Manitoba · licensing

How to Get a Hunting Licence in Manitoba

By Hunters Guide. Every figure below was read on the Manitoba government and Manitoba Wildlife Federation pages cited, on September 19, 2026.

Manitoba stacks two things, and the order is not negotiable: a Hunter Education Certificate earned once, then a hunting licence bought for the year. Online, the course costs $65.00; in a classroom it's $60.00. A resident white-tailed deer licence runs $48.00.

The order a first-timer in Manitoba follows

Four steps. Each one feeds the next.

1. Take the course. MWF runs it online for $65.00. The in-class version is $60.00, roughly eight hours with a certified instructor.
2. Get the certificate in hand. Online students print a permanent card when they finish, according to MWF. Lost an old one? The federation lists replacements at $15.00 for members and $30.00 for non-members.
3. Set up an e-licensing account. Per Manitoba's published steps, a first-timer visits manitobaelicensing.ca, selects Sign In, then Sign Up Now for a first-time account. After that comes a code by email to verify, and a password.
4. Buy the licence and collect tags. Three routes, per the guide: online, at participating retailers, or through the call centre at 1-877-880-1203.

One detail in step three is better learned before you're mid-checkout. Manitoba's e-licensing FAQ notes that some products "may require other types of information such as a Hunter Education Certificate number or doctor's assessment for applying for a crossbow permit." So the certificate number belongs in that checkout. And the same FAQ says the email verification step repeats every single time you sign in.

What Manitoba hunting licences cost

Manitoba prices hunting licences by species and residency. So there's no one number to quote. The current schedule carries the heading "Licence and Permit fees effective April 1, 2026", read September 19, 2026.

Manitoba explains the increase in one line. The fees were updated "to reflect current costs, support responsible stewardship and maintain high service standards". The 2026 big game draw window is listed separately, on the wildlife pages: online applications from May 1 to June 5, results on July 17, and licence payment due August 24.

What Manitoba requires before it issues a hunting licence

A Manitoba hunting licence is annual, species-specific authority to hunt. Two gates stand in front of it, an age floor and a hunter education credential. Manitoba publishes no workaround for either.

The training rule fits in one sentence of the 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide: "Any person born on or after January 1, 1951, and any first-time hunter wanting to purchase a hunting licence, must be a graduate of the Manitoba Hunter Education course or a similar hunter education course from another jurisdiction." Age comes from the same guide, which sets eligibility at 12 years of age or older, holding a valid Manitoba Hunter Education Certificate. Read September 19, 2026.

A few pages later the guide says it again, more firmly: "All hunters are required to possess a valid Hunter Education Certificate or card in order to purchase/obtain any type of hunting licence." Look at that phrasing. The certificate isn't a study aid; it's what the licence counter checks.

Who runs the Manitoba Hunter Education Program

The Manitoba Hunter Education Program is the province's hunter training course. Its legal home is the Hunter Education Regulation. On the ground, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation delivers it. Province and federation are separate bodies with separate jobs.

Manitoba's own guide points hunters to the federation by name, listing the MWF phone number and website as the course contact. It also states that "In Manitoba, the Hunter Education Course is available online and through classroom instruction." The federation words eligibility by licence history, not birth date: "Anyone whose first Manitoba hunting licence was issued after 1969 must complete an approved Hunter Education course or recognized equivalent."

So, two published wordings for one requirement. If either one catches you, the course is in your future. Licensing is a separate matter. It sits with the provincial department, which publishes the Manitoba wildlife pages and the annual hunting guide.

How the Manitoba hunter education course works

The course runs in two approved formats, self-paced online or in a classroom with a certified instructor. Either way, there's an exam before any certificate is issued. MWF lists the two routes side by side.

Online costs $65.00, listed as "Self-paced certification for students age 12 and older". The classroom route is $60.00, billed as "An eight-hour course for Hunter Education or Apprentice Hunter Education Certificates." Both prices were read September 19, 2026.

Age decides which door is open. From MWF: "To take the online Hunter Education course, students must be at least 12 years old. Youth under 12 are required to take the in-class course with a certified instructor instead." Those younger students finish with an Apprentice Hunter Education Certificate, and MWF puts that change down to an amendment to the Hunter Education Regulation.

How the annual licence differs from the education certificate

The Hunter Education Certificate is a one-time credential carried for life. The licence is different: a dated product, bought per species, per licence year. MWF draws that line itself on its own course page: "Hunter Education certification and a Manitoba hunting licence are separate requirements."

The guide gives the licence year up front, stating that it "reflects the seasons and bag limits for the licence year beginning April 1, 2026 and ending March 31, 2027." It also ties one more thing to the licence. Per the guide, a hunter carries the licence, the associated game tags and the Hunter Education Certificate while hunting, and shows them to a Conservation Officer on request.

Is there a published pass mark for Manitoba hunter education?

A pass mark is the minimum exam score that counts as completing a course. Manitoba doesn't publish one for hunter education. We checked the MWF course pages and the 2026 hunting guide on September 19, 2026. Neither has it. The question count isn't published either.

Is there a practice exam for the Manitoba course?

A practice exam is a set of original questions written to the same chapters the course teaches. Its job is to show what's stuck before you sit the real thing. This site now has one for Manitoba, also split by chapter: Manitoba Hunter Education Practice Exam.

Federal firearms licensing is another government, on another clock. That's covered in our guide to the PAL in Canada. The rest of the provincial set is on the guides hub.

Questions about Manitoba hunting licences

Who has to take the Manitoba Hunter Education course?

Two groups, according to the 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide, read September 19, 2026. One is any person born on or after January 1, 1951. The other is any first-time hunter wanting to purchase a hunting licence. The guide requires both to be a graduate of the Manitoba Hunter Education course, or of a similar hunter education course from another jurisdiction. The Manitoba Wildlife Federation frames the same rule by licence history instead of birth date, pointing at anyone whose first Manitoba hunting licence was issued after 1969.

How old does a person have to be to buy a Manitoba hunting licence?

Twelve. Eligibility in the 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide is set at 12 years of age or older, holding a valid Manitoba Hunter Education Certificate. MWF says its online course is open to students age 12 and older. Youth under 12 take the in-class course with a certified instructor instead and receive an Apprentice Hunter Education Certificate. Checked September 19, 2026.

Does the Canadian Firearms Safety Course satisfy the Manitoba hunter education requirement?

Manitoba says it does not. According to the 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide, the Canadian Firearms Safety Course does not meet the Hunter Education course requirement. The guide repeats that in its Hunter Education section, adding that the Possession and Acquisition Licence does not meet it either. MWF publishes the same thing in its hunting FAQ. Checked October 17, 2026.

What is the pass mark for the Manitoba hunter education exam?

Not published. As read September 19, 2026, neither the Manitoba Wildlife Federation course pages nor the 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide gives a pass mark for hunter education, or a question count.

When does the Manitoba licence year start and end?

April 1 to March 31. The 2026 Manitoba Hunting Guide says it reflects the seasons and bag limits for the licence year beginning April 1, 2026 and ending March 31, 2027. On the e-licensing side, the current licence and permit fee schedule is dated effective April 1, 2026. Checked September 19, 2026.