Wolf and Coyote

Wolf and coyote seasons

Note:

• ¹ Indicates there are geographic townships where the wolf/coyote season is closed, which include: Airy, Alice, Allen, Anson, Anstruther, Attlee, Ballantyne, Bevin, Boulter, Boyd, Bruton, Burleigh, Burns, Burwash, Butt, Caen, Calvin, Cameron, Cardiff, Carlyle, Cavendish, Chandos, Chisholm, Clancy, Clara, Clyde, Cox, Curtin, Dalton, Dickens, Dieppe, Digby, Dudley, Eden, Eyre, Finlayson, Foster, Franklin, Fraser, Goschen, Hagarty, Halifax, Hansen, Harburn, Harcourt, Harvey, Havelock, Head, Herschel, Humboldt, Killarney, Kilpatrick, Lauder, Laura, Livingstone, Longford, Lutterworth, Maria, McClintock, McClure, McCraney, McKay, Minden, Monmouth, Murchison, Papineau, Paxton, Petawawa, Richards, Rolph, Roosevelt, Ryde, Sabine, Sale, Secord, Servos, Sinclair, Struthers, Tilton, Truman, Waldie, and Wylie.

Wolf and coyote hunting requirements

Anyone wishing to hunt wolf or coyote must have the following:

• Outdoors Card
• small game licence listed on your licence summary or on the back of your Outdoors Card
• wolf/coyote tag (in WMUs where a tag is required)
• proof of firearm accreditation if you are hunting with a gun

Wolf and coyote hunting regulations

Residents and non-residents may purchase a maximum of two wolf/coyote tags per calendar year. The tags may be purchased separately or at the same time.

It is illegal to hunt or trap wolf or coyote in the areas within and surrounding Algonquin Provincial Park, Killarney Provincial Park, Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park and Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park to help protect Algonquin wolf (formerly Eastern wolf). Refer to the wolf and coyote season table for more details on these specific closures.

Generally, wolves and coyotes cannot be hunted in Provincial Parks or Crown Game Preserves.

Wolves and coyotes are considered furbearing mammals. It is illegal to abandon or otherwise allow the pelt of a furbearing mammal to spoil or to be destroyed.

Tagging and transporting

See the tags section for details on tagging and transporting.

The tag must remain attached to a wolf or coyote until the pelt has been skinned off the carcass and is being frozen or has been sent for tanning.

Mandatory hunter reporting

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

Firearms

Hunters may use a centre-fire rifle or shells loaded with ball or shot larger than number two shot when hunting wolf and coyote during an open season for big game. For additional details on firearms, refer to the general regulations section.

Party hunting

Party hunting for wolves and coyotes is not permitted in areas where a tag is required. Refer to the general regulations section for a definition of party hunting. However, you may hunt co-operatively, meaning all hunters participating must have a valid tag and the hunter who harvests the animal must personally invalidate their tag in accordance with the tagging instructions.

Once you have used your tag, you may not continue to participate in the hunt, unless you possess a second tag. Once you have used both of your tags, you cannot hunt wolf/coyote until the following calendar year. It is illegal to use a wolf/coyote tag to tag a wolf or coyote taken by another hunter.

In areas where a tag is not required and there are no harvest limits, you may hunt co-operatively in a group without restrictions on the number of animals harvested or who can take them.

Royalty, export, shipping and import

See the general regulations section for more information on import, export and shipping. A royalty is payable to the province at the time that a person obtains an Export Licence for Furbearing Mammals or Their Pelts. 

For information on possession of pelts during the closed season, see the small game and furbearing mammals section.

A Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) export permit is also required to export all wolves from Canada. Contact Environment and Climate Change Canada to arrange to obtain a Canadian CITES export permit. It is recommended to apply well in advance of the trip and apply for permits for all CITES listed species that you may harvest. Please allow up to 21 days to obtain a permit.

In some countries and provinces, importation of wolves is regulated; requirements for importation should be determined by the exporter prior to shipment.