Moose Hunting in Ontario
Ontario moose hunting runs on a tag draw. Residents enter the draw each spring for the chance at a calf, cow or bull tag in a specific Wildlife Management Unit: and the tags are the currency of camp culture across the near-north from North Bay to Thunder Bay. Cows and calves are draw-only; some bull opportunities exist outside the draw in less-accessible northern units, but plan on the draw for most WMUs.
Seasons are short: typically one to two weeks in October, with rifle seasons for residents and an archery window ahead of the gun season in many units. The tables below come straight from the current Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary, page-cited on every row.
Moose hunting in Ontario: the basics
- Draw: moose draw applications open in spring through the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service; group applications are the classic camp strategy.
- Season window: archery often opens late September; gun seasons run October weeks by WMU: the tables below show the exact published dates.
- Licences: resident moose licence + draw tag; an Outdoors Card and hunter accreditation are prerequisites.
- Where: the clay belt (Cochrane/Timiskaming), the northwest around Wawa and Nipigon, and Algoma forest access roads all produce Ontario bulls.
Moose
📋 Moose Tags are distributed to Ontario residents via a points-based allocation process (primary stage April 1-30; second chance June 15-July 7; pp. 59-60). Tag types: Bull Tags, Cow/Calf Tags, Calf Tags (p. 57). Non-residents may only hunt moose during an open non-resident season as a registered guest of a tourist outfitter or by party hunting on an immediate relative's resident tag (p. 64). Northern Ontario preference: 1 additional point for northern WMUs 1-42 (p. 61).
| Zone | Season | Bag / tag limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WMUs 1A, 1C, 1D, 16-17, 25 | September 19 to December 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag; cannot hold more than 1 Moose Tag per year (p. 61) | Rifles, shotguns, muzzle-loading guns and bows ('gun' season, gun tags valid). Non-resident: September 21 to November 15.Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 2-4, 18A, 18B | October 10 to December 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: October 12 to November 15.Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 5, 6, 7B, 8, 9A, 9B, 11A, 11B, 12-15, 19, 21A, 21B | October 17 to December 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: October 19 to November 15.Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 22, 23, 28-42 | October 17 to November 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: October 19 to November 15. Note: hunting of predominantly white-coloured moose (over 50 percent white) is not permitted in WMUs 30 and 31.Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 24, 27 | October 10 to November 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: October 12 to November 15.Source: p. 56 |
| WMU 26 | September 19 to October 31 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: September 21 to October 31.Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 46-50, 53-63 | October 19 to October 25 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Gun season. Non-resident: no open season.Source: p. 56 |
| WMU 7A | October 17 to December 15 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Bows and Muzzle-loading Guns Only season. Non-resident: October 19 to November 15.Source: p. 56 |
| WMU 18B | September 19 to October 9 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Bows and Muzzle-loading Guns Only season. Non-resident: September 19 to October 9. For WMU 18B 'bow' tags are for the Bows and Muzzle-loading Guns Only season (p. 67).Source: p. 56 |
| WMUs 2-4, 18A, 24, 27 | September 19 to October 9 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Bows Only season ('bow tags' valid). Non-resident: September 19 to October 9.Source: p. 57 |
| WMUs 5, 6, 7B, 8, 9A, 9B, 11A, 11B, 12-15, 19, 21-23, 28-33, 35-42 | September 26 to October 16 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Bows Only season. Non-resident: September 26 to October 16. White-coloured moose closure in WMUs 30 and 31 (p. 57 note).Source: p. 57 |
| WMUs 46-50, 53-63 | October 3 to October 9 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Bows Only season. Non-resident: no open season.Source: p. 57 |
| WMU 11B | September 26 to October 16 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Resident season with controlled hunter numbers (rifles, shotguns, muzzle-loading guns) for hunters with a lower limb disability (p. 58).Source: p. 57 |
| WMU 65 | October 5 to October 7 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Resident season with controlled hunter numbers; bows only; for hunters with a lower limb disability; WMU-specific rules (no dogs allowed; written landowner permission required, p. 58).Source: p. 57 |
| WMU 65 | October 8 to October 14 | 1 moose per Moose Tag | Resident season with controlled hunter numbers; bows only; WMU-specific rules (p. 58).Source: p. 57 |