Visiting Ontario Moose Hunters

Choose the correct licence route

Non-residents of Ontario generally hunt moose through a licensed tourist outfitter. The exception is party hunting with an immediate relative who is an Ontario resident and holds a valid moose tag issued through Ontario’s resident tag allocation. Ontario lists grandparents, parents, spouses, children, siblings, and grandchildren.

The hunt must be in an open non-resident season. An Ontario resident’s earlier opening date does not authorize a visitor to hunt early.

For an outfitter-tag hunt, carry the registered-guest paperwork supplied by the outfitter. Ask which person holds the tag and what each party member needs to buy.

Equivalent step-family relationships count as immediate relatives. When buying the non-resident moose licence for this route, the non-resident must complete an attestation of the relationship online, at a licence issuer or at a participating ServiceOntario location.

Hunter qualifications and documents

You need the required Outdoors Card and proof of hunter accreditation to buy a hunting licence. Check Ontario’s accepted evidence before travelling, and submit it through the route the ministry requires.

Do not assume a fishing Outdoors Card records your hunting qualifications. Ask the outfitter whether the licence purchase and accreditation will be settled before arrival.

Keep copies of the booking, camp directions, licence documents, and contact numbers where you can reach them without a phone signal.

Non-residents must be at least 16 years old to hunt in Ontario. This hunting age is separate from federal rules for importing, borrowing or using firearms.

Bringing a firearm into Canada

The RCMP says visitors must be 18 or older to bring or use a firearm in Canada. Without a Canadian firearms licence, the usual visitor route for an eligible hunting firearm is the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration, RCMP 5589.

Complete the declaration before arrival, but do not sign it until the border officer witnesses the signature. The fee is C$25; once confirmed, it serves as a temporary licence for up to 60 days.

Check the firearm’s current Canadian classification before departure. Not every firearm sold as a hunting gun elsewhere is legal to import. The declaration does not override Canadian firearm restrictions.

Visitors with a valid Canadian PAL follow the RCMP’s PAL route and still declare firearms at the border. Borrowing a gun has separate rules; the import declaration does not authorize borrowing.

Arrival and the trip home

Choose the entry point and travel documents before booking the route. Ask the camp for its exact meeting point, arrival window, and late-arrival contact. A fly-in departure may not be at the lodge’s mailing address.

Before the hunt, ask how meat, antlers and a cape will travel home. Non-residents need an Ontario Non-Resident Export Permit to take moose meat, antlers or other parts out of Ontario. The 2026 fee is $35; finished taxidermy mounts and tanned hides do not need this permit. Check the destination country’s current import rules too. Packaging, carrier limits and border inspection remain separate parts of the trip.

Allow room in your itinerary for pickup changes, weather delays, and meat handling. Ask what the camp supplies and what remains your responsibility.

Reporting after the hunt

For 2026, a non-resident hunting through a tourist outfitter must return the required moose hunter report to the outfitter by November 22. Non-residents hunting with a qualifying immediate relative use the regular reporting route, with a December 29 deadline.

Put the correct deadline in your trip notes before going home.