Small Game & Furbearer Charges in Ontario:

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Last Updated: September 16 2026

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Question:What should I do if I got a ticket for hunting rabbit, hare, or grouse during a closed season in Ontario?

Answer:If you were charged in Ontario for hunting rabbit, hare, or grouse during a closed season, review the exact offence wording and section on your ticket or summons first, preserve your hunting records and any seizure materials, and do not delete or alter anything while you plan your response.  Paying a ticket is often treated as pleading guilty, so confirm which specific offence was actually laid and whether any additional charges from the same incident (like licence, trapping, possession, or pelt transaction issues) also need review.  Small Game & Furbearer charges can turn on species, date, Wildlife Management Unit, hunting method, and licence exceptions, and the outcome depends on the evidence and your timing for responding.  DefendCharges.ca™ can help you understand the likely charge category and next steps with a paralegal-led approach for Ontario matters, so call (647) 559-3377 to discuss your documents.

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Small Game & Furbearer Charges in Ontario

Small Game & Furbearer Charges in Ontario covers offences involving Small Game Licence authority, hunting rabbit, hare, or grouse during a closed season, trapping, possession of furbearing mammals, and buying or selling pelts.  A furbearing mammal is a mammal Ontario legally classifies as furbearing wildlife.  These charges can depend on the species, licence or other authority, season, location, trapping activity, wildlife item, or transaction involved.

Note: Please contact DefendCharges.ca™ by phone at: (647) 559-3377 to discuss any specific questions that you may have.

Do not panic.  Being charged does not automatically mean you will be convicted.  The offences in this category do not all rely on the same legal rule.  A licence charge, closed season charge, trapping charge, possession charge, and pelt transaction charge can involve different legal requirements, exceptions, evidence, and fines.

This page helps you identify the Small Game & Furbearer Charge that most closely matches the wording on your documents and gives a general overview of possible consequences, seizure issues, and when legal advice may be useful.  The individual offence pages explain the charge specific law, current fine, evidence, possible defences, and next steps.

What Charges Are Included?

Select the charge below that most closely matches the wording on your ticket, summons, seizure notice, or other documents.

Hunting Without a Small Game Licence

This charge concerns whether you hunted wildlife that required Small Game Licence authority without holding the required licence or qualifying for a legal exception.  The exact species matters because Ontario's licence offences distinguish between game mammals, game birds, furbearing mammals, and other legal wildlife categories.

Hunting Rabbit During Closed Season

This charge, also commonly described as hunting rabbit out of season, concerns whether you hunted cottontail when no open season applied to the date, Wildlife Management Unit, and hunting method involved.  A valid Small Game Licence does not create an open season where none applies.

Hunting Hare During Closed Season

This charge, also commonly described as hunting hare out of season, concerns whether you hunted European hare or snowshoe, also called varying, hare when no applicable open season was in force.  The species, date, Wildlife Management Unit, and hunting method can matter because Ontario does not regulate all hare hunting identically in every area.

Hunting Grouse During Closed Season

This charge concerns hunting ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, or sharp-tailed grouse when no open season applied to the species, location, date, and hunting method involved.  Species identification can be important because the three grouse species do not have identical geographic season coverage.

Illegal Trapping

This page covers several possible trapping charges rather than one single offence.  The issue may involve trapping without the required licence, trapping during a closed season or outside an authorized area, exceeding a quota, using an unlawful trap or method, failing to inspect a trap as required, or another trapping rule.

Possession of Furbearing Mammals

This page covers charges involving possession of furbearing mammal carcasses, carcass parts, or untanned pelts.  The issue may involve a Notice of Possession, Licence to Possess a Pelt, hunting or trapping authority, continued pelt possession after an open season ends, or wildlife Ontario says was unlawfully killed, injured, or captured.

Illegal Buying or Selling of Pelts

This page covers charges involving buying, selling, offering, bartering, trading, or otherwise dealing with pelts contrary to Ontario wildlife law.  The issue may involve the buyer or seller's authority, the lawful source of the pelt, licence or possession requirements, a closed season pelt, fur dealer or auction rules, or another condition applying to the transaction.

I Received a Hunting Ticket or Summons.  What Should I Do?

Read every document carefully and do not miss the response deadline or required court date.  A summons is a court document requiring you to attend court or respond as directed.  Start with the exact offence wording and section number rather than assuming the charge from what happened during the hunt, trapping activity, possession, or transaction.

Keep your ticket or summons and preserve the existing records that may show your licence or other authority, the species, date and location, the trapping or possession circumstances, the pelt transaction, or any seizure connected with the incident.  Do not delete, alter, discard, or modify potentially important evidence.

Paying a ticket will generally be treated as pleading guilty and will result in a conviction without a trial.  Before paying, make sure you understand which offence was actually laid and whether another charge arising from the same incident also needs to be reviewed.

Can One Incident Lead to Multiple Charges?

Yes.  One small game or furbearer incident can result in several separate charges.  A Conservation Officer investigation may involve licence authority, a closed season, trapping activity, an unlawful trap or method, possession of wildlife, or a later pelt transaction.

Each charge should be reviewed separately because evidence relevant to one offence does not automatically establish another.  For example, a person may have valid licence authority but still face a closed season or trapping method charge, while a later possession or pelt transaction charge may depend on different records and events.

Can You Be Charged if No Animal Was Shot or Killed?

Yes, for several offences in this category.  Hunting without the required licence and hunting during a closed season can be based on conduct that legally amounts to hunting even if no animal was successfully harvested.  Some trapping offences can also concern setting or using a prohibited trap or method without an animal being caught.

Possession and pelt transaction offences are different because they generally depend on wildlife, a carcass, a pelt, or another wildlife item being possessed or involved in the transaction.  Whether an animal must have been caught or killed therefore depends on the particular offence shown on your documents.

What Penalties Can Follow?

There is no single fine or penalty for every Small Game & Furbearer Charge.  A set fine is the preset fine used when a particular provincial offence is dealt with by ticket.  Current principal set fines include $200 to $300 for the Small Game Licence offences depending on the wildlife category and resident status, $250 for the rabbit, hare, and grouse closed season offences, $150 for the principal furbearing mammal carcass and pelt possession offences, $200 for possessing illegally killed, injured, or captured wildlife, and $250 for the general unlawful buying or selling of pelts offences.  Trapping set fines vary by the exact offence, with many principal trapping offences at $200 or $300 and some black bear trapping offences carrying higher amounts.

The set fine is not necessarily the total amount payable because a victim fine surcharge and applicable court costs may also be added.  The procedure used to start the case can affect the sentencing limits that are available.  Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, the general statutory maximum for an individual is a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both, while an offence under section 48, including the general unlawful buying or selling of pelts offence, is subject to an enhanced maximum of a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.  These are statutory maximums and are not the automatic or usual result of an ordinary ticket.

A conviction can also have consequences beyond the fine.  Depending on the offence and circumstances, the court may have authority to make an order affecting a hunting, trapping, dealer, pelt possession, or other wildlife licence or authorization.

Could Property Be Seized?

Yes, where the legal requirements for seizure are met.  Depending on the investigation, a Conservation Officer may seize wildlife, carcasses, pelts, traps, snares, firearms, records, a vehicle, an electronic device, money, or other property believed to be connected with an offence or evidence of an offence.

Seizure means property has been taken into official custody or otherwise placed under enforcement control.  It does not itself prove guilt or automatically mean the property will be permanently lost.  Forfeiture means permanent loss of ownership and is a separate legal consequence governed by its own requirements.

When Should You Get Legal Advice?

Legal advice may be especially important if:

• You received a summons requiring a court appearance;
• You are facing several charges arising from the same hunting, trapping, possession, or pelt transaction incident;
• Wildlife, pelts, traps, a firearm, vehicle, electronic device, money, or other property was seized;
• Your charge depends on disputed licence records, species identification, season dates, a Wildlife Management Unit or trapline boundary, trap design, possession records, or transaction evidence;
• You dispute what the Conservation Officer says happened; or
• You are concerned about possible consequences for your hunting, trapping, dealer, or other wildlife privileges.

Understanding the precise charge before entering a plea or paying a ticket can help identify the legal and factual issues that need to be addressed.

How Can DefendCharges.ca™ Help?

DefendCharges.ca™ can review the wording on your ticket, summons, seizure notice, or other documents and compare it with the wildlife, records, and activity involved.  This can help identify the exact charge, the legal requirements that apply, and the factual issues that may be important to your case.

If the matter proceeds through court, DefendCharges.ca™ can explain the court process, review the available evidence and legal issues, discuss possible penalties or other consequences, and help you understand your options for responding to the charge.

Have Questions About Hunting Charges?

Whether you have been charged with one hunting offence or several, understanding your legal options is important.  DefendCharges.ca™ can review your case, explain the charges you are facing, and help you understand your legal options and the best course of action.  Contact us today to discuss your situation.

Key Takeaways

• Small Game & Furbearer Charges can involve licence authority, closed seasons, trapping, possession of wildlife or pelts, and buying or selling pelts;
• The exact offence wording and section number on your ticket or summons identify the particular charge that must be reviewed;
• Rabbit, hare, and grouse closed season charges can depend on the species, date, Wildlife Management Unit, and hunting method;
• Illegal Trapping is a broad page covering several possible trapping offences involving licences, seasons, areas, quotas, traps, methods, and inspections;
• Furbearing mammal carcasses and untanned pelts can be subject to different possession, notice, licensing, and reporting rules;
• Illegal Buying or Selling of Pelts charges can depend on the buyer or seller's authority, the source of the pelt, licence or possession records, and the nature of the transaction; and
• One incident can result in several charges with different fines, evidence, legal requirements, and possible consequences.

Conclusion

If you have already been charged with a Small Game or Furbearer offence in Ontario, start with the exact wording and section number shown on your ticket or summons.  A Small Game Licence charge, rabbit, hare or grouse closed season charge, trapping charge, furbearing mammal possession charge, or pelt buying or selling charge can involve very different legal requirements.

Compare your documents with the charge descriptions above and preserve the records and evidence connected with the incident.  Once the correct charge is identified, the individual offence page can help you understand the current fine, possible consequences, evidence, legal issues, and options for responding.