Southern Ontario bear hunters were briefly shocked after a printing error in the new hunting regulations had many believing they could no longer hunt in September.
The original season printed in the 2026 regulation summary for WMUs 46, 47, 49, 50, 53, 64, 66, 67, 69, and 71 to 76 was Sept. 28 to Nov. 30, which was a deviation from the normal opening date, which is the day after Labour Day. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) issued a correction soonafter, saying the correct dates for these areas is Set. 8 to Nov. 30.
“We are aware of a misprint in the 2026 Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary as it relates to black bear seasons for WMUs 46 , 47, 49, 50, 53, 64, 66, 67, 69, 71-76. The correct season is Sept. 8 to Nov. 30,” said MNR’s Kavithaa Kandasamy. “The ministry is taking action to ensure hunters are provided with the correct information.”
There are still concerns that hunters may change their plans due to the misprint.
“Though the MNR worked quickly to correct the mistake online, there's still the matter of the thousands of misprinted hard copies to deal with for 2026," OFAH Manager of Policy Mark Ryckman stated.
Although the ministry talked of changes to bear hunting in some parts of the province, none are in effect for this year. The same applies to moose hunting, where changes will come into effect next year.
One change in this year’s regulations relates to hunter reporting, where instead of losing the ability to purchase a license for a year for the second consecutive failure to report, hunters will face a surcharge for failing to fill out mandatory harvest reports. The $25 surcharge will remain in place for the first violation of mandatory reporting, to be applied to next product purchase (license, tag or application) for the species where the mandatory report wasn’t filled out. Starting July 1, 2026, a $50 surcharge will be added for the second consecutive instance of failing to report. Subsequent failures to report will also receive a $50 surcharge.
Also new in the regulations is a section on human health and hunting, highlighting precautions for avian influenza, ticks, lead and cadmium and other concerns.
Be sure to check the regulations to ensure compliance with the species being hunted in the area hunted.
