The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is reminding dog owners to control their canines after a woman was fined $1,000 for allowing her dogs to run loose in areas inhabited by deer, during and outside of the deer hunting season.
Owners are not allowed to let dogs run uncontrolled, at large, anywhere there are big game populations or other wildlife, MNR spokesperson Mike Fenn said. A dog is considered uncontrolled when it cannot be reliably recalled or is unattended.
It is legal to use hunting dogs to hunt small game, game birds, or waterfowl in areas that have legal hunting seasons, but the dog must be under control.
Hunters may also use dogs to trail and chase deer, canids, or other big game during their legal hunting seasons, if permitted in the wildlife management unit, and if the dog is licensed for the purpose.
The laws protect deer populations by preventing deer from depleting energy reserves in winter, overheating in summer, or getting chased into traffic — all of which can be fatal.
These rules apply on private and crown land.
Originally published in Ontario Out of Doors' Hunting Annual 2026-2027
