ontario regulation 121/26

made under the

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997

Made: April 30, 2026
Filed: April 30, 2026
Published on e-Laws: April 30, 2026
Published in The Ontario Gazette: May 16, 2026

Amending O. Reg. 665/98

(HUNTING)

1. (1) The definition of “immediate family member” in section 1 of Ontario Regulation 665/98 is revoked and the following is substituted:

“immediate family member”, when used in reference to a person, means that person’s grandparent, step-grandparent, parent, step-parent, spouse, child, step-child, sibling, step-sibling, grandchild or step-grandchild; (“membre de la famille immédiate”)

(2) The definition of “outdoors card” in section 1 of the Regulation is amended by adding “and includes a card that is identified on the licence summary” at the end.

(3) The definition of “tag” in section 1 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “a hunting licence described” and substituting “a hunting licence, in any form including physical or digital, described”.

2. (1) Subsection 3 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1)  Any person who hunts wildlife shall carry their outdoors card on their person while hunting, subject to any exception provided under this Regulation.

(2) Subsection 3 (2) of the Regulation is revoked.

3. Section 9 of the Regulation is revoked.

4. Subparagraph 1 iii of subsection 12 (1) of the Regulation is revoked.

5. (1) Subsection 13 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) A licence summary is a document that identifies various hunting licences that a person holds at any given time together with,

(a) any falconry licences that the person may hold under the Act;

(b) various sport fishing licences that the person may hold under Ontario Regulation 664/98 (Fish Licensing) made under the Act; or

(c) an outdoors card.

(2) Subsection 13 (3) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(3) Each time a person is issued a new hunting licence, falconry licence, sport fishing licence or outdoors card, the Ministry shall issue an updated version of the licence summary to the person.

6. The English version of subsection 15 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

7. (1) Subsection 16 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) A licence holder or person otherwise authorized to hunt under this Regulation shall ensure that,

(a) every component of their licence remains intact and legible;

(b) any other document the person is required to carry while hunting under this Regulation remains intact and legible; and

(c) any label attached to an animal for the purposes of this Regulation is intact and legible at the time it is attached and remains so.

(2) The English version of subsection 16 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

8. The English version of subsection 17 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she was” and substituting “they were”.

9. Subsection 18 (2) of the Regulation is revoked.

10. (1) Subsection 19 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out the portion before clause (a) and substituting the following:

(2) A licensed hunter who holds a tag to hunt a wildlife species shall not invalidate the tag with respect to an animal that they kill unless the animal is of the same species, type, age and sex as is specified, and is in the same area as is specified,

. . . . .

(2) Subsections 19 (4) and (5) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(4) Following the kill of a species referred to in subsection (1), the licensed hunter shall,

(a) comply with the instructions that accompany the tag, including requirements to attach a physical tag, or in the case of a digital tag, a label, to the animal, as well as requirements to retain the invalidated tag; and

(b) continue to comply with the instructions that accompany the tag until such time as the animal has been transported from the site of the kill to the site of processing and is being prepared for long-term storage.

(3) Subsections 19 (6) and (7) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(6) No person shall possess an animal that ought to have had a tag or a label attached to the animal as required by the instructions that accompany the tag.

(7) Once a physical tag or, in the case of a digital tag, a label, has been attached to an animal, it shall not be removed from the animal until the animal has been transported from the site of the kill to the site of processing and is being prepared for long-term storage.

11. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

19.1 (1) A conservation officer or such other person as may be designated by the Minister may cancel or suspend a tag or direct that a tag be cancelled or suspended if,

(a) the licence holder has failed to invalidate the tag as required by subsections 19 (1), 22 (4) or 24.2 (1);

(b) a person, while hunting, is found in possession of a tag issued to another person, contrary to subsection 25.1 (1); or

(c) the licence that the tag is a component of is void under section 70 of the Act.

(2) A cancellation or suspension under subsection (1) takes effect immediately.

(3) Once cancelled or suspended under this section, the cancelled or suspended tag shall not be used or otherwise be relied on for any purpose.

(4) A suspension remains in effect until lifted or the tag is cancelled by a conservation officer or such other person as may be designated by the Minister.

(5) For greater certainty, a cancellation or suspension under this section prevents further use of a tag and the tag may be cancelled or suspended even in cases where the tag has been invalidated by operation of subsection 17 (4).

12. The English version of section 21 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

13. (1) Subsection 22 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) A person who is a resident may hunt wildlife without a licence as an apprentice hunter if,

(a) the person holds an outdoors card issued under subsection 4 (2);

(b) the person,

(i) is at least 12 years of age but less than 15 years of age, or

(ii) is 15 years of age and is hunting in the circumstances set out in subsection (1.1); and

(c) the person hunts in accordance with the conditions set out in subsection (2).

(2) Section 22 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(1.1) A person who is 15 years of age may hunt as an apprentice hunter in the following circumstances:

1. The person is hunting elk as a member of a party in accordance with section 24.6.

2. The person is hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt management unit during a season where hunting in the controlled deer hunt management unit is not limited to the use of bows under Ontario Regulation 670/98 (Open Seasons — Wildlife).

(3) The English version of subsection 22 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she complies” in the portion before paragraph 1 and substituting “they comply”.

(4) The English version of paragraph 3 of subsection 22 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she is” and substituting “they are”.

(5) The English version of subsection 22 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

(6) Subsection 22 (5) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(5) Subsections 19 (4) and (6) apply to the supervising hunter in respect of the animal that was killed as though they were the person who killed the animal.

(7) The English version of subsection 22 (6) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she” and substituting “they”.

14. Subsection 23 (3) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(3) The Minister may issue a deer tag to an applicant under subsection (1) authorizing them to hunt antlerless deer in a wildlife management unit if it is an additional deer tag available for the unit in accordance with subsection 37 (5).

15. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

23.1 (1) Despite subsection 24.1 (1), an apprentice hunter may hunt as a member of a hunting party in accordance with Part III with or without a licence, provided the apprentice hunter is hunting in accordance with subsections 22 (2) and (6) and they are hunting under the supervision of a person who holds a licence to hunt the same species.

(2) Despite subsection 38 (1), an apprentice hunter may hunt in a controlled deer hunt management unit, with or without a licence, provided the apprentice hunter is hunting in accordance with subsections 22 (2) and (6) and they are hunting under the supervision of a person who meets the requirements of clause 38 (1) (a) or (b).

(3) If a person is hunting as an apprentice hunter, any deer tag held by that person is not valid for hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt management unit except during a season where hunting in the controlled deer hunt management unit is limited to the use of bows only under Ontario Regulation 670/98 (Open Seasons — Wildlife).

16. The English version of subsection 24 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she” and substituting “they”.

17. (1) The English version of subsection 24.1 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “their”.

(2) The English version of clause 24.1 (2) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

18. Subsection 24.2 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) Subsections 19 (4) and (6) apply to the holder of a licence referred to in subsection (1) of this section in respect of the animal that was killed as though they were the person who killed the animal.

19. Section 24.3 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

24.3 A person, other than an apprentice hunter, shall not hunt deer in a party in a controlled deer hunt management unit during a season where hunting in the controlled deer hunt management unit is not limited to the use of bows under Ontario Regulation 670/98 (Open Seasons — Wildlife) unless the person’s licence summary has been updated to include a controlled deer hunt validation for that controlled deer hunt management unit.

20. (1) Subsection 24.5 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) No person shall hunt moose in a hunting party in wildlife management unit 65 unless the hunting party consists of no more than two hunters who were both issued a licence to hunt moose in the relevant year and one of the hunters has been issued a moose tag for wildlife management unit 65.

(2) Subsection 24.5 (3) of the Regulation is revoked.

(3) Subsection 24.5 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “referred to in clause 2 (a)” and substituting “who has been issued a moose tag for wildlife management unit 65”.

(4) The English version of clause 24.5 (6) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

21. (1) Subsection 24.6 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “identifies”.

(2) The English version of paragraph 2 of subsection 24.6 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she” and substituting “they”.

22. Subsection 25.1 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) No person shall purport by any means to have killed an animal that was in fact killed by another person.

23. (1) The English version of paragraph 3 of subsection 25.2 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she has” and substituting “they have”.

(2) The English version of subsection 25.2 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

24. The English version of clause 26 (4) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

25. (1) The English version of subsection 28 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” and substituting “identifies”.

(2) The English version of subsection 28 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “list” and substituting “identify”.

(3) The English version of subsection 28 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “identifies”.

(4) The English version of subsection 28 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” and substituting “identifies”.

(5) Subsection 28 (5) of the Regulation is revoked.

26. Section 32 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

32. If the holder of a licence to hunt wild turkey kills a turkey and invalidates their tag in accordance with section 19, the hunter’s licence continues to be valid despite clause 17 (2) (b) if they,

(a) are hunting wild turkey with another person who holds a licence to hunt small game with a valid tag for wild turkey; and

(b) do not carry or use a firearm.

27. Subsection 37 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) A licence to hunt deer shall consist of a licence summary that identifies the deer licence together with a deer tag.

28. (1) The English version of clause 38 (1) (a) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she is” and substituting “they are”.

(2) Subsection 38 (2) of the Regulation is amended by adding “or section 23.1” after “clause (1) (b)” in the portion before paragraph 1.

(3) Paragraph 1 of subsection 38 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

1. The deer tag issued to a licence holder at the time of the issuance of their licence to hunt deer, subject to any additional conditions that may be specified in the licence summary.

29. Section 39 of the Regulation is revoked.

30. Section 40 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

40. (1) Despite anything in this Part, a licence to hunt deer is not valid for hunting deer in wildlife management unit 93C or on Barrie Island, Cockburn Island or Manitoulin Island in the Territorial District of Manitoulin unless,

(a) the licence holder has obtained the consent of the owner of the land on which the licence holder is hunting deer;

(b) the owner of the land on which the licence holder is hunting deer has signed a consent form supplied by the Ministry for the purpose of this section; and

(c) the licence holder carries the consent form on their person with their licence while hunting and produces it on the request of a conservation officer.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if the holder of the licence is the owner of land in wildlife management unit 93C or on the relevant island and hunts on that land.

31. (1) Subsection 41 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” and substituting “identifies”.

(2) Subsection 41 (5) of the Regulation is revoked.

32. (1) The English version of subsection 42 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

(2) The English version of subsection 42 (6) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

33. (1) Clause 43 (1) (a) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(a) a moose tag together with a licence summary that identifies the moose licence; or

(2) Clause 43 (1) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” and substituting “identifies”.

(3) Subsection 43 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “listed” and substituting “identified”.

(4) The English version of subsection 43 (4) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

34. The English version of subsection 46 (6) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she is” and substituting “they are”.

35. (1) The English version of subsection 48 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

(2) The English version of subsection 48 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she owns” and substituting “they own”.

36. Clause 49 (1) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “and carrying a partner permit in accordance with subsection 24.5 (3)” at the end.

37. Subsection 51 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “lists” and substituting “identifies”.

38. The English version of clause 54 (1) (a) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

39. (1) The English version of clause 80 (1) (a) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

(2) Paragraph 1 of subsection 80 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “resident”.

(3) The English version of paragraph 2 of subsection 80 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

40. The English version of subsection 86 (6) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she” and substituting “they”.

41. Section 88 of the Regulation is revoked.

42. Section 89 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(0.1) This section applies to a person who chases wildlife other than in an area enclosed for the purpose of teaching dogs hunting skills or testing the hunting skills of dogs and whose owner or operator is licensed for that purpose under Ontario Regulation 668/98 (Wildlife in Captivity).

43. Section 90 of the Regulation is revoked.

44. Subsection 94 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “or moose” wherever it appears.

45. (1) Subsection 97.1 (1) of the Regulation is amended adding “or chukar partridge” after “may hunt game birds” in the portion before clause (a).

(2) The English version of clause 97.1 (2) (c) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she meets” and substituting “they meet”.

46. (1) The English version of subsection 99 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she has” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “they have”.

(2) The English version of subsection 99 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

47. Section 102 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(2) A person who is travelling through a Crown game preserve in or on a vehicle on a road is exempt from the prohibition set out in subsection 9 (2) of the Act with respect to the possession of a firearm or trap if,

(a) the firearm is unloaded, encased and remains in or on the vehicle; and

(b) any trap remains in or on the vehicle.

48. The English version of clause 106 (1) (b) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(b) possess any wildlife that they have legally killed in the provincial park.

49. (1) The English version of subsection 109 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she has” and substituting “they have”.

(2) The English version of subsection 109 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “their”.

(3) The English version of clause 109 (3) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

50. The English version of section 110 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “their”.

51. The English version of section 110.1 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “their”.

52. The English version of subsection 115 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “him or her” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “them”.

53. The English version of clause 120 (1) (a) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “him or her” and substituting “them”.

54. (1) The English version of clause 123 (1) (d) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

(2) The English version of subsection 123 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she is” and substituting “they are”.

55. The English version of subsection 129 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “his or her” and substituting “their”.

56. The English version of subsection 132 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she” and substituting “they”.

57. The English version of clause 133.2 (2) (a) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “he or she is” and substituting “they are”.

58. Paragraph 3 of section 135.2 of the Regulation is revoked.

59. Section 135.2 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(2) For the purposes of clauses 46 (1) (b) and 54 (1.1) (b) of the Act, a person who holds a licence to own or operate a game bird hunting preserve may, for the purpose of hunting, release chukar partridge or any species of game bird for which the licence is valid, during the time period for which the licence is valid and in the areas to which the licence applies.

Commencement

60. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, this Regulation comes into force on the later of July 1, 2026 and the day this Regulation is filed.

(2) Subsections 1 (3) and 7 (1), section 9, subsection 10 (2), section 11, subsections 13 (1), (2) and (6), section 18, subsections 20 (1) to (3) and sections 27, 29, 30, 36 and 41 to 43 come into force on the later of January 1, 2027 and the day this Regulation is filed.