My brother-in-law moved from Sudbury to Kamloops four years ago, and his first BC hunting season taught him a lesson the hard way.
He had hunted moose in Ontario for twenty years through the draw system, so he assumed BC worked the same way. He waited for an application window, missed the fact that half the hunts he wanted needed no application at all, and then discovered the draw he did want had closed in early summer. He spent his first fall in BC watching his neighbours hunt deer in a season he could have walked straight into. BC runs two systems side by side, and nobody explained that to him.
What General Open Season Means
The General Open Season, usually shortened to GOS, forms the backbone of BC hunting. Most hunters spend most of their time here, and many never touch the draw at all.
Here’s how GOS works:
Buy the licences and go
Under GOS, a hunter holding a valid hunting licence plus the right species licence can hunt that species anywhere and anytime its open season runs in a given management unit. Nobody draws your name and nobody limits how many hunters show up. The season dates, bag limits, and legal-animal definitions all sit in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis.
A two-year rulebook
BC reviews these rules on a two-year cycle. The current synopsis took effect July 1, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2028, after the province consulted on roughly 60 proposed changes earlier in the year. Anyone working from memory of the 2024-2026 edition needs to reread it, since dates, legal animals, and access rules shifted in places. The province publishes the full document on its Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis page.
When GOS is your only option
For hunters who miss the LEH deadline, fail to draw, or do not qualify as BC residents, GOS covers the season. Many of the same species available through LEH in one management unit carry a general open season in another, so a failed draw rarely means a lost fall.
What Limited Entry Hunting Means
Limited Entry Hunting, or LEH, exists because some populations cannot sustain unlimited pressure. It caps the number of hunters rather than shortening the season.
Here’s how LEH differs:
Why the draw exists
LEH applies to species and zones where a general open season would result in over-harvest. The province sets a fixed number of authorizations for each hunt and draws applicants at random. That approach protects vulnerable populations while still giving hunters access, and it makes LEH the only legal path to certain species in certain places.
The species covered
LEH hunts include bison, black bear, caribou, elk, moose, mountain goat, mountain sheep, deer, and turkey, with availability depending on management unit and year. The province publishes these hunts in a separate document, the LEH Regulations Synopsis, which runs on an annual cycle rather than the two-year cycle of the main synopsis.
An authorization is not a licence
This catches first-time applicants every year. A successful draw gives you an authorization at no additional cost, and that authorization permits nothing on its own. You still need your BC hunting licence and the species licence for your hunt before you set foot in the field. Authorizations are also non-transferable.
LEH and GOS Side by Side
Seeing the two systems together clears up most of the confusion. They differ on nearly every practical point.
Here’s the comparison:
| General Open Season | Limited Entry Hunting | |
| Draw required | No | Yes, random annual draw |
| Who can hunt | Licensed residents and non-residents | BC residents only |
| Number of hunters | Unlimited | Fixed authorizations per hunt |
| Rulebook | 2026-2028 synopsis, two-year cycle | 2026-2027 LEH synopsis, annual |
| Application fee | None | Yes, non-refundable |
| Paperwork | Hunting licence plus species licence | Authorization plus both licences |
The Ontario comparison
Ontario hunters will recognize LEH immediately. It works much like Ontario’s moose tag allocation, where a draw controls who hunts a limited resource while general seasons run separately for other species. Our guide to how the Ontario moose draw and tag system works shows how closely the two ideas line up.
Which one to plan around
Plan your fall around GOS and treat LEH as a bonus. A draw win adds a premium hunt to your year, while GOS guarantees you a season regardless of how the lottery breaks.
How to Apply for LEH
The application process rewards hunters who sort their paperwork out months ahead. The deadline arrives in early summer, well before anyone is thinking about fall.
Here’s how the process runs:
FWID first
You cannot apply for LEH or buy a BC hunting licence without a Fish and Wildlife ID, a permanent number tied to your profile in the province’s WILD licensing system. Getting one requires completing CORE Hunter Education, or passing the CORE written exam if you already hold a Canadian Firearms Safety Course report. New for 2026, BC residents can log into WILD with a BC Services Card Account, which also renews their resident credential when eligible.
Four choices and group applications
Applications open in spring with an early-summer deadline, and you can rank up to four hunt choices in order of preference. Up to four hunters may apply together as a group using a shared Group ID, though BC does not accept group applications for elk in Regions 1 and 2.
Results and the odds that rebalance
The province notifies successful applicants by email and does not mail results, so log into WILD rather than trusting a quiet inbox. BC balances the draw over time by reducing the odds for recently successful applicants, which improves the chances for hunters who missed out.
Rules Attached to Specific Hunts
Some hunts carry obligations that apply only in particular places. Missing them turns a legal hunt into a problem after the animal is down.
Here’s what to watch for:
Residency decides eligibility
BC defines a resident as someone whose only or primary residence sits in the province and who has been physically present there for the greater portion of each of six calendar months out of the previous twelve. Anyone who stops being a resident loses LEH eligibility. Non-residents hunt GOS only, and BC generally requires non-residents hunting big game to hunt with a licensed guide outfitter.
Chronic wasting disease testing in the Kootenays
Any deer, elk, or moose harvested in the Kootenay CWD management zone, covering management units 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25, must be submitted for testing within one week at a designated drop-off location. That requirement forms a condition of your hunting licence.
Liability insurance in the Fraser Valley
Hunters in the Fraser Valley Special Licence Hunting Area, covering management units 2-4 and 2-8, must carry at least $1 million in third-party hunting liability insurance. Hunters who draw a shared LEH hunt must also carry the paper Record of Harvest form while hunting.
Getting Ready for a BC Hunt
BC hunting covers some of the steepest, wettest, and most remote country in North America, and the gear conversation looks different from an Ontario deer camp. Weight, weatherproofing, and optics all matter more.
We run a Canadian hunting and target sports store in Barrie, Ontario, and we ship across Canada. We stock rifles, optics, rangefinders, packs built for mountain hauls, layering systems, and one of the better Sitka Gear inventories in Ontario, which suits BC’s wet coastal and alpine conditions. Anyone still sorting out the licensing side can start with our guide to getting a hunting licence in Canada.
Most of the people behind our counter hunt hard themselves, and several have hunted out west. Call 1-705-252-4400, email info@victoryridgesports.ca, or order online with free shipping over $250 anywhere in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between LEH and GOS in BC?
General Open Season lets any licensed hunter pursue a species during its open dates with no draw. Limited Entry Hunting uses a random annual draw to allocate a fixed number of authorizations for hunts that could not sustain unlimited pressure.
Can non-residents apply for LEH in BC?
No. Limited Entry Hunting is open only to BC residents. Non-residents hunt through General Open Season, and BC generally requires non-residents hunting big game to use a licensed guide outfitter.
Is an LEH authorization a hunting licence?
No. The authorization comes at no additional cost when you draw, but you still need a BC hunting licence and the relevant species licence before hunting. Authorizations cannot be transferred to another hunter.
When is the BC LEH application deadline?
Applications open in spring and close in early summer, with exact dates set by the Wildlife Branch each year. Check the current LEH synopsis for the precise deadline before you plan around it.
