Hunt raccoon at night

The rules for hunting raccoons at night.

The law

Only residents of Ontario can hunt a raccoon with a firearm at night.

You need a valid resident small game licence or a trapping licence to hunt a raccoon.

You must also follow certain rules.

This is a summary of the provincial laws. You can find a complete set of rules related to this activity in:

You must:

have a valid resident small game licence or Ontario trapping licence
hunt only during the open season for raccoons
if you are a trapper, hunt only in the area described in your trapping licence
be accompanied by at least 1 dog licensed for hunting
only use a rim-fire rifle
keep firearms unloaded and encased while in a vehicle or boat
if using a light while hunting, do so only if the light is not attached to, or shone from, a vehicle or boat

You must also follow applicable municipal bylaws (e.g., not discharging a firearm in certain areas).

To get a small game hunting licence, you need an Outdoors Card with hunter accreditation on file.

There are three ways to get a licence to use a dog for hunting::

Updated: February 26, 2024

Published: December 19, 2013