The law

You need a valid small game licence to chase:

  • a raccoon at night
  • a red fox, coyote or wolf during the day

You must also follow certain rules.

Source law

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

The rules

You must have a valid small game licence.

Outside of the open season:

  • you must not carry or use a firearm
  • you must not capture or kill the animals you chase
  • you must be accompanied by a dog
  • if chasing raccoon at night, the dog must be licensed for hunting

During the open season:

  • you may carry or use a firearm
  • you must be accompanied by a dog licensed for hunting, if you chase raccoon at night
  • if chasing a raccoon at night, follow the firearms restrictions for hunting raccoon at night

Hunting a raccoon at night

Non-residents of Ontario may not:

  • carry or use a firearm while chasing a raccoon at night, even during the open season
  • capture or kill raccoons at night

Restricted areas (Algonquin Park)

You cannot pursue, chase or search for coyotes or wolves in and around Algonquin Provincial Park, including these areas:

  • Airy
  • Alice
  • Ballantyne
  • Boulter
  • Boyd
  • Bruton
  • Burns
  • Butt
  • Calvin
  • Cameron
  • Chisholm
  • Clancy
  • Clara
  • Clyde
  • Dickens
  • Dudley
  • Eyre
  • Finlayson
  • Franklin
  • Fraser
  • Hagarty
  • Harburn
  • Harcourt
  • Havelock
  • Head
  • Herschel
  • Lauder
  • Livingstone
  • Maria
  • McClintock
  • McClure
  • McCraney
  • McKay
  • Murchison
  • Papineau
  • Paxton
  • Petawawa
  • Richards
  • Rolph
  • Sabine
  • Sinclair
  • Wylie

How to get a licence

To get a small game hunting licence, you need a hunting-version Outdoors Card.

Get an Outdoors Card

Get a small game licence

Licence a dog for hunting

To get a licence to use a dog for hunting, visit:

  • a ServiceOntario Centre
  • an independent license issuer (e.g., local hunting supply store)

Find a licence seller