunting course
get hunting licence
enter draw you get 2 choices of wmu
wait for draw results
buy a deer license
 
OK so no matter what you need to enter a draw. That's the short answer I was looking for.

Also, how likely is it that I will be able to deer hunt next year?
 
This is what I'm seeing for the draws:

Antlerless Deer - March 1 to June 30
Moose - April 22 to June 2
Elk - May 1 to June 10
Controlled Deer - August 1 to
September 2

My confusion is coming from having heard that you don't need to enter a draw to shoot a buck. You can simply buy a tag and away you go. I see "anterless" and "controlled". From what I understand the controlled is a separate season with fewer numbers of hunters.
 
you need to enter a draw if you want to hunt deer Antlerless self explanatory controlled hunt is buck or doe. Controlled hunt is the one we all wait for, every time i apply for a draw i always get my 1st choice so i guess your chances are very high
 
OK so I read into the regs a bit closer now...

"Licensed hunters who do not apply to the antlerless draw,
or who are not successful in the draw for an antlerless deer
validation tag, may harvest an antlered deer only, anywhere
in the province during the open season, with the following
exceptions:
• When party hunting with a party member that possesses
an antlerless validation tag.
• When the hunter possesses an additional deer seal
validated for an antlerless deer.
• Only hunters with the proper validation tag may hunt in
a controlled hunt."

The WMU I would be in has no controlled hunt (only regular bow season and gun seasons) therefore I believe it is safe to assume I don't need to be in a draw and can harvest a buck.
 
you do not *need* to enter a draw to buy a tag. You may purchase a tag that is good for a buck without doing any draws. If you so happen to want to harvest an antlerless, then enter the appropriate draw.

As you mention, your WMU does not have a control season, so no need to enter unless you want to take a trip to WMU that does.
 
It is a bit confusing. But the short answer is, make sure you get into the anterless deer draw before the deadline. That will get you a tag for anterless in your WMU or an antlered anywhere in Ontario. Miss the draw and you have to buy an antlered deer tag (again, good for antlered anywhere in ontario) and then but an additional tag to get antlerless.

Your location says kitchener. There should be no problem getting an anterless deer tag, I think it's pretty much 100% fulfillment in that area.

I'm assuming 46 is near Kitchener. If not, then it may be different.
 
DK519 said:
OK so I read into the regs a bit closer now...

"Licensed hunters who do not apply to the antlerless draw,
or who are not successful in the draw for an antlerless deer
validation tag, may harvest an antlered deer only, anywhere
in the province during the open season, with the following
exceptions:
• When party hunting with a party member that possesses
an antlerless validation tag.
• When the hunter possesses an additional deer seal
validated for an antlerless deer.
• Only hunters with the proper validation tag may hunt in
a controlled hunt."

The WMU I would be in has no controlled hunt (only regular bow season and gun seasons) therefore I believe it is safe to assume I don't need to be in a draw and can harvest a buck.
Click to expand...

When you buy your license, you can take a buck anywhere in Ontario in a regular season using the legal firearms/bows. The draw does not cost anything above the deer license you are going to buy anyways. You might as well enter the draw for the area you plan to hunt as being successful in the draw would net the right to harvest an antlered OR antlerless deer.
 
waterwheel said:
It is a bit confusing. But the short answer is, make sure you get into the anterless deer draw before the deadline. That will get you a tag for anterless in your WMU or an antlered anywhere in Ontario. Miss the draw and you have to buy an antlered deer tag (again, good for antlered anywhere in ontario) and then but an additional tag to get antlerless.

Your location says kitchener. There should be no problem getting an anterless deer tag, I think it's pretty much 100% fulfillment in that area.

I'm assuming 46 is near Kitchener. If not, then it may be different.
Click to expand...


Nah 46 is a couple hours north. Worth it in my opinion so as not to be tripping over the hordes of other hunters.
 
My brother and I hunted 46 this year as well. I saw one deer, and a few other hunters in the same area. Found out that during the week the whole bush area was being dogged. Sucked for us but next year we are going to go further into whatever WMU we decide to hunt in.
 
rhino519 said:
guess again, I hunt 46 and it's busy area come deer season
Click to expand...

From my experience trekking around in the area during deer season the past couple years, deer hunters are very lazy and will rarely hike more than 20 yards off the beaten path (at least the area I've been in).

Also hoping to solely bow hunt so maybe that will cut down on the "hunters" on their annual outing in the bush.
 
DK519 said:
From my experience trekking around in the area during deer season the past couple years, deer hunters are very lazy and will rarely hike more than 20 yards off the beaten path (at least the area I've been in).

Also hoping to solely bow hunt so maybe that will cut down on the "hunters" on their annual outing in the bush.
Click to expand...

You right, most of them stay on the ATV trails, archery is less crowded though its hard to notice those guys, usually ;)
Who knows, maybe we will run into each other, I tend to wonder off deep in a bush
 
DK519 said:
OK so no matter what you need to enter a draw. That's the short answer I was looking for.

Also, how likely is it that I will be able to deer hunt next year?
Click to expand...

You will be able to hunt next year if you get on it right away. I have seen it take over three months to process paperwork at the MNR and RCMP for your PAL. With these civil servants it’s better to be early in case there are issues than on time.
 
Sorry, the way you asked the question it sounded to me like you didn’t take the hunting course yet. See if you can find somebody to hunt with who has been through it before. The regulations is just one part, gutting, butchering, dogging, stand placement, etc. are also other things you will need to figure out. It seems they don’t go over the regulations much in the hunter safety course as a lot of new hunters have the same question.
 
If you are planning on sitting in a stand with a bow all day definitely enter for an anterless tag. If not you are bucks only and will have to watch that big fat doe walk right past your stand. As for controlled hunt...this limits the number of hunters in that wmu for the week (first week of nov. And first week of dec.) This is when guys do their deer drives to fill up the freezer with meat for the winter. As for other posts here that hunters are lazy and dont go more than 20 yards into the bush...thats pretty funny to me. Ive never seen that personally. I will have to remember that one when we are carrying the deer back to the boat across fields and swamp lol but i dont hunt in 46 so maybe just all those guys are lazy :p
 
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