See up-to-date hunting rules and regulations

To hunt in the Yukon, you must have a valid Yukon hunting licence and follow Yukon hunting regulations.

When you get a hunting licence, you'll get a copy of the Yukon hunting regulations summary, or you can download it.

Download the Yukon hunting regulations summary

It's your responsibility to know and follow these regulations.

View the insert map of Game Management Subzones and special area restrictions.

Hunt wisely

We've streamlined the Yukon hunting regulations summary to keep the focus on the regulations.

For field dressing methods, hunting tips, safety information and more, download Hunt wisely: a guidebook for hunting safely and responsibly in Yukon.

Migratory game birds

You can get the Regulations for hunting ducks, geese, rails, coots, sandhill cranes and snipe in the Yukon from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

As of August 16, 2022

Elk

• We'll award 8 Wildlife Act permits in the Takhini hunt code area (EL23) for the 2022–23 season for elk that are:  
  • bulls; and  
  • have 5-point antlers or fewer.  
• These permits are in addition to the 4 existing Permit Hunt Authorizations, for a total of 12 elk permits in EL23 for the 2022–23 hunting season. 
• See more about this hunt. 

As of April 1, 2022

Moose

• Permit Hunt Authorizations (PHAs) will be required for the Sifton-Miners Range and South Canol Moose Management Units. 
  • 10 permits will be available for the South Canol Moose Management Unit, made up of of Game Management Subzones 8-19, 8-20, 8-22, 10-01, 10-02 and 10-03.  
  • 12 permits will be available for the Sifton-Miners Range Moose Management Unit, made up of of Game Management Subzones 5-48, 5-49 and 5-50.
• A threshold hunt for moose is in place for the Mayo area.
  • The Mayo threshold hunt will open September 1, 2022, in Game Management Subzones 2–56, 2–58, 2–59, 2–62, 2–63, 4–04, 4-05 and 4–06.
  • The hunt will close on October 31 or when the threshold limit of 11 moose is met – whichever happens first.
  • Hunters will automatically be eligible for this hunt when they buy a moose seal.
  • You must report harvests within 72 hours.
• See a map of moose threshold hunt areas.

Caribou

• An adaptive management framework is now in place for the Hart River caribou herd, which will not result in any immediate changes to licensed harvest opportunities. 
  • Hunters with a caribou seal will automatically receive a Wildlife Act permit for this herd.
  • The future management of this herd, including possible threshold hunts or permit hunt authorizations, will be decided with our partners Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.
• The Nelchina caribou herd will be open for licensed harvest on December 1, 2022 in Game Management Subzones 5-04, 5-05 and a portion of 5-06.
  • The hunt will close on March 31 or when the threshold limit of 25 caribou is met - whichever happens first. 
  • Hunters will need to contact an Environment office to get the Nelchina caribou threshold hunt permit added to their license. This can be done by phone.
  • You must report harvests and submit the caribou incisor bar within 72 hours.
• See map of Nelchina threshold hunt area.

Grizzly bear

• Roadside hunting for grizzly bears is now prohibited on certain roads and highways in the Southern Lakes region.
  • The prohibition is in effect 100 metres from either side of the centreline of the road on the Alaska Highway from the M'Clintock River Bridge to the Tagish Road, along the Tagish Road, the Atlin Road to the B.C. border, and on the South Klondike Highway from Carcross Cutoff to the B.C. border. 
  • As per A conservation plan for grizzly bears in the Yukon, a local community may request the Minister to prohibit roadside hunting for grizzly bear 100 metres from the centreline of additional specified roadways.
  • This change was requested by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation and Carcross/Tagish Renewable Resources Council and supported by Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
• See a map of areas where roadside grizzly bear hunting is prohibited.

Sheep

• Permit Hunt Authorization for sheep in Game Management Zone 7 East by Game Management Subzones rather than by Sheep Management Units.
  • The new system addresses sheep hunters concerns about congestion and high pressure in certain areas, as identified through the 2020-21 sheep hunter survey for Game Management Zone 7 East.
  • See the comparison map.
  • See the 2022 Sheep PHA rationale document for a summary explaining these changes.

Other

• Snowmobiles are prohibited in the Ddhaw Ghro Habitat Protection Area to protect one of Yukon’s most sensitive landscapes.
• Bison hunters can harvest and recover wolves and coyotes using snowmobiles while bison hunting in Game Management Zone 5, as requested by the Alsek Renewable Resources Council.
• The Minister can now access monies in the Conservation Fund, which will provide funding opportunities for Yukoners and organizations that relate to conservation, protection and management of wildlife and habitat.

Snowmobile use closed along the Dempster Highway

The Dempster Highway corridor extends to 8 kilometres either side of the centre line of the highway, from kilometre 68 to the Yukon-NWT border.

The Dempster Highway is open for snowmobile use as of October 28, 2022. 

If weather conditions change, snowmobile closures may come also into effect when this area is open to protect the tundra from damage.

We remind hunters on snowmobiles:

• Not to harass or chase any animals while on their snowmobile. 
• Operate your machine responsibly.
• Use common sense and do not travel across a landscape that might not be properly protected by snow cover. 

Other types of off-road vehicles such as ATVs are not permitted within the Dempster Highway corridor.

Attention Dempster Highway caribou hunters

Hart River caribou herd

Caribou south of kilometre 140 on the Dempster Highway (near Windy Pass) are from the Hart River caribou herd. These are not Porcupine caribou. Hart River caribou are a much smaller herd (approximately 2,700 in number) and are vulnerable to over-hunting.

Harvest rights granted to Inuvialuit and Gwich’in beneficiaries under the Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement do not extend south of kilometre 140 at this time.

Remember that caribou hunting in the 5Game Management Subzones 2-16, 2-23, 2-27, 2-28 and 2-39 is closed to licensed hunting effective November 1. This includes the Dempster Highway from kilometre 77 (North Fork Pass) to kilometre 195 (Ogilvie River bridge).

The Government of Yukon monitors the Porcupine caribou herd’s movements, and if large numbers move south of kilometre 140 we may open this area to harvest. We continue to monitor caribou movement to the northwest of Windy Pass using satellite collars and fixed-wing aircraft to help ensure the most up to date knowledge of herd movements is available. If Porcupine caribou enter these subzones in sufficient numbers before January 31 each year, we'll make an announcement opening these subzones.

Hunters can monitor the movements of Porcupine caribou by checking PCMB.ca.

For more information about harvesting caribou along the Dempster Highway in the Yukon, contact the Department of Environment office in Dawson City at 867-993-5492.

Help conserve the Hart River caribou herd.

Hunting the Porcupine caribou herd

• Licensed hunters can only hunt Porcupine caribou north of kilometre 195.
• Subsistence hunters can hunt Porcupine caribou north of kilometre 140.

Game Management Subzones

The Government of Yukon uses Game Management Subzones (GMS) to manage Yukon wildlife species. These are areas within which authorities can make specific regulations for managing big game.

There are 443 Game Management Subzones in the Yukon, grouped into 11 Game Management Zones. Most zone boundaries follow highway-centre lines, while Game Management Subzones boundaries follow creeks and rivers. Except for national parks, Game Management Subzones cover all of the Yukon.

Each Game Management Subzone has different:

• open species;
• bag limits;
• season dates; and
• special area restrictions.

Check the Yukon hunting regulations summary for details.

Maps for hunting

Download a map of Yukon Game Management Zones and Subzones, as well as special area restrictions.

You can purchase printed administrative boundary maps showing Game Management Subzones, First Nation Category A and B Settlement Lands, conservation officer districts and other areas from the Department of Environment’s offices in Dawson City and Haines Junction and in Whitehorse at 10 Burns Road for $10 plus GST.

Hunting near roadways

• You must be off the road or highway completely before you can fire a shot. This includes the shoulder.
• You must shoot away from the road, not across or along it.

Hunting on First Nations Settlement Lands

Licensed hunters must:

• comply with the general Yukon hunting laws and any laws the First Nation has enacted regarding hunting on Settlement Lands;
• obtain written permission from the First Nation before hunting any big game or small game species on all Category A Settlement Land;
• obtain written permission from the First Nation before hunting bison and elk on Category A and B Settlement Lands;
• not damage the land or structures;
• not commit acts of mischief; and
• not interfere with the use and enjoyment of the land by the First Nation.

The map included with the Yukon hunting regulations summary only shows the larger blocks of Category A Settlement Land. Smaller blocks of Category A Settlement Lands, and all other First Nation Settlement Land, are marked on detailed maps. You can view these at:

• the local First Nation’s office; 
• at Department of Environment offices; or
• download them online.

For more information about rights and responsibilities when hunting on First Nations lands:

• See the Yukon hunting regulations summary; or
• contact the First Nation government directly.