Apply for a Permit Hunt Authorization

When to apply

The 2024-25 Permit Hunt Authorization (PHA) applications will open on Thursday, April 18. You can apply until Thursday, May 16 at 4 pm. 

Applications are not accepted after the deadline - no exceptions. 

Eligibility

You can apply for the PHA lottery if you:

• are a Yukon resident;
• have a valid Yukon big game hunting licence; and
• are at least 12 years of age.
  • Note: only hunters 14-15 years old can apply for the 2 deer PHAs for young hunters (hunt code DE602). Youth age 12-13 may apply for weighting purposes.

How to get a hunting licence and seals

Yukon hunting licences are available online or at any Department of Environment office. New hunters need to apply in person at any Department of Environment office.

Seals are available for purchase at any Environment office or registered vendors. To purchase paper seals from these vendors, you will be required to have a print out of your electronic licence with you.

Where to apply for the PHA lottery

You must submit an application and fee for each species and area you're interested in.

Online

To apply online you need:

• a valid Yukon resident hunting licence;
• an Environment Client ID, birth date and phone number to log in to your profile;
• a credit card to pay the non-refundable application fee of $10 plus GST, or $20 plus GST if you're applying jointly with another hunter; and
• an email address for confirmation of your application request.

Apply for a PHA online by logging in or creating an eServices account

Applicants can review their history and number of years' applied online by logging into their client profile. You will need to verify your previous applications before you can apply.

In person

To apply in person at any Department of Environment office you need:

• a valid Yukon resident hunting licence;
• a Yukon driver's licence or general identification card; and
• cash, cheque or credit card to pay the non-refundable application fee of $10 plus GST or $20 plus GST if you're applying jointly with another hunter.

Apply for weighting purposes only

If you don’t want a permit this year but want to increase your chance of success in future draws, you should use the option to apply for weighting only.

Your number of years applied will stay the same if you choose not to apply.

Joint applications

• You can apply with another person for all species except moose and Kluane sheep.
• Applications must indicate a “primary applicant” and a “joint applicant.”
• Joint permit hunt authorization applications will now enter into the draw as the average of years applied for the two applicants.
• When the joint permit is issued, both individuals' number of years applied will start over for the next application for that species.
• When the primary applicant returns their permit, the joint applicant’s permit must be returned and will be considered as if they had not applied (years applied does not increase or decrease).
• When there is a single remaining permit, it will be issued to the primary applicant of a joint application. If the primary applicant returns the permit, they will be treated as if they had not applied (the applicant's number of years applied remains the same). The secondary applicant is treated as unsuccessful in the draw, and their weighting increases accordingly.

Application withdrawals

If you need to make a change to an application you can choose to withdraw the application and re-submit with corrected information.  

Withdrawn applications are deleted and removed from the pool of active applications considered in the lottery.  There is no refund for a withdrawn application.  

You will then be able to submit a new application for that species if you wish to do so.  You will need to pay for the second application again.  

You can not withdraw applications after the application deadline has passed.  No applications or changes will be accepted beyond the deadline. 

How to withdraw an application

1. Sign in to your environment client account.
2. Select the Permit Hunt Authorization tab.
3. Under the heading "Current" you will see a list of submitted applications.
4. Select the correct application number.
5. Click the withdraw button.
6. Withdrawals are final and cannot be undone.  You will need to submit a new application for that species.  

Returning a PHA

After the application deadline has passed the Yukon Bureau of Statistics executes the lottery.  This process takes approximately 2 weeks.  

Once complete, successful applicants are emailed at the email address listed on their environment client account.  

Successful applicants will have 14 days from the date of notification to return a permit they do not wish to hunt.  Returned permits will be treated as if the individual had never applied. Their weighting will neither increase nor decrease for that year. 

Permits cannot be returned after the 14 day deadline communicated in the success email.  

How to return a permit

1. Sign in to your environment client account.
2. Select the PHA permit from your current licences tab or from the Permit Hunt Authorization tab.
3. Click on the blue permit number link.
4. Click the return button.
5. Returns are final and cannot be undone.  

Permit re-issuance

At the end of the permit return period, the Department of Environment will attempt to re-issue returned Permit Hunt Authorizations.

Next drawn hunters will be contacted by email with an offer of a returned permit. They will have 48 hours to accept the permit before it will be offered to the next hunter.

Re-issuance attempts will continue until all permits are re-issued or July 31, whichever comes first.

How to accept a re-issued permit

Reply before the deadline indicated in the offer email, clearly indicating your acceptance of the permit.

Acceptances should be emailed to permithuntauthorization@yukon.ca.

HuntersPermit hunts help responsibly manage overall species populations and improve hunt quality. In some areas of the Yukon, you need a permit to hunt moose, caribou, sheep, goat, deer or elk. A unique permit lottery is held for each species.

The number of permits is limited. You must submit an application and be successful in the weighted lottery in order to hunt for one of these species in these areas.

To distribute permits fairly, the Government of Yukon uses a weighted, computerized lottery system that randomly selects applicants. Lottery draws are based on species and areas. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics conducts the draw.

How the weighting system works

When you enter the draw for the first time, your name is entered into the draw once.

For each year that you enter the draw and are unsuccessful, your chances increase. Specifically, your name is entered the number of years you have been unsuccessful in that draw, multiplied by itself seven times.

If you apply for a permit for the fifth time, not having been successfully drawn on four earlier occasions, your name is entered into the draw 5x5x5x5x5x5x5=78,125 times.

Your weighting will increase until you are successful in a draw and accept the permit.

Once that happens, the next time you apply your weighting will reset to one.

Many applicants may have the same weighting as you and there are no guarantees for being drawn. Success depends on:

• number of permits available;
• number of applicants;
• number of times you’ve applied; and
• random selection.

Applying for different sp​ecies

Each species is a different draw. Your success in one species will not affect your weighting for a different species.

For example: you apply for moose and sheep. You are successful for moose, but not sheep. Next year you apply for moose and sheep again. Your weighting for moose will be reset to one, but your weighting for sheep will increase.

Number of permits by species

• Elk - 14
  • Elk adaptive permits - 8
  • Braeburn - 2
  • Takhini - 4
• Goat - 3
• Moose - 78
• Sheep - 134
  • Richardson Mountains - 2
  • Southern Yukon - 132
• Caribou - 44
• Deer* - 12
  • Youth hunters - 2
  • Hunters 16 and over - 10

* Youth hunters 12 and 13 may apply for weighting purposes only and must be 14 or 15 years of age or older to be issued a deer permit and seal as a youth hunter. 

Download a data sheet with the number of permits by hunt code.

First Nations permission

Some permit areas include First Nations Settlement Lands. Written permission from the First Nation is required prior to hunting any big or small game species on Category A Settlement Lands. Larger blocks of Category A Settlement Land boundaries are identified on the Overview map of Game Management Subzones and special area restrictions included with the Yukon hunting regulations summary.

Smaller blocks, and all other First Nations Settlement Lands, are marked on detailed maps which can be viewed at the local First Nation's office or viewed online.

What happens if you miss a year

Your weighting does not change. You do not have to apply each year to have your name remain weighted.

What if you can't hunt this year

Please make an effort to plan ahead and apply for the PHA based on your interest and ability to accept a permit. Accepted returns will result in applicants’ weighting remaining the same, not increasing.

If you can't accept a permit this year, take advantage of the option to apply for weighting only. By selecting "weighting only" on the application, you will increase your chance of success in future draws.

If you are drawn for a permit but miss the return deadline or do not hunt in the PHA area you will still be considered successful in the draw. The weighting of your name is reset to one for the next time you apply.

Disqualified applications

The Department of Environment screens applications for eligibility requirements including residency, age restrictions, hunting suspensions and past harvest of Kluane sheep.

Staff verify the online application process to ensure only eligible applications enter the draw. Disqualified applicants are notified by email. 

These verification steps follow recommendations from a third-party review of the lottery completed in 2019.

Returned permits

The department makes every attempt to reissue returned permits. The 14-day deadline for returns is to facilitate reissuance and allow next-drawn hunters a chance to be notified of available opportunities in a timely manner.

Refunds

Licences and applications are non-refundable unless there is administrative error caused by Government of Yukon.

Appeal process

The appeal process is a tool available to the public should they disagree with lottery-administration decisions of the Government of Yukon.

Appeals must be submitted in writing (either mailed or electronic) and sent to:

• Mail:
  Department of Environment
  Client, Business & Technology Solutions
  PO Box 2703 (V3A)
  Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6
• Email: EnvironmentYukon@yukon.ca

Kluane Sheep hunt 

The Kluane First Nation Final Agreement allows two sheep permits to be offered annually in the Wildlife Sanctuary, at the discretion of the Minister of Environment and the First Nation.

One permit goes to a Yukon resident hunter through the permit hunt process, and another can be auctioned to a non-resident by the First Nation.

Due to conservation concerns with these populations, in 2023 the Kluane First Nation cancelled their auction of the Kluane Wildlife Sanctuary sheep permit for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 hunting seasons.

In the spirit of co-management and to support sheep population recovery by reducing hunting pressure, the Government of Yukon did not issue its 2023-2024 Permit Hunt Authorization lottery for the Kluane Wildlife Sanctuary.

Due to continuing conservation concerns the Kluane Sheep Wildlife Sanctuary sheep permit will not be offered for the 2024-2025 season.

We are continuing to monitor the sheep populations the area and will continue to work with Kluane First Nations to re-establish this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

Go to Permit Hunt Authorization maps by species

No map is available for deer permit hunt areas. All eligible hunters may apply for hunt code DE601. Youth aged 14-15 may also apply for hunt code DE602. 

Results

2023-2024

Successful applicants were notified through their online account on June 13. 

A list of permit holders is no longer posted online. 

Statistics

2023-2024

View 2023 statistics for each species including distribution of permits by years applied and the number of applications for each hunt code. These statistics are gathered before the return and reissuance of permits. 

• Caribou
• Deer
• Elk
• Goat
• Moose
• Sheep

 

You must complete the harvest reporting requirements for the species you hunt. 

See harvest reporting information

For most species, Permit Hunt Authorization holders are required to report their kill no later than 15 days after the end of the month in which the animal was taken.

Elk and deer permits have specific reporting requirements. Season closures may differ between permit areas. Read and follow the instructions that come with your permit.