Hey guys, thought the collective knowledge in this forum would be the most help... My 12 year old daughter just passed her Firearms Safety Course with flying colors this week, and takes the hunter's ed course this coming Mon/Tues/Wed. I understand (in principle) how the hunter's apprentice license works, and look forward to walking in the bush mentoring her...carrying nothing but a camera in my back pocket! I do know that PAL wait times are a bit ridiculous, but am wondering if the paperwork she'll receive at the end of this next course will allow her to hunt with a bow until her PAL arrives..and will she need to wait until the PAL arrives before hunting with a firearm? My guess is "yes"...just sitting here in mid-July..wondering if there is any chance she'll be able to hunt grouse with a .22 this fall/winter...or is she likely to still be waiting for her cards when Christmas arrives?
Young "Apprentice" hunter + PAL wait
- Thread starter .22LRGUY
- Start date
munchkin750
Member
- Location
- Peterborough Ontario
She will def. have to wait to receive her PAL otherwise it is considered no license. End up with fines and prob another 5yr wait.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
She does not need to wait for her Minor's Permit as long as a licenced individual is with her and within arm's reach. She will need the Minor's Permit once she turns 15, gets her full hunting licence and you put her on her own deer stand, for example.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I forgot to add...make sure you call the CFC and ask for the Minor's Permit application form. They will not automatically send her one. Otherwise, she will have no form of firearms licensing in her possession until she is 18 and applies for her PAL.
mossyhorns
CGN Regular
- Location
- The city that rhymes with fun
Correct. My daughter has been waiting for her PAL since January of this year and all she gets for a reply is that it is being processed. Don't expect to get it anytime soon.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Nothing out of the ordinary. Long wait times are the norm. Unfortunately, the system is functioning as intended: as a patience trying hindrance to ownership.
Phone and ask the CFO what the holdup is. My son applied in March and after waiting the 45 days they say it takes to process a regular PAL, I checked online. That told me that the application was received and in the process.
In early July I phoned and the person I spoke with said that a minor PAL takes longer. I got the interview phone call a week or ten days later and my son had his PAL within 2 weeks after that.
So my suggestion is to Phone and get the process moving along.
Good Luck
This! This right here! Absolute best advice on the internet. Good to have you here helping out. Thanks for playing.
My son is taking the course on those same days, in R.H. - I wonder if they're in the same class. Anyway, he mentioned that once a minor under 15 has his/her PAL and hunting licence, mentor and minor under age 15 must share and be in possession of only one gun.
Probably is the same course! Test is later this afternoon, but she's really enjoyed the course so far. Maybe not the vintage moose unzipping footage...
Now, I've spoken with the instructor..and done allot more reading online...here is my take;
As a minor (12-15) she will only be eligible for a "Hunter Apprentice Safety Card" and if she's completed the Firearms Safety Course (and she has, 98% in both written & practical
) it will be a "Class A1" card, meaning she can hunt with a firearm. There is no PAL, but proof of the successful completion of both courses needs to be brought to the MNR. From there, again..if I understand this...she will be given a temporary license, we'll buy the required small game tag at that time, and a card will arrive in the mail some time after. She needs parental consent and I'm assuming I'll be asked to provide proof of my own PAL/Hunting license when we go to do that. Once we're out hunting, it's one firearm between us and any game limits I'm eligible for become our "collective" limit. If she passes tonight, I'll be at the MNR office Friday morning with her and confirm all of this. If I'm off, I'll come back and ad any clarification.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
If under 15 in Ontario, the youngster is considered a "hunter Apprentice" and when they apply for their Outdoors Card, it will be the hunter apprentice version they receive. While an apprentice hunter, they must be with a fully licenced hunter, and PAL holder and share one firearm (and be within arms reach of each other). Any game taken comes off the fully licenced individual's licence; the exception being waterfowl...the youngsters need their own Migratory Bird Permit. At 15 the kids cannot have a PAL. What they can apply for is their firearms Minors Permit. This is absolutely necessary once they turn 15, obtain their full hunting licence and wish to be off on their own as it allows them to legally be in possession of a firearm without PAL holder present and within arms reach.
