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You may see younger teens on your next Nova Scotia hunting trip this fall, as the province lowers the required age for bear and deer hunting.
The province announced Friday that it would open its draw for 6,025 antlerless deer hunting stamps for the 2026 season on Monday, adding that the eligible age has been brought down from 16 to 12 years old.
Jenna Priest, manager for the sustainable wildlife use program with the Department of Natural Resources, said the age change was part of a “hunting opportunities package that went live in September of 2025.”
“At the age of 12, you could already get your firearm safety licence, which is a federal licence. You could already hunt small games, so bird hunting, for example,” she said. “We wanted to ensure that we’re getting our youth involved earlier.”
In a press release, the province said the stamps will be for five of the 10 deer management zones.
The stamps allow hunters to kill antlerless deer in specific management zones. The number of deer directly relates to the number of stamps. Deer stamps are not required in all zones.
“The antlerless deer draw helps achieve healthy and balanced deer populations by allowing licensed hunters to harvest female antlerless in areas where numbers are higher,” read a press release from the province.
Young teens would still need to meet all licensing requirements when applying for the draw.
Priest added that this age change allows kids to explore hunting while they are still very curious.
“We want them to be able to experience everything that they have the tools and the education to do. We want to really hit that spot where they’re still spending time with their family, their older siblings, extended family, mentors, those types of things,” she said.
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