White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer seasons

Rifles, shotguns, muzzle-loading guns and bows

Wildlife Management Unit	Resident – open season	Non-resident – open season
1C, 16A, 16B, 16C, 17	September 18 to December 15	None
2, 3, 4, 5, 11B, 13, 14, 15A, 15B, 18A, 18B, 19, 21A	October 9 to December 15	None
6, 7B, 9A, 9B, 11A, 12A, 12B	October 9 to December 15	October 9 to November 15
8	October 30 to December 15	October 30 to December 15
10	October 30 to December 15	October 30 to November 15
21B	October 9 to December 15	October 11 to November 15
22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 34	October 9 to November 15	October 11 to November 15
25	September 18 to December 15	September 20 to November 15
26	September 18 to October 31	September 20 to October 31
28, 29, 31, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44	November 1 to November 13	November 1 to November 13
43A, 43B	November 15 to November 21	November 15 to November 21
45	November 6 to November 12	November 6 to November 12
46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53A, 54, 55A, 55B, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63A, 63B, 64A, 64B1, 651, 66A, 67, 68A, 68B1, 69B1, 711, 72A1, 731, 74A1, 74B, 751	November 1 to November 14	November 1 to November 14
82A, 82B, 83A, 84	November 1 to November 6	November 1 to November 6

Notes:

• ¹ indicates that rifles are not permitted during the open resident and non-resident seasons.
• Use of dogs is not permitted in WMUs 5, 8, 10, 43A, 43B, 44, 45, 65, 71, 72A, 73, 75, 82A, 82B, 83A, 84. Landowner’s written permission is required in WMUs 43A, 43B and 44.

Muzzle-loading guns and bows

Wildlife Management Unit	Resident – open season	Non-resident – open season
5	October 2 to October 8	None
6, 7B, 9A, 9B, 11A	October 2 to October 8	October 2 to October 8
7A	October 9 to December 15	October 9 to November 15
8	October 16 to October 29	October 16 to October 29
18B	September 18 to October 8	None
37, 43A, 43B, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63A, 63B, 64A, 64B, 65, 66A, 67, 68A, 68B, 69B, 71, 72A, 73, 74A, 74B, 75	November 29 to December 5	November 29 to December 5
82A, 83A, 84	November 29 to December 4	November 29 to December 4
82B	November 15 to November 20 November 29 to December 4	November 15 to November 20 November 29 to December 4

Note: Use of dogs is not permitted during these seasons in WMUs 5, 6, 7B, 8, 9A, 9B, 11A, 37, 43A, 43B, 60, 61, 62, 63A, 63B, 64A, 64B, 65, 66A, 67, 68A, 68B, 69B, 71, 72A, 73, 74A, 74B, 75. 82A, 82B, 83A. 84. Landowner’s written permission is required in WMUs 43A and 43B.

Bows only

Wildlife Management Unit	Resident – open season	Non-resident – open season
2, 3, 4, 11B, 13, 14, 15A, 15B, 19, 21A	September 1 to October 8	None
5	September 1 to October 1	None
6, 7B, 9A, 9B, 11A	September 1 to October 1	September 18 to October 1
8	September 1 to October 15	October 2 to October 15
10	October 1 to October 29	October 1 to October 29
12A, 12B	September 1 to October 8	September 18 to October 8
18A	September 18 to October 8	None
21B	September 1 to October 8	September 1 to October 8
22, 23, 24, 27, 30	September 1 to October 8 November 16 to November 30	September 1 to October 8 November 16 to November 30
28, 29, 31, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to November 30	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to November 30
34	November 16 to November 30	November 16 to November 30
36, 42	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to December 15
37	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to November 28 December 6 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 14 to November 28 December 6 to December 15
43A, 43B	October 1 to November 14	October 1 to November 14
44	October 1 to October 31	October 1 to October 31
45	October 1 to October 29 November 15 to December 15	October 1 to October 29 November 15 to December 15
46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53A, 57, 58	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to December 15
53B	October 1 to October 31 November 6 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 6 to December 15
542, 55A, 55B, 56	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to December 15
59, 63B, 64A, 64B, 66A, 67, 68A, 68B, 69B, 71, 72A, 73, 74A, 74B, 75	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 31
60, 61, 62, 63A	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 15	October 1 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 15
65	October 1 to October 4 October 15 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	October 1 to October 4 October 15 to October 31 November 15 to November 28 December 6 to December 31
66B	November 8 to November 13	November 8 to November 13
69A1, 69A3, 72B	October 1 to December 31	October 1 to December 31
69A2, 70	October 1 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	October 1 to November 28 December 6 to December 31
76A, 76B, 76C, 76D, 76E, 77A, 77B, 77C, 78A, 78B, 81A, 81B	October 1 to October 31 November 6 to November 28 December 4 to December 31	None
78C, 78D, 78E, 87A, 88, 94A	October 1 to December 31	None
79C, 79D	October 1 to October 31 November 6 to December 31	None
80, 85A, 85B, 85C, 87B, 87C, 87D, 87E, 89A, 89B, 90A, 90B, 93A, 93B	October 1 to October 31 November 8 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	None
82A, 83A, 84	October 1 to October 31 November 7 to November 28 December 5 to December 31	October 1 to October 31 November 7 to November 28 December 5 to December 31
82B	October 1 to October 31 November 7 to November 14 November 21 to November 28 December 5 to December 31	October 1 to October 31 November 7 to November 14 November 21 to November 28 December 5 to December 31
86A, 86B	October 1 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	None
91A, 91B, 92A, 92B, 92C, 92D	October 1 to October 31 November 8 to November 14 November 22 to November 28 December 6 to December 31	None
94B	October 1 to October 31 November 8 to December 31	None

Notes:

• ² Excluding parts of Wildlife Management Unit 54 which lie within boundaries of Algonquin Provincial Park
• Use of dogs is not permitted during the bows only seasons. Landowner’s written permission is required in WMUs 43A, 43B and 44. WMUs 82C, 83B, 83C and 93C have unique deer seasons and administration. Please contact the local MNRF district office for more information.

Controlled deer hunt seasons (with hunt codes)

Controlled deer hunt notes:

• unless otherwise indicated, only shotguns and muzzle-loading guns are permitted in controlled deer hunts
• ³ indicates that rifles, shotguns and muzzle-loading guns are permitted
• ⁴ indicates that only muzzle-loading guns are permitted
• ⁵ indicates that only bows and muzzle-loading guns are permitted
• the use of dogs is not permitted during controlled deer hunts
• controlled deer hunt validations are for antlered or antlerless deer, except a portion are for antlered deer only in WMUs 76A, 76B, 76C, 76D, 76E, 77B and 77C. Applicants to these WMUs do not specify their preferred validation type. Your licence summary will indicate which validation type you were randomly drawn for
• WMUs 77A has unique controlled deer seasons and administration. Please contact the local MNRF district office for more information

Deer hunting requirements

Anyone wishing to hunt deer must have the following:

• Outdoors Card
• deer licence or farmer’s deer licence listed on your licence summary
• deer tag or additional deer tag (validated for the appropriate season/firearm, area, and type of deer) or be party hunting with a person who has a valid deer tag or additional deer tag
• proof of firearm accreditation if you are hunting with a gun

Resident hunters wishing to hunt an antlerless deer (deer with no antlers or antlers both less than 7.5 centimetres long, which generally include adult female deer and fawns of both sexes) should apply to the antlerless deer draw and/or the controlled deer hunt draw depending on their WMU and season of preference. (Note: Hunters may also hunt an antlerless deer by purchasing an additional deer tag valid for antlerless deer or by party hunting with a person who has a deer tag or additional deer tag valid for an antlerless deer).

Resident hunters who wish to hunt in a controlled deer hunt must apply to be successful in the controlled deer hunt draw. Eligible farmers and landowners may apply for a farmer/landowner validation instead of applying to the controlled deer hunt draw.

Note: only farmers (or an immediate relative) whose primary occupation is farming who live upon and till land which they own are eligible for a farmer's deer licence. The tag that is issued with a farmer’s deer licence is only valid for the geographic area in which the farmer’s land is located. Farmers must identify the geographic area in which their land is located and complete an attestation online or in-person at a participating ServiceOntario or licence issuer.

Deer hunting regulations

Hunters are only permitted to harvest the type of deer identified on their deer tag or additional deer tag, except in the following circumstances:

• if party hunting, a hunter may harvest the type of deer identified on the deer tag (or additional deer tag) of a member of their hunting party
• if hunting in a controlled deer hunt, a hunter may only harvest the type of deer identified on their (or their party member’s) controlled deer hunt validation listed on their licence summary or their additional controlled deer tag

Tagging and transporting

See the tags section for details on tagging and transporting. Additional information on shipping and exporting can be found in the general regulations section.

Mandatory hunter reporting requirements

See the hunter reporting requirements section for details on timelines and how to submit your report.

Firearms

Big game, including deer, may only be hunted with a firearm (includes bows). When hunting deer, you may only use or carry a firearm of the type permitted for hunting deer at that time in that WMU. For example, when hunting deer during a bows-only season, you may only use and carry bow hunting equipment. Specifications on the firearms, bows, bolts and arrows that are permitted when hunting deer are found in the general regulations section.

Party hunting for deer

Party hunting is permitted during the open season for deer under a set of specific conditions. The list of conditions is listed in the general regulations section.

A person shall not hunt deer in a party during a controlled deer hunt season unless their licence summary has been validated for that specific controlled deer hunt season. The exception is an apprentice hunter who is hunting with a licensed mentor (in which case the mentor must have their licence summary validated for the relevant controlled deer hunt season).

Dogs

The use of dogs is permitted for hunting deer during some seasons (a dog licence is required in these cases) – see the deer season tables for information on when dogs are not permitted. In areas where the use of dogs is prohibited for hunting, dogs may still be used to track and retrieve a deer that has been wounded during a lawful hunt (see the general regulations section for more information).

Guides

Non-residents must employ one licensed guide for each two hunters when hunting deer in the Territorial District of Rainy River. WMUs within the Territorial District of Rainy River are 9B, 10, 11A and parts of 7B and 12B - refer to the WMU maps (Southwestern Ontario, Southeastern Ontario and Northern Ontario) sections and deer season tables for more information.

Additional deer tags

When deer populations in certain WMUs warrant, hunters may be offered the opportunity to harvest an additional deer through the purchase of additional deer tags or additional controlled deer tags.

Information regarding this year's additional deer tags (WMUs, hunt codes) will be posted online at: ontario.ca/hunting when available. If you do not have internet access, please contact the Natural Resources Information and Support Centre at 1-800-387-7011 or 1-800-667-1940.

Additional deer tags are available on a first come, first served basis. Additional deer tags may also be available to non-residents in WMUs with a non-resident deer season. A deer licence is required before you can purchase an additional deer tag.

Note: Additional deer tags are not valid during controlled deer hunt seasons.

Controlled deer hunt

In order to be able to hunt during a controlled deer hunt season, you must obtain a controlled deer hunt validation by applying to the draw. If you are successful in the draw, you will need to print an updated licence summary that lists your controlled deer hunt validation (area, season, type of deer).

Any resident of Ontario who has a valid Outdoors Card may apply to the draw for a controlled deer hunt validation. It is not necessary to purchase a deer licence prior to applying to the controlled deer hunt draw; however, hunters who receive a validation in the draw must purchase a deer licence before their validation will appear on their licence summary and before they can hunt in the controlled hunt. Each hunter who receives a validation in the draw is permitted to hunt deer in the WMU specified on their licence summary during the period indicated. If successful in the draw, the validation is for an antlerless or antlered deer, unless otherwise specified. Hunters who are not successful in the controlled deer hunt draw may not participate in the controlled deer hunt. Generally, bows are not permitted during controlled deer hunts.

Note: Apprentice hunters (12-14 years old) are not eligible to apply to the controlled hunt draw or receive a controlled deer hunt validation, but they may participate in a controlled hunt with a mentor who has a controlled deer hunt validation for the relevant season listed on their licence summary. Any deer harvested must be using the mentor’s validation and tag in these cases.

Controlled deer hunt draw applicants who wish to hunt in a party should apply as a group (using the group number provided by the group leader) rather than as individuals. The benefit of this is that if your group application is selected in the draw, every hunter listed on your application will receive a controlled deer hunt validation. The applicant who hunts in a party but applies as an individual risks being the only hunter in the party who is successful, or unsuccessful, in the draw. Individual and group applicants have the same chance of success in the draw.

For instructions on how to apply to the controlled deer hunt draw, refer to how to apply to hunt big game section.

Note: Additional controlled deer tags may only be purchased by a person who holds a controlled deer hunt validation for the relevant WMU and season. Additional controlled deer tags are only valid during the controlled deer hunt season specified on the tag.

Farmer and landowner controlled hunt validation

Farmers and landowners (or an immediate relative) may be eligible to receive a controlled deer hunt validation for one controlled deer hunt season if they meet one of the following criteria:

• they own a parcel of 20 hectares (50 acres) or more of land in a WMU with a controlled hunt
• their occupation is farming and they have an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Farm Business Registration Number (or letter of exemption from the Farm Organization Accreditation Tribunal) in a WMU with a controlled hunt
• they are the owner or the sole designated representative (president, vice-president, treasurer or secretary) of a company which owns a parcel of land of 20 hectares (50 acres) or more in the WMU with a controlled deer hunt

Farmers and landowners who meet the eligibility criteria may submit one application for a controlled deer hunt validation by completing an attestation statement online or in-person at a participating ServiceOntario or licence issuer. An immediate relative of the farmer or landowner meeting the above criteria also qualifies to receive a controlled deer hunt validation tag. During the application process the farmer or landowner will indicate if they wish to add any immediate relatives, the farmer or landowner will require the outdoors card number of the relative and the relationship to them in order to complete the process. An immediate relative is a person's grandparent, parent, spouse, child, step-child, sibling, or grandchild (including equivalent step-family relationships).

Note: You must have a valid Outdoors Card and a valid deer licence or farmer’s deer licence before your controlled deer hunt validation will appear on your licence summary.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a degenerative, fatal and untreatable disease of the central nervous system affecting members of the deer family (e.g., deer, elk, moose, caribou). CWD is a devastating disease that has killed and infected thousands of deer and elk in North America. CWD is a similar disease to scrapie in domestic sheep, BSE or mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans.

Symptoms

Infected animals show abnormal behaviour accompanied by progressive weight loss. In latter stages of the disease, affected animals show signs of extreme weight loss, repetitive behaviour, drowsiness, lack of co-ordination, drooping head and ears, trembling, drooling, and increased drinking and urination.

How Chronic Wasting Disease is spread

CWD can be spread by close contact between animals or by exposure to a contaminated environment. There is evidence the abnormal prions that cause the disease may remain infectious in the environment, such as in soil, for years.

Chronic Wasting Disease and Ontario

There is no evidence that CWD is in Ontario, but it is important to be vigilant. The Ministry has been conducting annual surveillance monitoring since 2002 with the help of deer hunters, and has found no evidence that CWD exists in Ontario. The Ministry encourages hunters to continue to take part in ongoing surveillance programs by providing samples of their harvested deer for testing. Hunters can visit ontario.ca/cwd or call their local MNRF district office for specific annual testing locations.

Chronic Wasting Disease and humans

The World Health Organization has said that while there is no scientific evidence that CWD can infect humans, it recommends that meat or organs from an infected/sick animal should not be consumed by humans or animals.

Ontario's Chronic Wasting Disease plan

Ontario renewed its CWD prevention and response plan in2019. Ontario's plan is designed to minimize the threat posted by CWD and protect the significant benefits provided by cervid species in the province. Please visit ontario.ca/cwd for more information on symptoms, testing and how you can help keep CWD out of Ontario.

Keeping Chronic Wasting Disease out of Ontario

Ontario has a number of laws in place to help prevent CWD from entering Ontario.

• It is illegal to use or possess natural attractants that contain body fluids such as blood, urine, gland oils and other fluids (includes products) of any member of the deer family, for any purpose.
• It is illegal to bring most body parts and any fluids of any member of the deer family into Ontario that were harvested in another jurisdictions.

Note: Most jurisdictions have regulations in place governing the transport of deer family carcasses through their area. Contact the appropriate government agency in the jurisdictions where you intend to transport cervid carcasses to avoid inconvenience, potential seizure of game and charges.

How hunters and the public can help

• Know and follow the CWD prevention rules. Tell others about the rules if they are not aware.
• Avoid feeding deer and elk due to the increased potential to spread disease.
• Always practice safe carcass handling procedures (e.g. wear rubber or latex gloves when field dressing deer, minimize contact with and do not eat eyes, brain, spinal cord, spleen, tonsil or lymph nodes).
• Report any deer displaying physical signs of illness (including loss of body weight and condition, indifference to humans, increased salivation, tremors, stumbling) to your local MNRF district office or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 1-866-673-4781.
• Immediately contact your local MNRF district office if you become aware of a positive CWD test from an animal that was harvested out-of-province, so that your meat can be safely disposed.

Last year's antlerless deer draw results

Last year's controlled deer hunt validation draw results

Cervid family comparison

Ontario has four different wild members of the cervid/deer family. You must have a valid licence and tag for the species you are hunting. There is no open season for caribou and a limited open season for elk, so you must be absolutely certain that the animal you see is the right species, sex and age.

There are differences in the size, shape and colour of moose, white-tailed deer, elk and caribou.