Nova Scotia · licensing

How to Get a Hunting Licence in Nova Scotia

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

Nova Scotia publishes a four step path for a new firearm hunter: the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, then the Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course, then a Wildlife Resources Card, then the licence itself. The two courses run $90 and $60.00 plus HST, and the card is $7.78 plus HST.

What a first-timer in Nova Scotia does, in order

A first-timer in Nova Scotia goes through four steps in a fixed order: two happen once in a lifetime and two come back every year. Getting that order wrong is where most people get tangled.

1. Sit the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. $90 plus HST, through Safety Services Nova Scotia, with a practical test and a written test, and a pass mark of 80%.
2. Then the Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course. Published at $60.00 plus HST online, ending in an online exam with the same 80% pass mark. The province states it is taken after the firearms course, not before.
3. Apply for a Wildlife Resources Card. $7.78 plus HST, 5 to 10 business days, submitting proof of both courses. This is the client record a licence gets sold against.
4. Buy the licence and the stamp. A Wildlife Habitat Stamp at $5.15 is acquired at the time the licence is purchased.

Mix those up and you'll find yourself standing at a vendor counter in October holding the wrong piece of paper. How long each step takes is in how long a hunting licence takes.

What the Nova Scotia courses and licences cost

Nova Scotia publishes course registration fees on its Hunter Education FAQ and licence prices in a separate summary table, so the two halves of the bill live in two places. The firearms course is the exception: the FAQ sends you to Safety Services Nova Scotia, which charges "$90 + HST where applicable (effective April 30, 2024)". The FAQ itself lists "$60.00 + HST to register for Hunter Education Course (online)". A classroom Bowhunter Education Course is listed at $65.00 plus HST.

Licence figures come from the province's licence cost summary tables, which also list $0.00 against several resident senior categories aged 65 and over. Course figures come from the Hunter Education FAQ.

Every Nova Scotia licence and stamp, non-resident rows included, is in our Nova Scotia tag fees. The licence cost by province table shows how it compares.

What Nova Scotia says a first-time firearm hunter has to do

The province's Requirements to Hunt page sets out a training requirement for newcomers, then a list of documents for the hunt itself. It states that "In Nova Scotia, all first-time hunters who intend on hunting with a firearm must be trained in firearm safety and hunter education."

The same page lists what a resident hunter carries: a Nova Scotia Wildlife Resources Client Card, a valid Nova Scotia Hunting Licence, a Wildlife Habitat Stamp acquired at the time the licence is purchased, and any federal permits or licences that apply to carrying a firearm or to pursuing federally regulated wildlife. That last line is the province pointing at Ottawa, which is a separate job on a separate timeline. Our guide to the federal PAL covers that side.

One more note the province adds on the same page: persons under age 18 who wish to hunt with a firearm also require a Minor's Firearm Licence, and it prints a federal phone number for it.

Does the firearms course have to come before hunter education?

Nova Scotia publishes a fixed sequence for the two parts rather than leaving the order open. The Requirements to Hunt page states that "The Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course is taken following successful completion of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course."

One direction. Firearms course first, then hunter education.

The Wildlife Resources Card, and why it sits between the course and the licence

A Wildlife Resources Card is the provincial client record that has to exist before a hunting licence gets sold. The card depends on the training certificates. The Requirements to Hunt page states that "Upon completion of the training, participants are eligible to apply for a Wildlife Resources Client Card which is required to purchase a Hunting License."

The provincial permits directory entry puts a fee and a processing window on it: "$7.78 plus HST (subject to change without notice)", with processing given as 5 to 10 business days. Applicants submit proof of having completed a Nova Scotia recognised hunter, furharvester, crossbow or bow hunter education course, along with proof of the Canadian Firearms Training (non-restricted) course.

Here's the part people miss. The card does not lapse the way a licence does. The directory states "There is currently no requirement to renew Wildlife Resources Cards. Therefore, regardless of the expiry date printed on the face of your Wildlife Resources Card, it will remain valid." A card with a dead-looking date on its face is still the live document.

Trained in another province? What each government publishes about outside credentials is in our guide to whether hunter education transfers.

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

The education certificates and the Wildlife Resources Card are earned once. The base licence and the species licence are bought again each season. The directory entry for the base licence is blunt about the clock: "This is a seasonal licence which expires on March 31 of each calendar year."

It also restates the gate. "To get a Base Licence, you have to have a valid Wildlife Resources Card and be certified for the weapon with which you will be hunting." Weapon-specific, note. A firearm credential and a bow credential are different animals in Nova Scotia's filing cabinet, and the province lists bowhunter education as its own course.

So the rhythm is simple. The base licence dies on March 31. The species licence gets bought fresh. The certificates and the card just sit there, done. Which is why a hunter who trained in 2019 still has a shopping list every autumn.

What the Nova Scotia hunter education exam involves

Both parts of the program end in a test, and the province publishes an identical pass mark for each. For Part A it states "Students must complete a practical test and a written test; pass mark is 80%." For Part B, the same page states "Students complete an online exam; pass mark is 80%."

Delivery is where the province's own pages disagree, and that's worth flagging rather than smoothing over. Requirements to Hunt describes Part B as "provided online only by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources", while the Part B course page still describes a choice between online and classroom completion and notes that "Courses are normally held in the fall and winter months and less frequently during the spring and summer." Two provincial pages, two pictures. The Hunter Education Coordinator's address is published on the FAQ page for exactly this sort of question.

The number of exam questions is not published on any of these pages. Neither is a time limit. Anyone quoting a Nova Scotia question count is quoting something other than the province.

Who runs hunter education in Nova Scotia, and how the Atlantic arrangement works

Hunter education in Nova Scotia is a two part program split between two different authorities, and the second part carries an Atlantic name. The province describes Part A this way: "The Canadian Firearms Safety Course is provided by the Department of Justice and is delivered through Safety Services Nova Scotia."

Part B is provincial. The course page states that "The Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course in Nova Scotia is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources." The course carries a regional name, and the province describes the Nova Scotia offering of it as its own. Nova Scotia does not, on these pages, describe the arrangement in any more detail than that, and we're not going to invent the rest of the sentence for them.

What the course covers is published plainly: "The Hunter Education Course includes instruction in ecology and wildlife management, hunter ethics and landowner relations, laws and regulations, basic first aid and survival skills, and field techniques." No firearms handling in that list. That content sits in Part A.

Is there a practice exam for the Nova Scotia 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. Nova Scotia has one on this site now, split by chapter as well: Nova Scotia Hunter Education Practice Exam.

Questions about Nova Scotia hunting licences

What order does Nova Scotia publish for the two courses?

Firearms course first, hunter education second. The Requirements to Hunt page states that "The Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course is taken following successful completion of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course." Checked September 19, 2026.

What pass mark does Nova Scotia publish for hunter education?

Eighty percent. The Requirements to Hunt page states "Students complete an online exam; pass mark is 80%" for the Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course, and states that the Canadian Firearms Safety Course carries a practical test and a written test with the same 80% pass mark. The number of exam questions is not published. Checked September 19, 2026.

How old does Nova Scotia say a person has to be for the hunter education course?

Twelve. The Hunter Education FAQ answers the question of age for the Hunter Education Course with "You must be at least 12 years of age or older." For the Canadian Firearms Safety Course the same FAQ answers "It is recommended that you are 12 years of age or older," which is a recommendation rather than a floor. Checked September 19, 2026.

Does a Nova Scotia Wildlife Resources Card expire?

The province says the printed date does not govern. The Wildlife Resources Card listing in the provincial permits directory states "There is currently no requirement to renew Wildlife Resources Cards. Therefore, regardless of the expiry date printed on the face of your Wildlife Resources Card, it will remain valid." Checked September 19, 2026.

Is bow hunting covered by the Nova Scotia hunter education course?

Nova Scotia lists bowhunter education separately. The Requirements to Hunt page states that first-time hunters using a firearm need firearm safety and hunter education, and that "If hunting with a bow, hunters must have completed bowhunter education." The Hunter Education FAQ prices a Bowhunter Education Course at $65.00 plus HST, classroom format. Checked September 19, 2026.