There was a time when the sale of wildlife parts was common in Ontario. Following the disappearance of iconic species like the passenger pigeon due to over-harvesting, however, strict regulations were put in place across North America to end “market hunting” and halt the nosedive experienced by biodiversity in the 19th century.
Aside from trapping, opportunities to profit from wildlife are limited nowadays, but not gone entirely. You can still make a buck off your buck, so to speak. So, what are the basic rules around buying and selling of wildlife parts in Ontario?
Meat
The sale of wild game meat in Ontario, including bartering, is strictly prohibited. The only exception to this is the sale of raccoon meat which is, for one reason or another, perfectly legal under a small game licence.
Furbearers
Some species are considered both small game and furbearer, allowing harvest under either a small game licence or trapping licence. These include coyotes, wolves, foxes, raccoons, weasels, and skunks.
A licensed hunter (or trapper) can sell raw pelts of those listed furbearers to a licensed dealer/buyer. Raw skulls, bones, claws, teeth and other parts cannot be sold by a hunter (although they can by a trapper). However, if the piece is turned into artwork or jewellery, it can be sold.
Raccoon carcasses may be sold by the holder of a small game licence.
Ungulates
For Ontario’s four species of ungulates — deer, moose, elk, or caribou — the rules are as follows:
A licensed hunter may sell a raw hide, without the head, from white-tailed deer, moose, and elk the hunter lawfully harvested.
Anyone can sell cast (dropped) antlers from a white-tailed deer, moose, elk, or caribou. Beyond a single set, however, the seller must keep sales records. Otherwise, no other part of a native ungulate’s body may be sold, including skulls and mounts. And although the “artwork and jewelry exception” does apply to these species, allowing parts like skulls, antlers, and ivories to be sold after being transformed into artwork or jewelry, taxidermy doesn’t qualify as either.
Bear
Thanks to a grim history with the black market, the sale of black bear parts is regulated with even more care and specificity than many other game species.
In Ontario, a licensed bear hunter can sell a raw black bear hide to anyone, so long as the pelt includes all the attached claws and head of the animal without the skull.
Black bear claws can only be sold when attached to the hide. The claws cannot be sold individually until the hide has been sold and tanned, at which point the claws may be removed from the tanned skin and sold. If a private, unlicensed person purchases a black bear pelt, they may tan it for their own use, or they may resell it.
Hunters cannot possess, buy, or sell a bear gall bladder.
Other game
In general, other game species like ruffed grouse, hares, squirrels, and wild turkeys, cannot be sold in any form, from feathers to flesh. Once again, however, this does not apply to parts of these species which have been turned into artwork or jewelry.
Migratory birds
Licensed waterfowl hunters may sell the feathers of a migratory game bird to anyone, so long as they were obtained lawfully.
It should be noted that the rules around buying and selling wildlife parts are, in their entirety, far more nuanced and longwinded than can be outlined here. Before you dabble in wildlife commerce of any kind, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the official regulations under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 and Ontario Regulation 666/98 in particular, as well as the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, where you’ll find specific details around record keeping requirements, geographic exceptions, and more.
A note on art
The Fish and Wildlife Act describes artwork/jewelry as items “made from game wildlife the commercial value of which is primarily in the artwork or jewellery and not in the wildlife.” In other words, to be considered art, an item must be worth 51% more than it would as the wildlife part alone.
Originally published in the August 2023 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS
Informative article as always.