Information for Bison Permit Applicants

Requirements

Hunters will need to prepare themselves for their hunt by reviewing the following information:

• All bison hunters require a Wood Bison Permit, available to any licenced resident big game hunter free of charge.

• The Bison Workshop is no longer mandatory. However, workshops will be available throughout the season for interested hunters.

• All bison hunters must acquire a bison seal. The fee is $50.00 except for First Nation applicants who are not required to pay any fee.

• A bag limit of one bison per hunter per licence year applies in all areas where bison hunting is permitted.

• Hunters must obtain permission from the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations if they wish to hunt bison on CAFN Settlement Lands. The Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nations has given permission to all licenced bison hunters to harvest bison on LS/CFN Settlement Lands.

• All bison hunters require permission to hunt within 1 kilometre of a residence, whether occupants are present or not.

• Please respect other user activities, particularly trapping and trapline trails.

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Permit Areas and Seasons

The bison hunt for 2009/2010 has been divided into three hunt areas and two hunting seasons (see map - "Bison Hunting 2009/10" 2.9 MB)

1. Extended Season Hunt - September 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010

Includes 3 Areas:

• 1 km on either side of Aishihik Road to Aishihik Village;

• 1 km west of the North Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Braeburn; and

• 3 kms north of the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to the Slims River Bridge.

2. Bison Exclusion Area Hunt September 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010

• Bison are less likely to be seen in this area.

• Includes areas open to hunting outside the Bison Extended Season Hunt Area and Bison Management Hunt Area (except Game Management Zones 1, 2, 10 and 11).

• Hunting in these areas has been permitted to limit the expansion of bison outside of the Management Area.

3. Bison Management Area Hunt December 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010

• Includes Game Management Subzones 502, 503, 508 to 551.

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Reporting Details for Bison Hunters

• Kill reports must be made to an Environment Yukon office within 72 hours of a kill.

  (867) 993-5492  Dawson
  (867) 994-2862  Faro
  (867) 634-2247  Haines Junction
  (867) 996-2202  Mayo
  (867) 996-3040  Old Crow
  (867) 969-2202  Ross River
  (867) 390-2685  Teslin
  (867) 536-3210  Watson Lake
  (867) 667-5221  Whitehorse
  

• The incisor bar, or lower jawbone must be submitted to an Environment Yukon office no later than 15 days after the end of the month in which the bison was killed.

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Firearm and Bullet Requirements for Bison Hunting

• A .30 calibre center fire rifle or larger, with a minimum of a 180 grain bullet that generates at least 2800 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.

• *A .50 calibre or larger black powder rifle with an elongated bullet with a minimum of 90 grains of powder charge or, a .54 calibre round ball or larger with a minimum of 120 grains of powder charge.

• *Black powder rifle hunters must have a back up rifle meeting the centre fire requirements for bison readily accessible while hunting.

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Additional Resources & Downloadable Maps

Bison Hunting 2009/10 2.9 PDF	Overview map of the Bison Core Range, Closed and Extended Season areas. Letter Size (8.5"X11")
Yukon Wood Bison Core Range, October 2007 8.7 MB	Medium scale 1:500,000 map of Core Range with Game Management Areas, First Nation settlement lands, roads, lakes, rivers. Large format (20"x24") Printed copies available for $10 at all Environment Yukon offices.
Information for Bison Hunters 2009/10 76 KB	Hunter rules and obligations, season dates, reporting offices and contact numbers.
Hunt Wisely Bison Brochure 1.7 MB	Includes information on hunting ethically, seasons, permissions required and additional information the Wood Bison Herd
Video: Field Dressing Big Game Animals - Bison	Video produced by Environment Yukon showing how to field dress a bison
Video: Wood Bison Field Identification	Video produced by Environment Yukon showing how to identify the sex of wood bison
News Release	Yukon Government News Release announcing expansion of bison hunt seasons and locations

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Contact Client Services

Environment Yukon

Government of Yukon

Box 2703 (V-3A)
Whitehorse, Yukon
Canada Y1A 2C6

Phone: 867-667-5652
Toll free (in Yukon): 1-800-661-0408 local 5652
Fax: 867-393-7197

Email: environmentyukon@gov.yk.ca