Hunting With a Firearm in an Unsafe Area in Ontario:

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Last Updated: September 13 2026

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Question: Received a ticket for Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area in Ontario, what should I do before the deadline?

Answer: If you received a summons or ticket for Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area in Ontario, review the exact offence wording and section 14 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 claim, confirm the regulation and boundary that legally prescribed the location as unsafe, and do not pay until you understand whether the Crown can prove “hunting” under Ontario law and that your firearm met the legal meaning, because an unsafe area designation is more than where an officer thinks it is dangerous  Keep all disclosure, maps, GPS, and photos, then book a quick review with DefendCharges.ca™ by phone at (647) 559-3377 so an Ontario paralegal can help you assess options and avoid a default outcome that can lead to a conviction.

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Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area in Ontario

Received a ticket or summons for Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area in Ontario?  You have been charged with a provincial offence under Ontario hunting law.  The charge under section 14 of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 concerns whether you hunted with a firearm in an area that was legally prescribed by regulation as unsafe for hunting.

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.  An "unsafe area" under section 14 is a legal designation, not simply a place that an officer or another person considers dangerous.  The exact location, the regulation relied upon, whether your conduct amounted to hunting, and whether the equipment involved met Ontario's legal meaning of a firearm can all be important.

This page explains what a Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area charge means, how Ontario defines firearm and hunting, why the legally prescribed area matters, how this charge differs from careless firearm use, road restrictions, municipal discharge bylaws, and other restricted area firearm offences, what must be proven, the current set fine and possible consequences, evidence, legal issues and defences, and what may happen next.  This offence is part of Property & Restricted Area Charges.

I Received a Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area 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.  The current Ontario Court of Justice set fine schedule identifies the section 14 offence as Hunt with firearm in unsafe area.  If your ticket instead refers to careless firearm use, a road or right of way, section 64 of Ontario Regulation 665/98, or a municipal bylaw, you may be facing a different offence with different legal requirements and fines.

Keep your ticket or summons, hunting documents, maps, GPS information, photographs, videos, messages, and anything showing where you were, what equipment you had, and what activity occurred.  Do not delete, alter, discard, or modify potentially important 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, identify the exact location alleged by the prosecution and the legal provision said to make that location an unsafe area for section 14.  Also review whether the evidence actually establishes hunting with a firearm rather than mere presence, travel, target shooting unrelated to hunting, or another activity.

What Is a Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area Charge?

Section 14 of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 provides that a person must not hunt with a firearm in an area prescribed by regulation as unsafe for hunting.  The current set fine wording is "Hunt with firearm in unsafe area."

Two definitions are particularly important.  Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, firearm has a broader meaning than it does in ordinary conversation.  It includes an air gun, pellet gun, bow, or crossbow.  A section 14 charge is therefore not necessarily limited to a rifle or shotgun.

Unsafe area in this charge is also a legal concept.  Section 14 does not prohibit hunting everywhere that might appear risky or close to development.  The location must be an area that the applicable regulations legally prescribe as unsafe for hunting.  The regulatory provision, its geographic description, and the boundary in force on the offence date should therefore be identified and compared with the location evidence.

The exact charge should be matched to the section number, location, regulatory basis, firearm, and hunting activity described in the disclosure.  Other restricted area hunting offences are organized within Property & Restricted Area Charges.

What Does Ontario Mean by "Hunting"?

An animal does not have to be shot or killed for conduct to amount to hunting under Ontario wildlife law.  Hunting includes lying in wait for, searching for, being on the trail of, pursuing, chasing, or shooting at wildlife, whether or not the wildlife is killed, injured, captured, or harassed.  It also includes capturing or harassing wildlife.

The definition contains an exception for certain lying in wait, searching, trailing, or pursuing undertaken for a purpose other than attempting to kill, injure, capture, or harass wildlife, unless the wildlife is actually killed, injured, captured, or harassed as a result.  The purpose of the activity and the surrounding evidence can therefore matter.

Does a Firearm Have to Be Discharged?

Not necessarily.  Section 14 prohibits hunting with a firearm in the prescribed unsafe area; it is not written only as a prohibition on firing a shot.  Because Ontario's definition of hunting includes conduct that can occur before any shot is fired, the prosecution may rely on evidence of the hunting activity and the firearm rather than proof that the firearm was discharged.

The Act also contains a rule about proof of hunting.  Proof that a person possessed a firearm or other specified hunting equipment in an area usually inhabited by wildlife can be treated as proof that the person was hunting, unless there is evidence to the contrary.  This can affect how the evidence is assessed even where no shot was fired.

Are the Section 64 Restricted Areas the Same as a Section 14 Unsafe Area?

No.  Section 64 of Ontario Regulation 665/98 creates separate firearm restrictions for hunting in the areas described in Schedule 3 to Part 8 of Ontario Regulation 663/98.  In those areas, a person hunting must not possess a firearm unless it is unloaded and encased and must not use a firearm.  The current set fines are $500 for unlawfully possessing a firearm contrary to clause 64(a) and $500 for unlawfully using a firearm contrary to clause 64(b).

Ontario Regulation 663/98 expressly prescribes the Schedule 3 areas for the purpose of section 64.  Those offences are different from the $150 section 14 offence.  If your ticket says section 14, the regulatory basis said to prescribe the location as unsafe for hunting should be identified rather than assuming that a section 64 area automatically proves the section 14 charge.

Is This the Same as Careless Hunting or Careless Firearm Use?

No.  Section 14 and section 16 address different legal issues.  Section 14 focuses on hunting with a firearm in a legally prescribed unsafe area.  Section 16 separately prohibits careless discharge or handling of a firearm used for hunting, trapping, or fishing and currently carries a $300 set fine for careless use while hunting.  A person can face either charge or both if the facts support separate offences.

Is This the Same as Hunting Near a Road or Dwelling?

No.  Road, right of way, dwelling, and municipal firearm restrictions should not automatically be labelled a section 14 unsafe area charge.  Ontario has separate road and right of way firearm offences, and municipalities can adopt their own firearm discharge bylaws.  Those rules have separate offence elements and fines and do not replace section 14's requirement that the alleged unsafe area be prescribed by provincial regulation.

What Law Applies?

The principal offence is section 14 of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997.  The Act authorizes regulations prescribing areas as unsafe for hunting for the purpose of section 14.  The particular regulatory provision relied upon in your charge and the geographic description in force on the offence date should be checked carefully.

Ontario Regulation 665/98 contains separate hunting method and firearm restrictions, while Ontario Regulation 663/98 contains geographic descriptions used by those provisions.  Those rules should not be substituted for the offence actually stated on your charging document.

What Must Be Proven?

The prosecutor, meaning the lawyer or representative presenting the government's case, must prove every required part of the section 14 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.

The central issues may include:

• Your identity as the person involved;
• That your conduct amounted to hunting under Ontario law;
• That you hunted with a firearm within the broad statutory meaning of that term;
• The location where the hunting occurred; and
• That the location was within an area prescribed by regulation as unsafe for hunting for the purpose of section 14 at the relevant time.

The location element must be tied to the legal description of the prescribed area, not merely to an opinion that the place was unsafe.  Maps, GPS data, boundaries, and the regulation relied upon can therefore be central evidence.

If you rely on an authorization, exception, exemption, or qualification prescribed by law as operating in your favour, the Provincial Offences Act generally places the burden of establishing it on you, and the prosecutor is not required to disprove it except in rebuttal.

What Is the Fine?

The current set fine for hunting with a firearm in an unsafe area under section 14 is $150.  A set fine is the preset fine used when a particular provincial offence is dealt with by ticket.

The set fine is not necessarily the total amount payable.  A victim fine surcharge is an additional amount Ontario adds to a fine after conviction, and applicable court costs may also be added.

The general statutory maximum for an individual convicted of an offence under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 is a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.  If the offence was committed for commercial purposes, the enhanced maximum can be 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 a $150 ticket.

A separate conviction for careless firearm use under section 16 has its own penalty provision, including a maximum term of imprisonment of up to two years.  That higher section 16 maximum should not be treated as the ordinary maximum for a section 14 charge.

Can This Charge Affect My Hunting Licence?

A hunting licence cancellation or prohibition is not automatic merely because you have been charged.  A charge is not a conviction.

After conviction, however, the court may make a discretionary order prohibiting a person for a specified period from possessing, applying for, or obtaining a licence or authorization related to the offence and from engaging in the related regulated activity.  If the person already holds an affected licence or authorization, the court must order it cancelled when such a prohibition is imposed.

Could a Firearm, Wildlife, or Other Property Be Seized?

Yes, where the statutory requirements for seizure are met.  A seizure means wildlife or other property has been taken into official custody.

Depending on the investigation, relevant property may include the firearm or other equipment, wildlife, hunting documents, maps, GPS data, photographs, and electronic records connected with the alleged offence.

Forfeiture means permanent loss of ownership.  Seizure does not itself establish guilt or automatically mean property will be permanently lost, but seized wildlife and other property can be subject to the forfeiture provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 where the statutory requirements are met.

What Evidence May Be Used?

These cases can depend heavily on the exact location, the legal status of that area, whether the person was hunting, and what equipment was involved.  Relevant evidence may include:

• The ticket, summons, and offence section stated on the charging document;
• The regulation and geographic description relied upon for the alleged unsafe area;
• Official maps, GPS coordinates, mapping data, property boundaries, and road locations;
• The firearm, bow, crossbow, air gun, pellet gun, or other equipment involved;
• Your hunting licence, tag, and other hunting documents;
• Photographs, videos, timestamps, and electronic location records;
• Evidence concerning the wildlife and the activity said to amount to hunting;
• Conservation Officer notes, photographs, recordings, and observations;
• Witness evidence; and
• Statements or electronic communications attributed to you or other people involved.

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 section, regulatory area, location evidence, alleged hunting activity, firearm or equipment, and available evidence.  Not every defence or legal issue applies to every case.

The Location Was Not Within the Prescribed Unsafe Area

A section 14 charge depends on the alleged hunting occurring within an area legally prescribed as unsafe for hunting.  Official geographic descriptions, maps, GPS data, roads, property lines, waterways, and Conservation Officer observations may be important where the boundary or location is disputed.

The Regulatory Basis for the Section 14 Charge Is Not Established

The prosecution must prove more than a general assertion that the location was dangerous.  The area must satisfy section 14's requirement that it was prescribed by regulation as unsafe for hunting.  The provision relied upon and its application to the location and offence date should be examined closely.

The Conduct Did Not Amount to Hunting

Travelling, hiking, target shooting unrelated to hunting, or merely being present in an area does not automatically establish hunting.  The statutory proof rule concerning possession of a firearm in an area usually inhabited by wildlife may be relevant, but it can be answered by evidence showing that the person was not hunting.

Due Diligence

Due diligence means taking all reasonable care in the circumstances to prevent the offence.  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 expressly recognizes this defence where its requirements are established.  Evidence that you checked current regulations, maps, boundaries, local restrictions, or other official information and took reasonable steps to remain outside a prohibited area may be relevant.

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.  The Act expressly recognizes this defence.  A factual mistake might concern where the boundary of the prescribed area was or where the person was actually located.  This is different from simply not knowing that section 14 existed.

Evidence or Statement Issues

Maps, GPS information, the regulatory description, firearm evidence, Conservation Officer observations, photographs, electronic records, witness evidence, and statements should be reviewed carefully.  Their accuracy, completeness, context, reliability, and lawful use can affect whether the charge is proven.

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 regulation relied upon, the geographic boundary, GPS and mapping evidence, the firearm or other equipment, the alleged hunting activity, Conservation Officer evidence, and any defence supported by the circumstances.

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 evidence, legal issues, possible consequences, and circumstances of 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 regulation relied upon, maps, GPS information, alleged unsafe area, firearm or other equipment, hunting activity, and circumstances 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, identifying the exact restricted area and firearm provision involved 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

• Section 14 prohibits hunting with a firearm in an area prescribed by regulation as unsafe for hunting;
• An unsafe area under section 14 is a legal designation and is not established merely because a location appears dangerous;
• For the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, firearm includes an air gun, pellet gun, bow, or crossbow;
• The current set fine for the section 14 offence is $150;
• Section 64 restricted area firearm offences, careless firearm use, road restrictions, and municipal discharge bylaws are separate legal issues with different offence elements and fines;
• A firearm does not necessarily have to be discharged for conduct to amount to hunting with a firearm;
• The regulation, legal boundary, location evidence, hunting activity, and equipment involved can be central to the case; and
• The exact offence wording and disclosure should be reviewed before deciding how to respond.

Conclusion

A Hunting with a Firearm in an Unsafe Area charge should be reviewed using the exact section on the ticket, the regulation said to prescribe the area as unsafe for hunting, the official geographic boundary, location evidence, alleged hunting activity, and firearm or other equipment involved.  A place is not a section 14 unsafe area merely because someone considers the hunting location dangerous.

Before paying the ticket or entering a plea, review the charge, disclosure, regulations, maps, GPS information, hunting documents, equipment evidence, possible defences, and potential consequences.  Legal representation can help determine whether the location met the legal section 14 requirement and whether the evidence proves that you hunted there with a firearm.