Non-Resident Licence Fees (CDN funds - GST is included in all fees)
Non-resident’s licence to hunt black bear . . . . . . . . . . . $180.00
Non-residents must have a Black Bear Hunting Licence Validation Certificate as well as a black bear hunting licence. They must also complete the hunt report that comes with the certificate and return it to the issuer of the
certificate by November 30 of the year of hunt.
Dog licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 10.25
NOTE: It is illegal for a hunter to purchase more than one licence (non-resident) to hunt black bear.
Export Permits
These permits are required to export from Ontario any part of a black bear.
Non-resident’s Export Permit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00
CITES Export Permit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . no charge
This permit is required by resident and non-resident hunters to export from Canada any part of a bear. For more information on CITES see www.cites.ca.
Information for Non-Resident Black Bear Hunters
A non-resident who wishes to a hunt a black bear in Ontario must have a Black Bear Hunting Licence Validation Certificate (white copy) to validate their non-resident black bear hunting licence. This certificate can be obtained from a bear operator (operator of a tourist establishment, guide or air carrier) licensed in Ontario to provide black bear hunting services to non-residents.
The following non-residents are not required to use a licensed bear operator:
- A non-resident hunting with an immediate relative who is an Ontario resident licensed to hunt a black bear in a Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) that has an open season for non-residents. Immediate relative, when used in reference to a person, means that person’s grandparent, parent, spouse, child, sibling or grandchild.
- A non-resident who is the owner of property in a WMU that has an open black bear season for non-residents.
A non-resident who qualifies under either of these two exceptions MUST still apply for the validation certificate at an MNR office in the area of the hunt. A non-resident black bear hunting licence is not valid unless a validation certificate accompanies it. Where a property is owned by more than one person or by a corporation, only one validation certificate will be issued. The non-resident landowner can hunt only in the WMU where the property is located.
A non-resident hunter using the bear hunting services of an operator licensed to provide black bear hunting services must hunt only in the areas designated on the Black Bear Hunting Licence Validation Certificate received from the operator. These areas can include Crown or private land located within a Bear Management Area (BMA) assigned to the operator, and private land located within a WMU designated on the operator’s licence. The licence to provide black bear hunting services does not permit the operator to provide hunting services on private land located within a BMA licensed to another operator. The operator must have permission of the landowner in order to provide bear hunting services to clients on private land.
Non-resident hunters are required to report their black bear hunting activity and harvest by November 30 of the year of the hunt. To report, the hunter must return to the issuer and: (1) complete, sign and date the hunter mandatory report on the pink copy of the Black Bear Hunting Licence Validation Certificate held by the issuer, (2) return the pink, yellow and green copies to the issuer (licenced bear operator or MNR office), and (3) retain the white copy for his/her records. It is the responsibility of the issuer to return the hunter’s completed mandatory report to MNR.
Firearms
Big game, including black bears, may only be hunted with a firearm (this includes bows). If you are hunting deer or moose at the same time you are hunting black bears, you may only use or carry a firearm of the type permitted for deer or moose, as the case may be, at that time in that WMU.
The following cannot be used for hunting black bears:
- A rim-fire rifle
- A shotgun smaller than 20 gauge when loaded with shot
- Any shotgun loaded with shot smaller than SG or No. 1 buck.
When archery hunting for bear you must not possess or use archery equipment other than the following:
Crossbows:
- Draw length must be at least 300 mm (11.8 in.).
- Draw weight must be at least 54 kg (119 lbs.).
- Bolt head must be at least 22 mm (0.87 in.) at the widest point.
- There must be at least two cutting edges of straight, sharp, unserrated, barbless steel.
Bows (compound, recurve, long):
- Draw weight must be at least 22 kg (48.5 lbs.) at draw length of 700 mm (27.6 in.) or less.
- Arrow length must be at least 600 mm (23.6 in.).
- Arrow head must be at least 22 mm (0.87 in.) at the widest point.
- There must be at least two cutting edges of straight, sharp, unserrated, barbless steel.
It is illegal to:
- It is illegal to hunt black bears while they are swimming.
- It is illegal to hunt black bears within 400 m (437 yd.) of a waste disposal site, regardless of whether the land is Crown or private.
- It is illegal to shoot or interfere with black bears in their dens, or damage or destroy their dens.
- It is illegal to possess a bear gallbladder that has been separated from the bear carcass. Leave the gallbladder with the entrails after field dressing your bear.
- Dogs used to hunt black bears or accompanying you when hunting black bears must be licensed.
Party Hunting for Black Bears
The term "party hunting for black bears" means two or more persons hunting during an open season for black bears under all of the following conditions:
- Each person has a valid licence to hunt black bears.
- The total number of black bears killed by the party does not exceed the total number of game seals held by the members of the party licensed to hunt black bears.
- All members of the party hunt together in the same wildlife management unit as the person who holds the valid game seal.
- Each member of the party hunts within five kilometers of the person who holds the game seal that is valid for the black bear being hunted.
- Each member of the party must be able to reliably and immediately communicate with other members of the party.
- All members of the party, including the person who holds the seal that is valid for the black bear that the party is hunting, actively participate in the hunt and hunt co-operatively.
The person who kills the black bear while hunting in a party shall immediately notify all other members of the party that the black bear has been killed.
A person may hunt in a party even if the person has previously attached his or her game seal to a black bear.
Sealing and Transporting Black Bears
Once you have killed a black bear, you must immediately after the kill and at the kill site securely attach the game seal to the animal. The seal must remain attached while transporting the carcass. You must notch out the month, date and time of the kill on the game seal.
If party hunting for black bears, the member whose game seal is to be used must, immediately after the kill and at the kill site, securely attach the game seal to the animal in the manner prescribed on the seal. Only the hunter whose game seal is to be used is allowed to attach the game seal to the black bear. It is illegal to transfer a game seal in order to seal a black bear.
Instructions for attaching the Game Seal
- Pierce the cartilage separating the nostrils.
- Insert the string/twine through the hole such that the two ends are left exposed.
- Peel the backing from the game seal.
- Place the game seal over the string/twine as in illustration.
- Press the surfaces together to seal securely.
- Notch out the month, date and time of the kill.
Export and Shipping
Residents and non-residents must have an Ontario export permit to export a black bear or any part thereof from Ontario. You may obtain an export permit from most ServiceOntario offices in the area where the animal has been taken and from specific commercial licence issuers. You should obtain the necessary export permits before reaching a border point to avoid any inconvenience. An Ontario resident may temporarily transport a black bear out of Ontario without an export permit if the resident is on the way to a location in Ontario and does not leave any part of the black bear outside Ontario.
A non-resident must pay $35.00 for an export permit. Export permits have sub-permits attached to them for exporting a part or parts of the animal for which an export permit has been issued. You may use up to three sub-permits for this purpose. Receptacles containing game wildlife or specially protected wildlife that are being shipped or transported to points inside or outside Ontario must have the names and addresses of the sender and receiver, and a list of the contents written on the outside.
In some instances, both a CITES and a Provincial Export permit are required.
Except as outlined below, a resident or non-resident black bear hunter must also obtain a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) export permit through an MNR office when a black bear or its parts are being exported from Canada. CITES is an international agreement which regulates trade in a number of species of animals including black bears, their parts and derivatives, and any articles made from them.
A Canadian CITES export permit is no longer required for U.S. or Canadian resident bear hunters transporting their black bear in a fresh, frozen or salted condition back to the U.S. or through the U.S. en route to another part of Canada at the conclusion of their hunt. The black bear must be part of the hunter’s accompanying baggage.
NOTE: materials sent as cargo, even if on the same flight as the hunter, are considered commercial and must be accompanied by CITES permits. This exemption does not apply to taxidermy mounts or black bears that are in any condition other than fresh, frozen or salted.
CITES export permits are still required for ALL black bear exports to countries other than the United States.
CITES permits are not normally available near border crossings and, consequently, hunters are advised to obtain
any required permits from a source closest to where they are hunting.
CITES export permits are available free of charge. In some countries, importation of black bears is restricted.
Requirements for importation should be determined by the exporter.
For more information on CITES see www.cites.ca.
Black Bear Hunters - We need your help
Successful black bear hunters can assist the Ministry of Natural Resources in determining the age structure of local bear populations by submitting for analysis two premolar teeth from each bear harvested. This information provides data necessary for the sustainable management of the species.
In return for your support of wildlife management efforts, you will receive an Ontario Bear Hunter Crest, and information about the age of your bear(s) will be mailed to your home address usually within six months. Please contact the MNR office in the area in which you will be hunting, or your bear operator, for more information.
Premolar teeth should be extracted shortly after the animal has been killed while the jaw is still pliable. The first premolar is a small, single-rooted peg-like tooth located just behind the canines. To remove the tooth push the blade of a knife down along all sides of the tooth between it and the gum. Gently loosen the tooth by rocking it back and forth using the canine for leverage, then carefully remove the tooth using pliers. Care should be taken when extracting the tooth to ensure that the root is not broken.
Attention All Hunters
If you harvest an animal wearing an ear-tag that contains phone number 1-866-514-2327, this animal was chemically immobilized in the past using veterinary drugs. Health Canada has established recommended guidelines for consumption. Please call the above number for specific information on whether Health Canada would recommend that the meat of your animal be consumed.
