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.

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

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

As of April 1, 2020

• Youth 11 or younger on April 1 of the licensing year are no longer required to complete the Hunter Education and Ethics Development (HEED) course to obtain a small game licence.
• The Government of Yukon will email successful permit hunt applicants and will no longer send notification through registered mail.
• You no longer need a wildlife export permit if you are exporting 20 kilograms (44 lb.) or fewer of processed big game meat.
• You no longer need a wildlife export permit for transporting meat you harvested in Yukon when travelling on the Nahanni Range Road through the Northwest Territories.
• You must now use expanding ammunition when hunting all big game species.
• You can take either the meat or the pelt of a black bear without penalty for abandoning the other.
• The non-resident bag limit for wolves is now the same (seven) as for resident hunters.
• A portion of Game Management Subzone 5-21 adjacent to Sheep Mountain is closed to licensed sheep hunting between the Slims River Bridge and Congdon Creek.
• Parts of Game Management Zone 7 will be on permit for sheep hunting. See this on a map.
• Subzones 7–15 and 7–19 are closed for sheep hunting this season.

Other changes

• You can now complete the statutory declaration form online to prove Yukon residency.
• Fortymile caribou: The Fortymile caribou herd was opened to a limited permit hunt from January to March of 2020. Similar hunts may occur in the future. If opened, they will be announced during the regulatory year. 

Moose hunting closed for Game Management Subzones 4-44 to 4-46 starting September 12

• The annual harvest limit of 15 moose has been reached. 
• As of September 12, 2020, moose hunting in Game Management 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, 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.

Hunting and COVID-19

Hunters are encouraged to avoid stopping in communities for gas and groceries by stocking up before leaving home, and practicing physical distancing by staying 2 metres away from anyone not part of your household. Anyone exhibiting cold or flu symptoms like fever, coughing or runny nose should stay home. 

All hunters should follow the most recent advice from Yukon's Chief Medical Officer of Health regarding travel recommendations and restrictions as well as physical distancing practices when planning their hunts.

Snowmobile use 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 now open for snowmobile use until April 30, 2021. 

If weather conditions change, snowmobile closures may come into effect to protect tundra from damage.

We remind hunters on snowmobiles:

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

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

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 kilometre 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, 2021, 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.

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

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, 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
• 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.