With the warmer weather approaching, many residents enjoy outdoor activities in Ontario’s vast natural landscape.
If you are planning on hunting or fishing in Ontario you will need a valid Outdoors Card and a valid hunting or fishing license. A valid Outdoors Card is required for Ontario residents, Canadian residents, non residents, and apprentice hunters.
You are required to carry a valid Outdoors Card with you at all times when hunting or fishing. If you buy a one-year or three-year fishing and/or small game license at the same time you renew or buy an Outdoors Card, these licenses will be printed on the back of the card.
All your valid fishing and hunting licences will also be listed on your license summary.
Hunters must have the appropriate hunter accreditation added to their Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service account to buy hunting licences and tags.
An Outdoors Card is valid for three calendar years.
The Outdoors Card renewal period starts the first Tuesday of December every year.
You can buy or renew your Outdoors Card online, by telephone, at a licence issuer, or participating ServiceOntario locations.
To buy, renew or replace an Outdoors Card you need to provide your legal first, middle, and last name, date of birth, mailing or residential address, height and eye colour, and parental consent for resident hunters 12 to 15 years old.
The cost to buy, renew or replace your lost, stolen, or damaged Outdoors Card is $8.75 plus HST.
Your card will be sent to you by mail, and it may take up to 20 days to receive your card.
While you are waiting for your Outdoors Card to arrive, you can carry your licence summary, given to you when you purchased your card, as temporary proof of purchase.
This means you can go fishing or hunting immediately before your card arrives.
You can carry your licence summary in paper or digital format, such as on a smartphone.