Canada
Who runs what: licenses and seasons in Canada are mostly provincial and territorial — each province and territory runs its own fishing and hunting licenses, like a US state. The federal government runs ocean (tidal) fishing through Fisheries and Oceans Canada, migratory bird hunting permits, and the national parks. The federal fishing page below links out to every province and territory's own license and rules pages.
These are Canada's own official pages. No middlemen, no roundups. If a link and this site ever disagree, the official page wins.
Official links
- Fishing regulations and provincial links — Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Shellfish openings and closures — check before you harvest (DFO)
- Parks Canada — national park rules and passes
- Migratory game bird hunting permits — Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Bringing firearms into Canada as a visitor — RCMP
A US visitor in Canada — the plain facts
- You need that province's own license. A US state license is not valid in Canada. Each province and territory sells its own fishing and hunting licenses, with its own non-resident rules and seasons. Start from the federal page above, which links to all of them.
- National parks are different. Fishing in a national park needs a Parks Canada fishing permit — a provincial license does not cover it — and some parks ban fishing entirely. Hunting is not allowed in national parks; firearms may only be transported through, unloaded and securely encased.
- Migratory birds need two layers. A federal Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit with the Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp — one permit, valid across Canada — and, in most places, the province or territory's own hunting license on top. Seasons are set by region and posted by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
- Firearms at the border are strict and paper-based. A visitor aged 18 or over fills out the RCMP's Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (form RCMP 5589) before arriving, does not sign it ahead of time — a border officer must witness the signature — and pays the fee printed on the RCMP page (currently $25). Signed, the form works as a temporary license for 60 days, for the firearms listed on it only. Some firearms are prohibited in Canada outright and cannot come in at all. Read the RCMP page before you pack, not at the border.
- Border basics: you will need a valid passport, and fish and game you bring home crosses under customs rules on both sides. Declare everything.
Limits are not printed on this page. That is on purpose. Seasons, limits, and license rules differ by province, territory, and water — and change during the year. A wrong number copied here could get you a fine or worse. This page sends you straight to the official pages above; they are the law. The same goes for wild foods: Canada's fiddleheads, saskatoons, cloudberries, and shellfish rules are in the Field Food guide.
Before you go: check the official page for your exact province, waters, and dates before every trip. This page was built November 5, 2026.