Mandatory hunter reporting requirement

You must complete a hunter report if you:

  • purchased or are issued a tag to hunt elk, deer, bear, wild turkey or wolf/coyote (in Wildlife Management Units where a tag is required)
  • were issued a licence to hunt moose

Note: You are required to complete a hunter report even if you did not participate in the hunt or harvest an animal.

Consequences for failing to report

Failing to report:

Hunters who fail to report are subject to a $25 surcharge that is automatically applied to the next draw application, licence or tag purchase for that species (generally in the following year).

How to report

Most hunters, including apprentice hunters who chose to purchase their own licence/tag, must complete reports online or by calling 1-800-288-1155.

The Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service can send you email reminders to help you remember important dates.

There are also specific reporting requirements for the following hunters:

  • Resident black bear hunters are required to:
    • submit a single hunter report in the fall by the reporting deadline. Your report must include information on all spring and fall hunting activity and harvest
  • Resident moose hunters who acquire a tag from a tourist outfitter must:
    • submit a regular hunter report online or by phone at 1-800-288-1155 by the reporting deadline, and
    • provide a separate report to the tourist outfitter. We recommend you complete and return this report to the outfitter before you leave the outfitter accommodation.
    • make sure both reports include information that is unique to each type of hunt
  • Non-resident moose hunters who were issued a tag from a tourist outfitter or who hold a non-resident moose licence and are party hunting on an outfitter tag must:
    • return their completed hunter report to the outfitter by the reporting deadline. We recommend you complete and return this report to the outfitter before you leave the outfitter accommodation
  • Non-resident moose hunters who party hunt with their resident immediate relative who holds a valid moose tag must:
  • Non-resident black bear hunters issued a validation certificate from a licensed bear operator must:
    • provide the report back to the operator by the deadline. We recommend you complete and return this report to the operator before you leave the operator premises
    • submit a separate hunter report for each season (spring and/or fall) where you received a validation certificate to hunt
  • Moose tourist outfitters and licensed bear operators must:

Complete your report online

  1. Step 1

    Visit the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service and select Submit Hunter Report to access the login page.

  2. Step 2

    Login to your online account. Don’t forget to acknowledge and accept the privacy notification to proceed.

  3. Step 3

    Select the Provide Report button next to the mandatory report you wish to submit.

Information you need to provide

Hunters are encouraged to keep records if they will not be providing the information until the end of the season.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

  1. Did you hunt?
  2. Did you harvest an animal? If so, where, when and what type of animal was it (for example, male or female)?
  3. What Wildlife Management Unit(s) did you hunt in and how many days did you hunt in each?
  4. What observations did you have during the hunt?

Once you complete the report and verify that your responses are correct, select the Submit button. A confirmation number will be displayed for your records.

How hunter information is used

The information hunters provide through their reports is important for managing wildlife in Ontario.

Reporting helps to:

  • monitor wildlife populations
  • develop tag quotas
  • make changes to seasons and bag limits
  • inform other management policies

Learn more about how to submit your hunter report online.

Reporting deadlines

Most hunter reports must be submitted within 14 days following the end of the last hunting season for that species. Non-residents have earlier reporting deadlines than residents for moose and black bear hunting.

All hunters are encouraged to provide their report as soon as possible once they know their hunt is completed. You are required to submit reports in a timely manner to ensure data quality and support harvest planning.

Hunters should not report until they know they are done with their hunt.

Mandatory species reporting deadlines for 2024

Hunters will not be able to submit a report after the following dates.

Black bear

  • Spring non-resident black bear hunter report – June 22, 2024
  • Fall non-resident black bear hunter report – December 7, 2024
  • Resident black bear hunter report – December 14, 2024

Deer

  • Deer hunter report – January 14, 2025

Elk

  • Elk tag holder report – October 13, 2024

Moose

  • Non-resident moose hunter report for tourist outfitter tag holder or party hunter – November 22, 2024
  • Resident moose tag holder hunter report for tourist outfitter – December 22, 2024
  • Moose hunter report – December 29, 2024

Turkey

  • Spring wild turkey hunter report – June 14, 2024
  • Fall wild turkey hunter report – November 14, 2024

Wolf/coyote

  • Wolf/coyote tag holder report – January 14, 2025

The law

Mandatory hunter reporting requirements, timelines and consequences for not reporting are established in the hunting regulation under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Learn more about Ontario Regulation 665/98.

Failing to report

Hunters who fail to report are subject to a $25 surcharge that is automatically applied to the next draw application, licence or tag purchase for that species. For example, if you fail to complete your mandatory hunter report for your 2023 deer licence tag, you will have to pay the $25 surcharge when you purchase your 2024 deer licence/tag.

The $25 surcharge will be applied for each report that a hunter fails to submit.

If a hunter fails to submit a hunter report on two consecutive occasions for the same species, they will not be able to purchase the relevant products (such as an allocation or draw application, licence or tag) the following year. We are currently reviewing this policy. Hunters will not be prevented from purchasing relevant products in 2024.

Hunters who fail to report or provide false or misleading information may also be subject to penalties under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997.

Penalty waivers

There may be limited circumstances where a failure to report happens for reasons beyond the hunter’s control. This includes exceptional circumstances such as an illness or injury that incapacitates the hunter, preventing them from completing the report in the 24 hours before the reporting deadline.

We may consider waiving the reporting penalty in these circumstances. To apply for a waiver:

  1. Complete the Application for waiver of hunter reporting penalty form.
  2. Email the completed form and any supporting documentation to MNRFLicensing@ontario.ca.

Previous year’s hunter report summaries

Report summaries will be published online when the results are available (typically late spring).

Data from previous reports