New Brunswick · licensing

How to Get a Hunting Licence in New Brunswick

By Hunters Guide. Every line below was read off a Government of New Brunswick page on September 19, 2026.

New Brunswick gates its hunting licences on a birth date. Gun hunters born on or after January 1, 1981, and every first-time gun hunter, complete two courses before a licence is sold to them. Hunter Education runs $40.00 to $65.00 before HST, and a resident Deer and Game Bird licence is $29.00 plus a $5 conservation fee.

The order of steps for a first-time gun hunter in New Brunswick

Four steps. That 1981 line splits the province's hunters into two groups with completely different paperwork, and this is the route for the group it catches.

1. Sit the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. Federal, priced separately, and not listed on New Brunswick's own pages.
2. Sit the Hunter Education Course. Three streams at $40.00 to $65.00 before HST. Bow and crossbow hunters take a stand-alone Bowhunter Education course instead, with a mandatory practical component.
3. Hold the NB Conservation Education Card. The province calls it your proof of training, and its number goes into the Fish and Wildlife Licensing System so the training links to your profile.
4. Buy the licence. The Deer and Game Bird licence is marked available March 1st, resident bundles January 1st, with draw windows published separately.

The order is not interchangeable. The card has to exist before the licence counter has anything to check. What each step costs you in weeks is in how long a hunting licence takes.

What the courses and licences cost in New Brunswick

New Brunswick publishes course fees on the service listing and licence prices on a separate e-licensing table, and the two tables treat tax differently, so read the column headings. The course listing notes that "Unless otherwise specified, Fees exclude the harmonized sales tax (HST)", while the licence table is headed Total + HST.

Figures come from the Hunter Education Course service listing, the Deer and Game Bird Hunting Licence listing and the available licences and draws table. The federal firearms course is priced separately and is not listed on New Brunswick's pages; our federal PAL guide covers that half.

Moose, bear, turkey and the rest are row by row in our New Brunswick tag fees. Want to see how the province stacks up? The licence cost by province table puts it beside the other twelve.

Who does New Brunswick require to complete hunter education?

New Brunswick draws the line by date of birth and by whether someone has hunted before. Its Hunter Education Requirements page states that "In New Brunswick all gun hunters born on, or after, Jan. 1, 1981, and all first-time gun hunters must complete the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the Hunter Education Course."

For the other group the same page states that gun hunters born before January 1, 1981, who are not first-time hunters, may show a previous hunting licence as proof of hunting experience. The province's service listing for the course phrases the requirement in broader terms: "In New Brunswick, all first-time hunters as well as persons born on, or after, January 1, 1981, are required to complete Firearm Safety and Hunter Education training before they may hunt in the province."

Bow and crossbow are their own stream entirely, and a stricter one. The requirements page states that resident bow and crossbow hunters in the same two categories "must complete an approved stand-alone Bowhunter Education course that includes a mandatory practical component or field day." Stand-alone. Practical component. The gun course is a different document.

Trained somewhere else? Every province's published position on outside credentials is in our guide to whether hunter education transfers.

Three ways to take the course

New Brunswick publishes three delivery streams for hunter education, each with its own age rule. The provincial service listing describes traditional classroom instruction, an online option, and a home study option.

1. Classroom. Participants 12 and older. The listing gives a "minimum of 8 hours of classroom instruction including testing (written exam)", with videos, animated instruction and end-of-chapter quizzes.
2. Online. Participants 12 and older, described as an alternative to the classroom or home study course, with testing done online.
3. Home study. Participants 18 and older, registering online or through a local Natural Resources office and then being "assigned a test date and location".

Eligibility for the course itself is stated in one line: "Must be at least 12 years of age as of the course start date." As of the start date, not the registration date. Small distinction, occasionally an important one for a kid with a late birthday.

The topics New Brunswick's hunter education course teaches

The online exam is the one New Brunswick describes in detail, and it publishes a question count, which many provinces do not. The service listing states that "The final exam is a 50 question, multiple choice and true/false test done online once the student completes a review of the course material and end-of chapter quizzes."

A pass mark is not published on that listing, and it is not published on the Hunter Education Requirements page either. Third-party figures circulate. None of them are New Brunswick's, so there's no number here. The classroom stream's testing is described only as a written exam inside the eight hour minimum, and the home study stream only as a test at an assigned date and location.

How the annual licence differs from the one-time course credential

The course produces a permanent proof of training. The licence is a seasonal purchase that the training simply makes possible. New Brunswick's e-licensing FAQ is explicit about the first half: "Yes, you should keep your NB Conservation Education Card as it is your proof of training."

The same FAQ explains how that proof reaches the till: "If you enter your NB Conservation Education Card number at the time of registration (or later) in the Fish & Wildlife Licensing System, your NB training information will be linked to your profile." Training unlocks the shelf. It is not itself anything on the shelf.

The licence side runs on the calendar. The province's available licences table marks the Deer and Game Bird licence as available March 1st and the resident bundles as available January 1st, with draw application windows published separately for antlerless deer, moose, turkey and bobcat. The licence listing for Deer and Game Bird also restates the training gate at purchase: "Resident and Non-Resident Hunters born on or after January 1, 1981 and all first-time hunters must show proof of a Firearm Safety / Hunter Education Course (gun hunters) or a stand-alone Bowhunter Education course (bow/crossbow hunters)."

One residency wrinkle worth diarising: the e-licensing FAQ states that "NB residents are required to revalidate their residency every 3 years", usually by re-entering a New Brunswick driver's licence or photo ID number.

Who runs the New Brunswick course, and how the Atlantic arrangement works

The Hunter Education Course in New Brunswick is a provincial service listed under Natural Resources. The Fish and Wildlife Branch in Fredericton and the department's regional and district offices are its published contacts. The federal Canadian Firearms Safety Course sits alongside it as the second half of the pairing.

The Atlantic connection shows up in the study material rather than in a branding line. The province's home study option directs participants to review "the Atlantic Canada Hunter Education Student Manual and the current year Hunt and Trap book prior to testing", and its fee table prices an "Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Student Manual" at $10.00 for ages 17 and older and $0.00 for ages 12 to 16. So the manual is regional and the course is New Brunswick's own service. That's as far as the province's page goes, and that's as far as this page goes.

What the course covers is listed directly: "Hunter Education topics include ecology and wildlife management, hunter ethics and responsibilities, hunting laws, navigation skills, hunter survival skills and wildlife identification. A limited number of firearm topics, such as proper shot placement, are also covered." Limited firearm topics. The handling material lives in the federal course, which is worth remembering when planning study time.

Is there a practice exam for the New Brunswick course?

A practice exam is a set of original questions written to the same chapters the course teaches. It tells you what has stuck before you sit the real thing. New Brunswick has one on this site now, split by chapter as well: New Brunswick Hunter Education Practice Exam.

Questions about New Brunswick hunting licences

Who does New Brunswick say has to take hunter education?

Everyone born on or after January 1, 1981, plus every first-time hunter. The Hunter Education Requirements page states that "In New Brunswick all gun hunters born on, or after, Jan. 1, 1981, and all first-time gun hunters must complete the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the Hunter Education Course." Gun hunters born before that date who are not first-timers may show a previous hunting licence as proof of experience. Checked September 19, 2026.

How many questions are on the New Brunswick hunter education exam?

Fifty, for the online version. The provincial service listing states that "The final exam is a 50 question, multiple choice and true/false test done online once the student completes a review of the course material and end-of chapter quizzes." The classroom stream is described as a minimum of 8 hours including a written exam. A pass mark is not published on that listing. Checked September 19, 2026.

What does hunter education cost in New Brunswick?

Between $40.00 and $65.00 before HST, depending on stream and age. The provincial service listing prices classroom at $40.00 for ages 12 to 16 and $65.00 for 17 and older, home study at $40.00 for 18 and older, and the online course at $65.00 for 12 and older. It also notes that fees exclude the harmonized sales tax unless otherwise specified. Checked September 19, 2026.

Is bow and crossbow hunting covered by the New Brunswick gun course?

New Brunswick publishes bowhunter education as a separate, stand-alone requirement. Its Hunter Education Requirements page states that resident bow and crossbow hunters born on or after January 1, 1981, or hunting with a bow or crossbow for the first time, "must complete an approved stand-alone Bowhunter Education course that includes a mandatory practical component or field day." Checked September 19, 2026.

Does the New Brunswick education card replace the annual licence?

They are two different documents on two different clocks. The provincial e-licensing FAQ states "Yes, you should keep your NB Conservation Education Card as it is your proof of training," and describes entering that card number in the Fish and Wildlife Licensing System so training is linked to a profile. Licences themselves are sold per season with published availability dates. Checked September 19, 2026.