HUNT NS

09/19/2026

Today is National Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing Heritage Day.

Nova Scotia has a long, proud tradition of hunting, trapping, and fishing. It built our province. We are keeping those traditions strong by protecting our outdoors and expanding access, including opening up Sunday hunting during the general deer hunting season so families can spend more time together in nature.

Let's celebrate our heritage and enjoy the great outdoors!

09/14/2026

And just like that, another hunting season is underway! 🏹🍂🐻🦌

Hope everyone who made it out for opening day had a great one - whether you had some luck or just enjoyed being back in the woods.

Here’s to a safe and happy hunting season across Nova Scotia. Good luck, hunt safe, and enjoy every minute of it! 🌲

09/04/2026

UPDATE - RESIDENT ARCHERY AND MUZZLELOADER DEER STAMPS

Correctly printed Resident Archery and Muzzleloader Deer Stamps should begin arriving at DNR Offices and Private Retail Vendors as early as today.

Already purchased a recalled Resident Archery and Muzzleloader Deer Stamp? You will need a replacement from a DNR Office, free of charge.

If you require a replacement:
• Replacements can only be processed at a DNR Office and will be provided free of charge.
• Please bring your original licence card book with the recalled stamp still attached.
• Do not remove, alter or damage the recalled stamp. It must remain attached to your licence book for the replacement to be processed.
• Please call your local DNR Office before making a trip to confirm they have received their replacement stamps.

DNR Offices: https://novascotia.ca/natr/staffdir/offices.asp

Purchasing a 2026 Resident Archery and Muzzleloader Deer Stamp for the first time?

Correctly printed stamps are also beginning to arrive at Private Retail Vendors as early as today. Before making the trip, please contact your local vendor to confirm they have received their stamps. You can also check the vendor’s social media pages for updates on availability.

Private Retail Vendors: https://data.novascotia.ca/Permits-and-Licensing/Hunting-and-Fishing-License-Sellers/unx6-kpb9/data_preview

We sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through the recall and replacement process. Thank you, and happy hunting!

https://huntns.ca

08/28/2026

Nova Scotia’s deer hunting season for bowhunters begins Monday September 14th 🦌

Currently we are selling Senior-Resident and Non-Resident Archery/Muzzleloader deer stamps, available at DNR Offices https://novascotia.ca/natr/staffdir/offices.asp, and various Private Retail Vendors https://data.novascotia.ca/Permits-and-Licensing/Hunting-and-Fishing-License-Sellers/unx6-kpb9/data_preview

Please note a recall on purchased Resident Archery/Muzzleloader deer stamps only, with an opportunity to replace between September 9th-11th. At this time, please do not alter, mark, or destroy the impacted stamp, as further details will be provided on the replacement process soon.

Questions? Please email [email protected]

08/27/2026

🎉 In-person hunting and fur harvesting licences are arriving!

In-person hunting and fur harvesting licences have started arriving at DNR offices and private retail vendors across Nova Scotia this week, just in time for the 2026 hunting season!

You can also purchase several E-Licences online through HuntNS, including:

✅ Wildlife Habitat Stamp (WHS)
✅ Small Game Licence
✅ Furharvester Licence
✅ Annual Guide Licence


Another benefit of buying E-Licences: replacement fees do NOT apply!

If you purchase an E-Licence online through your HuntNS account, your licence is issued to you electronically rather than as a physical stamp. You can save a screenshot or re-print a copy whenever you need one, even if your printed copy is lost or damaged, you do NOT need to visit an office or pay a replacement fee.

Licences purchased in-person are different.

If you purchase a licence as a physical stamp, it remains a physical licence. If it is lost or damaged, you will need to visit an office, pay the applicable replacement fee, and obtain a replacement physical stamp.

⚠️A licence appearing on your HuntNS Licence Card Summary page does NOT make it an E-Licence. What matters is how the licence was originally purchased and issued to you.

Even while E-Licensing is being phased in, it's worth purchasing the licences available online through HuntNS. You'll get the benefits of an E-Licence for those purchases, while simply purchasing the remaining licences in-person.

📌 Deer and bear licences are not part of the E-Licensing Pilot - Phase 1 and remain physical licences. If a deer or bear licence is lost or damaged, it must still be replaced, and applicable replacement fees will apply.

🧺 So, if your licence book happens to find its way into the washing machine this year, you won't have to replace everything if you bought some of your E-Licences online. You'll only have to replace the physical licences that were originally issued as paper.

👉 Purchase select licences online through HuntNS and make replacing lost or damaged licences a little easier this season!

08/18/2026

🦌 2026 Antlerless Deer Draw results are now live!

The results of the 2026 Antlerless Deer Draw are now available through HuntNS.

To check your results:
1. Log in to huntns.ca
2. Go to the Draws section
3. Select Deer Draw

Successful applicants will receive their paper 2026 Antlerless Deer Stamp in the mail over the next few weeks.

📬 If you have not received your 2026 Antlerless Deer Stamp in the mail by the end of September 2026, please email [email protected] with your Wildlife Resources Client (WRC) number, and we’ll be happy to help.

Good luck, and congratulations to all successful applicants! 🦌

Starting Monday, July 6, hunters can enter the draw for one of 6,025 antlerless deer hunting stamps for the 2026 season.

The antlerless deer draw helps achieve healthy and balanced deer populations by allowing licensed hunters to harvest female antlerless in areas where numbers are higher.

Stamps are available for five of the 10 deer management zones (zones 103, 104, 106, 108 and 110) in mainland Nova Scotia and both zones (111 and 112) in Cape Breton. Antlerless deer stamps are not required in the other mainland zones (101, 102, 105, 107 and 109), where hunters may harvest deer of either s*x.

The minimum age for deer hunting has been lowered to 12 from 16. Youth hunters aged 12 to 15 are eligible to apply for the antlerless deer draw as long as they meet all licensing requirements when applying.

To be eligible to apply for an antlerless deer stamp, hunters must:

- be a resident of Nova Scotia
- have a valid Nova Scotia Wildlife Resources Card
- be eligible to purchase a deer hunting licence, including having a valid hunting certification(s) on their HuntNS profile before applying, such as Hunter Trained (HT), Bow Trained (B).
- People can apply online through their HuntNS profile at https://huntns.ca/, by phone (toll-free: 1-833-302-0750) or by mail: Antlerless Deer Draw Application, Citizen Services Division, Business Registration Unit, Box 1529, 6N-1505 Barrington St., Halifax, N.S., B3J 2Y4.

The fee is $8.04 plus tax for electronic and phone applications and $11.70 plus tax for paper applications.

Applications close July 31, and results will be posted online August 18.

More information is available at:https://novascotia.ca/natr/hunt/pdf/hunting-and-furharvesting-summary-of-regulations.pdf

08/13/2026

08/10/2026

🎉 WELCOME TO THE HUNTNS E-LICENSING PILOT - PHASE 1! 🎉

The HuntNS E-Licensing Pilot is now LIVE, making it easier for hunters, furharvesters and guides to purchase select licenses online - whenever it works for you, wherever you are. 🦆🦊

👉 Ready to get started? Visit huntns.ca

Through your HuntNS portal, the licenses available for purchase in Phase 1 include:
• Wildlife Habitat Stamp
• Small Game Licence
• Fur Harvester Licence
• Annual Commercial Guide Licence

For more information about HuntNS and this phase of our E-Licensing Pilot, visit the Nova Scotia hunting website:
👉 novascotia.ca/natr/hunt/

This is the first phase of Nova Scotia’s move toward online licensing, and we’re excited to keep building on it and making the licensing process more convenient for hunters, guides and trappers across the province.

Prefer to purchase in-person? No problem! Physical stamps and licenses will still be available through participating locations later this month. Licenses not included in Phase 1, including Deer and Bear stamps, will also continue to be available through the existing process.

We’re just getting started. 🎯

Hunters, guides and trappers are now able to purchase most types of Nova Scotia hunting licences online.

The Province has launched an e-licensing pilot program through HuntNS for the base hunting licence, small fur-bearing animals and game birds.

The licences available online include:
-- wildlife habitat stamp (for residents and non-residents), which is the base licence required for all hunting and fur harvesting
-- small game licence (for residents and non-residents), for snowshoe hare and birds such as ring-necked pheasant geese and ducks
-- fur harvester licence (legally restricted to residents), for animals such as beaver, raccoon and fox
-- annual commercial guide licences.

Deer and bear licences are not included in the pilot because of physical harvest tag requirements.

Licences can be purchased at http://huntns.ca. People also still have the option to buy licences in person.

07/07/2026

📢Important Update for Antlerless Deer Draw Applicants – Deer Management Zones 106 & 107

We are aware that there may be some confusion regarding recent changes to the boundaries of Deer Management Zones (DMZ) 106 and 107. The online DMZ map has not yet been updated to reflect these changes.

While the updated map is being prepared, hunters are encouraged to refer to the legal Deer Management Zone descriptions found in the Deer Hunting Regulations:

🔗 https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/wideer.htm

These images can be used as a temporary reference while updated mapping is being prepared. The first image shows the general boundary changes, with the area highlighted in green now included in DMZ 107. The second image provides road and community names to help hunters identify locations within DMZs 106 and 107.

Image 1:
Updated Deer Management Zone boundaries. The area highlighted in green is now part of DMZ 107

Image 2:
Reference map showing roads and communities within DMZs 106 and 107 to assist hunters in identifying locations.

Please note that Hunt NS staff cannot advise hunters which deer management zone to select on an antlerless deer draw application. Applicants are responsible for determining the appropriate zone for the area they intend to hunt.

Thank you for your patience as we work to update our online resources. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.

07/05/2026

Applications for Nova Scotia’s annual antlerless deer draw open July 6, with 6,025 stamps available for the 2026 season. This program helps support healthy, balanced deer populations across the province by allowing licensed hunters to harvest antlerless deer in designated management zones.

Applications close July 31. Learn more and apply through HuntNS.

https://huntns.ca/

📷: Dean Dillman, Biologist, DNR