See up-to-date hunting rules and regulations

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

When you get a hunting licence, you will 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.

Migratory game birds

Regulations for hunting ducks, geese, rails, coots, sandhill cranes and snipe in Yukon are available from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

As of August 1, 2019:

• If you hunt deer, you must deliver the whole hide and the whole head, with antlers attached, to a conservation officer or wildlife technician no later than 15 days after the end of the month you killed it. See Report harvest results to learn more about biological submissions.

As of May 22, 2019:

• The boundaries of Game Management Zones 5, 6 and 7 have changed to follow the centre lines of the Alaska Highway and the Haines Highway.

As if April 1, 2019:

• Yukon hunting licences are only available at Department of Environment offices and online. You can buy seals from Environment offices and participating vendors.
• Online harvest reporting is not available this year. Report your harvest in person at an Environment office or call it in. See Report harvest results to learn more.
• If you return your permit in the Permit Hunt Authorization lottery, your weighting will not increase for the next time you apply.

Attention Dempster Highway caribou hunters

Hart River caribou herd

Caribou south of km 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 km 140 at this time.

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

The Government of Yukon monitors the Porcupine caribou herd’s movements, and if large numbers move south of km 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, 2020, we will 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 Yukon, contact the Department of Environment office in Dawson City at 867-993-5492.

Please 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.

Snowmobile use along the Dempster Highway

Effective October 21, 2019, snowmobiles may be operated along the Dempster Highway corridor from km 68 to the Yukon-NWT border until April 30, 2020, unless otherwise directed. If weather conditions change, snowmobile closures may still come into effect. Closures are intended to protect the fragile tundra from damage.

No one can operate any other type of off-road vehicle within the Dempster Highway corridor, including ATVs. Hunters are reminded not to harass or chase any animals while on their snowmobile. 

We ask all snowmobilers to operate your machine responsibly. Use common sense and don’t travel across a landscape that might not be properly protected by snow cover. We all have a part in protecting our unique and valuable environment.

Faro moose threshold hunt

• There is an annual harvest limit for moose in this area.
• The limit for the 2019-20 season is 15 moose.
• The annual harvest limit of 15 moose has been reached. As of September 17, 2019, moose hunting in subzones 4-44, 4-45 and 4-46 is closed for the rest of the season.
• If you have not yet reported your moose harvest from these subzones please do so immediately.

If you are hunting moose in the area when it is open, you must report your harvest within 72 hours. You must still complete a regular harvest report form by going to or phoning a Department of Environment office.

For more information about the threshold hunt, see the Yukon hunting regulations summary.

Game Management Subzones

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

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

Each GMS has different:

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

Check the Yukon hunting regulations summary for details.

Maps for hunting

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

You can purchase printed topographic 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, Haines Junction, and in Whitehorse at 10 Burns Road for $10 + 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.
• 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 view and 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.