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Initiation Licence

Last updated on July 5, 2024

The initiation hunting licence is a mentoring licence that allows a person, 18 years of age or older, who has never previously held a hunting licence in British Columbia, to try hunting for a one-year period.

The requirement to complete Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education is waived for this one-time-only licence.

The initiation hunting licence can be purchased:

A B.C. resident initiation licence costs $19, plus tax. Visit hunting license fees for more information.

To be eligible for the initiation hunting licence, a person must:

  • Have a Fish & Wildlife ID (FWID)
  • Have a B.C. resident credential 
  • Be 18 years or older
  • Not have held a B.C. hunting licence in the past, with the exception of a youth hunting licence
  • Be under the close personal supervision of a licensed adult who satisfies the qualifications to be a supervising hunter

Supervising hunter for an initiation hunter

A person who holds an initiation hunting licence must be accompanied by, and under the close personal supervision of, a supervising hunter who is 18 years of age or older and meets the prescribed qualifications. It's an offence for an initiation hunter to hunt without a supervising hunter.

Download the supervisor form (PDF, 127KB), which must be signed by the supervising hunter before you start to hunt on each day of hunting. This form must be carried with you at all times during the hunting activity. This document contains reference to previous ministers or ministries responsible for wildlife at the time of publication. Periodic transfer of authority for natural resource management may not be reflected in this document.

The prescribed qualifications to be a supervising hunter are:

  1. The person must be a resident of B.C. and hold a resident hunting licence other than an initiation hunting licence.
  2. The person must have held a hunting licence in B.C. (other than an initiation hunting licence) or a licence to hunt elsewhere in not fewer than three of any of the licence years preceding the current licence year.
  3. If the person is exempt from the requirement to hold a hunting licence, paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply and the person must have received training in hunting and previously hunted lawfully without supervision.
  4. The person must not be prohibited from carrying a firearm in any jurisdiction.

If the holder of an initiation hunting licence is hunting with a licensed guide, paragraph (2) of the prescribed qualifications does not apply to the supervising hunter.

The supervising hunter may accompany no more than:

  • Two initiation hunting licence holders at one time, or
  • One youth and one initiation licence holder at one time

Species Licences for initiation hunters

The holder of the initiation licence is not eligible to obtain any species licences for themselves.

The supervising hunter must hold the appropriate uncancelled species licence for any species that is hunted. Any game harvested by the holder of an initiation licence must be accounted for as part of the bag limit of the supervising hunter.

The holder of an initiation hunting licence is not eligible to participate in limited entry hunting.