Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting in Ontario:

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Last Updated: September 13 2026

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Question: I received a summons for illegal bow or crossbow hunting in Ontario, what should I do before my court date?

Answer: Before paying or responding to your summons, review the exact offence wording and section number on the ticket, confirm which bow, crossbow, arrow or bolt was used, and gather manufacturer specs plus photos, receipts, and any measurement details (draw weight, draw length, arrow or bolt length, and broadhead or head width and cutting edges) showing how Ontario’s rule applied to your species, season, WMU location, and hunt.   Don’t alter or dispose of the disputed equipment, and be ready to address the evidence linking the equipment to you and the activity described on the summons.   DefendCharges.ca™ can help you map the charge to the applicable Ontario hunting equipment requirements and next steps for an informed response by phone at (647) 559-3377.

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Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting in Ontario

Received a hunting ticket or summons for Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting in Ontario?  You have been charged with a provincial offence under Ontario hunting law.  The charge may concern whether your bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, or broadhead met Ontario's required measurements or whether that equipment was legally permitted for the species, season, and location 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.  A bow or crossbow can be lawful to own and generally suitable for hunting but still fail a particular equipment requirement or be prohibited for the hunt identified on your ticket.  The equipment measurements, how those measurements were taken, the applicable season, and the evidence connecting the equipment to you can all be important.

This page explains what an Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting charge means, the equipment requirements that may apply, firearm class restrictions, what must be proven, current fines, evidence, possible defences and legal issues, and what may happen next.  This offence is part of Hunting Method & Firearm Charges.

I Received an Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting Ticket or Summons.  What Should I Do?

A summons is a court document requiring you to attend court or respond as directed.  Read every document carefully and do not miss the response deadline or required court date.

Start with the exact offence wording and section number on your ticket or summons.  Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting is a plain English description covering several possible equipment and firearm restriction offences, so the particular charge stated on your documents matters.

Record what wildlife you were hunting, the date, time, location, and Wildlife Management Unit, commonly called a WMU, if relevant.  A Wildlife Management Unit is a numbered geographic area Ontario uses to apply hunting seasons and other hunting rules.

Identify the bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, or other equipment involved and who owned, carried, handled, or used it.  Keep manufacturer specifications, photographs, receipts, packaging, measurement information, hunting documents, GPS information, maps, messages, videos, and witness information.  Do not alter, repair, adjust, or dispose of disputed equipment in a way that could affect relevant evidence.

Should I Pay the Ticket?

Paying the ticket will generally be treated as pleading guilty and will result in a conviction, meaning a finding of guilt.  Before paying, compare the exact offence with the species, season, location, type of bow or crossbow, equipment measurements, arrow or bolt involved, and any firearm class restriction identified in the case.

A measurement difference can matter, but so can how the equipment was measured and whether the particular measurement requirement applied to your hunt.  The evidence must also connect the equipment relied upon by the prosecution to you and the hunting activity.

What Is an Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting Charge?

Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting is a plain English description covering several Ontario offences involving archery equipment or a firearm that was prohibited for the particular hunt.  It is not one single offence with one legal test.

Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 includes bows and crossbows within the legal definition of firearm.  This is important because some Ontario hunting rules restricting which firearm may be used or carried during a hunt also apply to bows and crossbows.

A firearm class is Ontario's way of identifying which types of hunting equipment may be used during particular deer, elk, or moose seasons.  For example, Class 1 means Bow, while other classes permit different combinations of bows, rifles, shotguns, or muzzle-loading guns.  The class that applies depends on the species, person, area, and open season involved.

Ontario's Hunting Regulation uses the term long-bow, which includes compound and recurve bows.  A bolt is the short arrow like projectile fired from a crossbow.  A broadhead is the cutting hunting head fitted to an arrow or bolt.

Your charge may therefore concern the draw weight or draw length of the bow or crossbow, the length or head of an arrow, the head of a bolt, or whether the firearm used or carried was within the class permitted for that particular hunt.

The exact equipment rule must therefore be matched to the wildlife, season, location, equipment, and activity described in your charge.  Other firearm, equipment, and hunting method offences are organized within Hunting Method & Firearm Charges.

What Bow and Crossbow Requirements May Apply to My Charge?

The required measurements depend on the wildlife and equipment involved.  Draw weight is the pulling force produced as the bow or crossbow is drawn.  Draw length refers to the distance through which the bow or crossbow is drawn using the measuring method required by Ontario's rules.

Long-Bow Requirements for Big Game

Big game is Ontario's legal wildlife category that includes black bear, woodland caribou, white-tailed deer, American elk, and moose.  The existence of an equipment requirement does not mean there is currently an open hunting season for every species in that category.

• White-tailed deer and woodland caribou: The long-bow must reach a draw weight of at least 18 kilograms, approximately 39.7 pounds, at a point within the draw range specified by Ontario's regulation;
• Black bear, elk, and moose: The long-bow must reach a draw weight of at least 22 kilograms, approximately 48.5 pounds, within the required draw range.

Ontario's regulation measures this requirement at some point between a draw length of 700 millimetres, approximately 27.6 inches, and the point of string rest.  If your charge concerns draw weight, how and where the bow was measured can therefore matter.

Crossbow Requirements for Big Game

A crossbow used for big game must have a draw length of at least 300 millimetres, approximately 11.8 inches.  The minimum draw weight depends on the wildlife being hunted:

• White-tailed deer and woodland caribou: At least 45 kilograms, approximately 99.2 pounds;
• Black bear, elk, and moose: At least 54 kilograms, approximately 119 pounds.

Ontario measures crossbow draw weight at the release latch mechanism, meaning the mechanism that holds the string when the crossbow is drawn, or at a point between that mechanism and the string's resting position.  A manufacturer's advertised rating does not by itself establish that the equipment met the legal measurement involved in your charge.

Arrow and Arrowhead Requirements for Big Game

An arrow used with a long-bow for big game must be at least 600 millimetres, approximately 23.6 inches, long.  Ontario measures the arrow from the base of the arrowhead to the bottom of the nock slot, meaning the slot at the rear of the arrow that fits the bowstring.

The arrowhead must be at least 22 millimetres, approximately 0.87 inches, wide at its widest part and have at least two sharp cutting edges.  An undersized head or a head without the required cutting edges may therefore be important to the charge.

Crossbow Bolt Head Requirements for Big Game

A crossbow bolt used for big game must have a head at least 22 millimetres wide at its widest part and at least two sharp cutting edges.  Ontario's big game rule does not impose the same 600 millimetre minimum length on a crossbow bolt that applies to an arrow used with a long-bow.

What If My Charge Involves Wild Turkey?

Wild turkey has separate archery equipment requirements.  A crossbow used to hunt wild turkey must have a draw length of at least 300 millimetres and a draw weight of at least 45 kilograms.  A long-bow must have a draw weight of at least 18 kilograms within the measuring range specified by the regulation.

An arrow used for wild turkey must be at least 600 millimetres long, and an arrow or bolt head must be at least 22 millimetres wide at its widest part and have at least two sharp cutting edges.  The type of firearm must also be permitted for the particular wild turkey season and area involved in your charge.

Could My Bow or Crossbow Be Legal but Still Be Prohibited for This Hunt?

Yes.  A bow or crossbow may satisfy every physical measurement requirement and still not be permitted for the particular hunt.

Ontario's firearm class rules for deer, elk, and moose restrict the firearm a person may use or carry during the applicable open season.  The wildlife, WMU, date, person, and type of open season should therefore be checked against the firearm class that applied when the conduct described in your charge occurred.

This means there can be two different questions in the same case: Did the bow or crossbow itself meet Ontario's equipment requirements?  And was that type of firearm permitted for the particular hunt?

What Law Applies?

The principal rules are found in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, Ontario Regulation 665/98, the Hunting Regulation, and Ontario Regulation 670/98, which establishes open seasons and identifies the firearm classes or types permitted for applicable seasons.

For charges covered on this page, sections 69 and 70 of the Hunting Regulation establish the firearm classes for deer, elk, and moose and restrict the use or carrying of firearms to the class permitted for the applicable open season.  Section 79 contains the principal wild turkey firearm and archery equipment rules, while section 82 contains the principal bow, crossbow, arrow, and bolt requirements for big game.  The exact offence wording and section number on your ticket or summons determine which requirements matter to your case.

What Must Be Proven?

The prosecutor, meaning the lawyer or representative presenting the government's case, must prove every required part of the particular charge beyond a reasonable doubt.  Beyond a reasonable doubt is the high legal standard that must be met before the court can find you guilty.

Because Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting covers several possible offences, what must be proven depends on the charge stated on your ticket or summons.  Depending on the offence, important issues may include:

• Your identity as the person involved;
• The wildlife being hunted and the date, location, WMU, and applicable open season;
• The bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, or other firearm involved;
• Whether that equipment was connected to you and the hunting activity;
• The relevant draw weight, draw length, arrow length, head width, cutting edges, or other equipment characteristic;
• Whether the measurement or firearm class requirement relied upon actually applied to the particular hunt; and
• Whether the equipment failed that requirement or the firearm used or carried was outside the permitted class.

The equipment identified by the prosecution must be connected to your charge and measured according to the requirement that actually applies.  A manufacturer's specification, model description, or measurement taken later does not necessarily prove the condition or adjustment of the equipment at the relevant time.

Does This Charge Require Wildlife to Have Been Killed?

No.  A successful harvest is not necessarily required for the bow, crossbow, equipment, or firearm class offences covered on this page.  Depending on the exact charge, the issue may be the equipment you used or carried while hunting rather than whether an arrow or bolt was released or wildlife was killed.

What Is the Fine?

There is no single offence called Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting, but the current Ontario set fine for the principal archery and firearm class offences covered on this page is $300.  A set fine is the preset fine used when a particular offence is dealt with by ticket.

Current $300 set fines include:

• Using or carrying a prohibited firearm during a deer, elk, or moose hunt;
• Hunting wild turkey with a prohibited firearm, arrow, or bolt;
• Using a prohibited firearm during a wild turkey hunt; and
• Hunting big game with a prohibited bow, arrow, or bolt.

The set fine is not necessarily the total amount payable.  A victim fine surcharge and applicable court costs may also be added.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 provides a general maximum penalty for an individual of a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.  Those are maximum penalties established by law and are not the automatic or usual result of an ordinary Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting ticket.

A conviction may also permit the court to make certain orders affecting a hunting licence or authorization related to the offence.  Such an order is not automatic for every bow or crossbow conviction.

What Evidence May Be Used?

These cases can depend heavily on the physical equipment, accurate measurements, the hunting season, and evidence connecting the equipment to you.  Relevant evidence may include:

• The bow or crossbow itself, its condition or adjustment settings, manufacturer specifications, model information, manuals, labels, packaging, or receipts;
• Draw weight and draw length measurements and records showing how those measurements were taken;
• Arrows, bolts, arrowheads, or broadheads and measurements of their length, width, or cutting edges;
• Photographs or videos of the equipment and Conservation Officer notes, photographs, videos, or measurement records;
• The wildlife, WMU, date, open season, firearm class, hunting documents, maps, GPS information, and other location evidence;
• Witness statements and evidence showing who owned, carried, handled, or used the equipment; and
• Messages, phone photographs, trail camera images, other electronic records, and any equipment or property seized during the investigation.

Disclosure is the relevant information and evidence in the prosecutor's possession or control that you are entitled to receive, subject to the law.  Disclosure should be obtained and reviewed before important decisions are made about a disputed charge.

What Possible Defences or Legal Issues May Apply?

The defence depends on the exact offence, equipment, measurements, wildlife, season, location, and available evidence.  Not every defence or legal issue applies to every Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting charge.

The Equipment Met the Applicable Requirement or Was Measured Incorrectly

The bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, or head may have satisfied the requirement that actually applied to the hunt.  A measurement may also have been taken from the wrong points, taken using a method that does not match Ontario's measuring rule, recorded inaccurately, or affected by the condition or adjustment of the equipment when it was examined.

The Firearm Class or Equipment Rule Did Not Apply to My Hunt

The wildlife, WMU, open season, date, or other circumstances may show that a different firearm class or equipment requirement applied from the one relied upon in the charge.  The prosecution's rule must be matched to the correct hunt.

The Wrong Equipment Was Examined or the Equipment Was Not Connected to Me

Several bows, crossbows, arrows, bolts, or broadheads may have been present in a vehicle, camp, stand, or hunting party.  The evidence must connect the item measured or examined to you and to the hunting activity underlying the charge.  Ownership alone does not necessarily establish who used or carried a particular item.

Due Diligence

Due diligence means taking all reasonable care in the circumstances to prevent the offence.  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 recognizes due diligence as a defence where its legal requirements are established.

Depending on the charge, relevant evidence may include how the equipment was selected, checked, measured, adjusted, maintained, or compared with the requirements for the particular hunt.

Honest and Reasonable Mistake of Fact

An honest and reasonable mistake of fact means honestly and reasonably believing facts that, if true, would make the conduct innocent.  Ontario law recognizes this defence where its legal requirements are established.

The issue might concern the actual measurement or adjustment of the equipment, which item belonged to or was being used by which hunter, or another factual circumstance.  A mistake about a fact is different from simply not knowing what the law requires.

Evidence, Search, or Statement Issues

Conservation Officer measurements, photographs, videos, equipment examinations, electronic records, witness accounts, searches, and statements should be reviewed carefully.  Their accuracy, reliability, completeness, context, and lawful use may affect whether the specific charge can be proven.

Could My Bow, Crossbow, or Other Equipment Be Seized?

Yes, where the legal requirements for seizure are met.  A seizure means property has been taken into official custody.  A bow, crossbow, arrows, bolts, electronic devices, or other property may be taken during an investigation where Ontario law authorizes it.  Seizure does not itself mean that you are guilty.

Forfeiture means permanent loss of ownership and is different from temporary seizure.  Following a conviction, property may be subject to a forfeiture order where the legal requirements are satisfied.  If property was taken in your case, the seizure notice and related documents should be reviewed with the charge.

What Happens Next?

Your ticket or summons should identify the next procedural step and any response deadline or court date.  Do not miss that deadline while obtaining legal advice, requesting disclosure, or deciding how to respond.

After disclosure is obtained, the charge can be compared with the actual bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, measurements, wildlife, season, Wildlife Management Unit, Conservation Officer evidence, electronic records, and any defence or legal issue supported by the evidence.

The prosecutor may withdraw the charge, meaning the charge is no longer being pursued, or the matter may be resolved by a guilty plea or another agreement, or proceed to trial.  The appropriate response depends on the exact offence, evidence, possible consequences, and legal issues in your case.

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

• Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting covers several possible Ontario equipment and firearm class offences rather than one single charge;
• A bow or crossbow can be legal to own and meet its physical specifications but still be prohibited for a particular species, season, or location;
• Ontario treats bows and crossbows as firearms for the purposes of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997;
• Big game and wild turkey archery rules can depend on draw weight, draw length, arrow length, head width, and cutting edges;
• Firearm class rules can restrict both using and carrying a firearm during deer, elk, and moose hunts;
• The current set fine for the principal bow, crossbow, arrow, bolt, and firearm class offences covered on this page is $300; and
• The measuring method, equipment condition, applicable season, evidence connecting the equipment to you, and any seizure should be reviewed before deciding how to respond to the charge.

Conclusion

Your Illegal Bow or Crossbow Hunting charge should be reviewed using the exact equipment, measurements, wildlife, open season, Wildlife Management Unit, location, and activity identified in the evidence.  The fact that a bow or crossbow was lawful to own or suitable for another hunt does not establish that it satisfied the rule that applies to your charge.

Before paying the ticket or entering a plea, review the exact offence wording, equipment and measurement evidence, applicable firearm class or season rule, disclosure, possible defences, and potential consequences.  Legal representation can help determine what the prosecutor must prove and whether the evidence establishes the offence.