How to Get a Buck Tag in Ontario: Costs, Deadlines, and What It Covers

My cousin moved up from Michigan two years ago and called me in April, ready to buy his ontario buck tag.

He wanted to know how many buck tags he could get and whether he should grab a couple of doe tags on the side. I told him Ontario does not work that way. He argued with me for ten minutes, convinced I had it wrong, because every place he had ever hunted sold buck tags by the handful. Then he pulled up the licensing site, found exactly one deer product, and went quiet. He nearly missed the June deadline that would have given him a second option that fall, purely because he was looking for something Ontario has never sold.

What Ontario Actually Issues Instead of a Buck Tag

Hunters coming from most US states expect a menu of tags. Ontario runs a single-product system, and the confusion costs people opportunity every spring because they go looking for the wrong thing.

Here’s what you actually receive and what it covers:

Your deer licence comes with one deer tag

When you buy a deer licence, the tag arrives with it. Ontario permits one animal per tag, and the tag issued with your deer licence does not appear as a separate line on your licence summary. Some wildlife management units also sell an additional deer tag, though availability varies unit by unit and never runs province-wide.

What that tag covers province-wide

Your tag authorizes an antlered deer anywhere in Ontario during the open season, subject to the weapon rules in whichever unit you hunt. That province-wide scope is generous, and it means the tag itself rarely limits you. Verifying seasons and weapon windows matters more, and our guide to Ontario hunting zones and how to find your WMU covers that check.

Why the antlerless draw does not cost you your buck

This one stops people from applying, and it should not. A successful antlerless draw places a validation on your existing tag. You can then take either an antlerless deer or an antlered deer in the unit named on the tag, or an antlered deer anywhere in the province during the open season, except during a controlled deer hunt. You gain an option rather than trading one away.

What an Ontario Buck Tag Costs in 2026

The pricing surprises people in both directions. Residents pay less than most expect, and non-residents pay considerably more.

Here’s the current fee schedule for deer, before 13 percent HST:

Product	Fee
Outdoors Card (valid 3 calendar years)	$8.57
Resident deer licence and tag	$43.86
Resident additional deer tag	$43.86
Farmer’s deer licence	$25.14
Non-resident deer licence and tag	$240.81
Non-resident additional deer tag	$240.81
Replacement tag administration fee	$10.50
Non-resident export permit (HST exempt)	$35.00

What residents pay

A resident hunter starting fresh pays $8.57 for an Outdoors Card plus $43.86 for the deer licence, landing just over $59 with tax. The Outdoors Card lasts three calendar years, so in years two and three your deer hunting costs under $50 all in. Applying to the antlerless draw adds no application fee.

What non-residents pay

A non-resident deer licence runs $240.81, roughly five and a half times the resident rate, and an additional tag costs the same again. Non-residents also need $35 for an export permit to take deer out of Ontario, and they cannot apply to the antlerless deer draw at all.

The Deadlines That Decide Your Season

Three dates control what you can hunt in the fall, and two of them fall months before anyone thinks about deer season. Missing the first one narrows your options for the entire year.

Here’s the calendar that matters:

The antlerless draw window, March 1 to June 30

Ontario accepts antlerless deer draw applications from March 1 to June 30. You need hunter accreditation on file, a valid Outdoors Card, and a deer licence, and you can buy the licence at the same time you apply. Full details sit on Ontario’s antlerless deer draw application page. Pick a first-choice unit and a second choice.

Results on August 1 and tags on August 18

Draw results post starting August 1 through your online account or the automated phone line. Deer tags purchased before the draw deadline become printable on August 18, not at the time of purchase. Any controlled deer hunt validation appears on your licence summary on September 1.

Buying after the draw closes

Missing June 30 does not end your season. You can still buy a deer licence after the application period closes, and it still covers an antlered deer anywhere in the province. You simply lose the antlerless option for that year, which matters most to hunters in units with generous doe quotas.

How to Get Your Tag, Step by Step

The process trips up first-timers because the prerequisites sit upstream of the purchase. Nobody sells you a deer licence until the paperwork behind it clears.

Here’s the order of operations:

Before you can buy anything

You need hunter accreditation on file, meaning the Ontario Hunter Education Course or a recognized equivalent. You then need a valid Outdoors Card, which arrives by mail in roughly 20 days. You can hunt while you wait by carrying your licence summary. Residents under 16 need parental or guardian consent, and gun hunters must carry firearms accreditation.

Where to buy and apply

Buy online through the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service, by phone at 1-800-288-1155, or in person at a participating ServiceOntario or licence issuer. Buying in person lets you confirm your unit choices on the receipt before you leave the counter, which prevents the most common draw mistake.

Printing and protecting the tag

Print your tag at home, at a licence issuer, or at ServiceOntario. Ontario prints tags once, so a lost or damaged tag means a trip in person plus the $10.50 replacement fee. Tags must stay intact and readable, and a resealable bag or a commercial tag holder handles that for a couple of dollars.

What the Tag Requires Once You Fill It

The rules around using the tag catch more hunters than the rules around buying it. Two details in particular surprise people every season.

Here’s what Ontario requires the moment a deer goes down:

Tags stay on paper, always

Ontario permits a digital licence summary on your phone, and hunters assume the tag works the same way. It does not. Tags must be carried in paper format and cannot be presented to a conservation officer on any electronic device. A screenshot is worthless in the field.

Notching at the site of the kill

You must invalidate the tag by notching the day, month, and time immediately after the kill, at the site of the kill, and before you move the animal. That sequence is not flexible. Doing it back at the truck breaks the rule even when everything else about the hunt was legal.

Attaching the tag and keeping the head

For deer, attach the tag to the antler or the ear and keep the head with the animal. You may carry a notched tag in your pocket while you stay with the animal, though you must attach it any time you leave the deer, including at camp, at the butcher, or in a second vehicle. Transferring a tag to another hunter is illegal, and those offences carry real weight, as our breakdown of Ontario hunting fines and penalties shows.

Getting Ready for Your Tag

Sorting the licence and the draw takes twenty minutes online in the spring. The rest of the season comes down to gear that holds up when a buck finally steps out in November.

Victory Ridge Sports is a Canadian hunting and target sports store in Barrie, Ontario, at 431 Bayview Drive, right in the middle of Simcoe County deer country. We stock rifles, shotguns, and rimfire across every action type, plus ammunition, optics, knives, packs, blaze orange, footwear, and the tag holders and dry bags that keep paper tags readable through a wet season.

Most of the people behind our counter hunt the same units you do, so the conversation starts with where you drew and how you plan to hunt it. Visit the Barrie showroom Monday through Saturday, call 1-705-252-4400, or order online with free shipping over $250.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a deer tag in Ontario?

A resident deer licence with tag costs $43.86 plus HST for 2026, and a valid Outdoors Card adds $8.57 for three years. Non-residents pay $240.81 for the same licence. Applying to the antlerless deer draw costs nothing extra.

Can I buy two buck tags in Ontario?

Not generally. Ontario issues one deer tag with your licence, and additional deer tags exist only in certain wildlife management units at $43.86 each for residents. Holding or applying for more tags than permitted is an offence.

When can I get my Ontario deer tag?

Most tags print immediately at purchase. Deer tags bought before the draw deadline become available for printing on August 18, with draw results posting from August 1. Licences expire December 31 of the year issued.

Does an antlerless tag replace my buck tag?

No. An antlerless validation attaches to your existing deer tag and adds an option. You can take an antlerless or antlered deer in the unit on your tag, or an antlered deer anywhere in the province during the open season, outside of a controlled hunt.