Hunting and fishing in Canada as an American

Crossing the border

US citizens don't need a visa or an electronic travel authorization to enter Canada. Canada's entry requirements still recommend travelling with a valid passport, and it's the document to carry if you are flying. Travellers who aren't flying and have no passport can present other identity documents, but a passport avoids any discussion at the border.

Other things can make you inadmissible or slow you down, such as a criminal record, including an impaired driving conviction. If that applies to you, look into it well before you book. It's a question to settle with Canadian immigration authorities, not at the booth with your rifle in the truck.

Why you often need a guide or outfitter

This is the biggest difference with hunting at home. In many provinces, a non-resident can't simply buy a tag and head out for big game. The rules are provincial, so they differ from one border crossing to the next, and these are only a few examples, checked in November 2026:

• Ontario: to hunt black bear or moose, a non-resident must contract a licensed operator or outfitter, with a narrow exception for moose hunting with an immediate relative living in Ontario.
• Québec: south of the 52nd parallel, moose, black bear and woodcock hunters must use at least two outfitter services, including lodging, or hunt in a ZEC or wildlife reserve. North of the 52nd parallel, you must use an outfitter. Some exemptions exist.
• Alberta: big game, wolf or coyote hunters from outside the province must be accompanied by a hunter host or an outfitter-guide. Non-Canadians can't apply for draws.
• British Columbia: non-residents need a guide outfitter or a resident named on a permit to accompany to hunt big game. Small game has its own rules.

Licences and hunter education

Licences are bought province by province, and you need one for each province or territory where you plan to hunt. What you must show varies. Ontario asks non-residents to file recognized hunter credentials before buying anything, and processing can take weeks, while Québec doesn't require a hunter's certificate from non-residents. Alberta and British Columbia each use their own wildlife ID.

Start with the province's official page, then confirm with your outfitter, who deals with these steps every season and usually knows which ones to do first. Fishing is generally simpler, but it still takes a non-resident licence from the province, and special waters such as salmon rivers can add their own permits.

Bringing your rifle or shotgun

Canada treats firearms very differently from most US states, and the border rules are not a formality. You must be at least 18 and you must declare every firearm to a border officer when you arrive. Hunting during the season is a valid reason to bring a non-restricted rifle or shotgun. Prohibited firearms can't come in at all, and handguns are not for hunting trips.

Without a Canadian firearms licence, you fill out the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (form RCMP 5589) and pay CAN$25. Once a border officer confirms it, it works as a temporary licence for up to 60 days. Fill it out ahead of time, but wait to sign it in front of the officer. Ammunition is declared on the same form.

On the road, keep firearms unloaded and out of sight, in a locked part of the vehicle such as the trunk. A firearm you fail to declare can be seized, and you can face charges. If you'd rather avoid all of this, ask your outfitter whether borrowing a firearm is possible; a temporary borrowing licence is needed.

Bringing meat and fish home

Compared with hunters from overseas, you have it easy here. At land borders, USDA APHIS allows personal-use amounts of hunter-harvested deer, elk, moose and caribou meat, and the usual 50-pound limit doesn't apply: the allowable amount depends on your hunting licence. Keep that licence handy, because you must show the officer it is really cervid meat.

Birds are a different story. Rules on wild game birds from Canada have changed several times because of avian influenza, so check the current APHIS notices before you hunt ducks or geese and plan to bring them home. Declare all meat, fish and wildlife products to US Customs and Border Protection, and check your home state's rules as well, since some restrict deer-family parts because of chronic wasting disease.

Antlers, hides and trophies

APHIS says trophies must be fully finished or get special processing on entry, with papers showing where they come from, such as a letter from your outfitter. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has its own wildlife declaration rules, so ask them or your outfitter which ones apply to your trophy.

Black bear has a helpful exception. A US resident generally doesn't need a Canadian CITES export permit to take a legally hunted black bear home as accompanying personal baggage, when the hide, skull or meat is fresh, frozen or salted. Mounts, organs and bones are not covered, and a province can still ask for its own export permit. In Québec, big game must also be registered before you leave.

Your checklist

Rules change, sometimes every season, so treat this page as a starting point. The official text of each province and agency always has the last word.

• Pick the species and the province, then read that province's non-resident rules
• Find out if an outfitter or guide is mandatory for your hunt
• File your hunter credentials early if the province asks for them
• Complete form RCMP 5589, and sign it at the border
• Keep your licence for the trip home
• Check APHIS, your state and your outfitter about meat and trophies

Finding the right guide

From across the border, it's hard to tell which outfitters are serious. Ask what's included, ask for references, and confirm their licence with the province. GuideNord will put guides and outfitters across Canada on one map, so you can compare offers by species, region and dates before you send a request.