Hunters GuideNova Scotia · APHEC
Nova Scotia Hunter Education Practice Exam
The pass mark for the Nova Scotia Hunter Education (Part B) exam is 80%. 60 practice questions, 6 topics, every answer explained.
Nova Scotia Hunter Education Practice Exam: all 60 questions
1. A student signs up for Part B expecting a second round of firearms handling. Which set of subjects actually makes up the Hunter Education half of the course?
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Ecology and wildlife management, ethics and landowner relations, survival and first aid, and field techniques
The firearms handling lived in Part A, and you've already been through that. Part B is the hunting half. It walks you through how wildlife populations work, what's expected of you around landowners and the public, how to stay alive if a day goes sideways, and the field skills that turn a shot into a clean recovery. If you're waiting for shooting drills, they aren't coming.
2. The manual spends a whole lesson on ecology before it says a word about shooting technique. Why put population biology ahead of marksmanship in a course for hunters?
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Because hunting is a management tool, and a hunter who understands how populations work becomes part of the management rather than a threat to it
You're being handed a role, not just a skill. Regulated hunting works because hunters remove animals the habitat couldn't carry anyway, and that only holds together if the people doing the removing understand carrying capacity, succession, and what a limiting factor is. Learn the biology and you'll see why the shot you take, or pass on, is a management decision. That's why it comes first.
3. The introduction says the course wants to produce an involved hunter, not just a competent one. Which of these is an example of what it means?
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Volunteering on a local habitat project, reporting the band from a duck you shot, and taking a new hunter out
Involved means you give something back to the resource and the community that supports hunting. Habitat work, reporting data biologists can use, sitting on a wildlife advisory group, mentoring someone who has nobody to take them out. None of that shows up in your freezer, and all of it is what keeps hunting healthy in Nova Scotia twenty years from now. Being good in the woods is where the job starts, not where it ends.
4. The Part B manual used in Nova Scotia was not written by Nova Scotia on its own. Who developed it?
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The four Atlantic provinces working together: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island
It's a shared Atlantic manual, and that matters when you read the wildlife identification pages. You'll meet woodland caribou, arctic hare, and ptarmigan in there, and those are Newfoundland and Labrador animals, not something you'll bump into on a Nova Scotia ridge. Learn the material, but don't assume every species in the book lives where you hunt.
5. A relative who has hunted for thirty years says the course can't teach him anything. Judged against what hunter education sets out to produce, where does that view fall short?
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The goal is a hunter who is safe, responsible, knowledgeable, and involved, and years afield don't guarantee all four
Thirty seasons will make you good at finding deer. They won't necessarily update what you know about how a population is managed, what non-hunters now expect of you, or what to do when a partner goes hypothermic. Hunter education is aimed at all four qualities together, and plenty of experienced hunters find the ethics and conservation chapters are the ones that shift their thinking.
6. A Nova Scotia farm field is abandoned. Twenty years on it's thick with alder, young birch, and raspberry cane, and it's full of snowshoe hare and ruffed grouse. Which ecological process is at work?
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Succession, the predictable change in plant communities over time
Nobody planted that brush. Bare ground goes to grass, grass gives way to shrubs and saplings, and eventually softwoods and hardwoods shade it all out again. Each stage feeds a different set of animals, and that brushy middle stage is prime hare and grouse country. Let it grow another forty years and they'll thin out as the canopy closes over.
7. You're choosing a spot to watch for deer: the centre of a big hayfield, deep inside an unbroken stand of mature spruce, or the line where the field meets the woods. Which one is likely to show the most wildlife, and why?
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The field edge, because two habitat types meet there and animals can use both within a few steps
That boundary line is what biologists call edge, and it's where the action is. Deer can feed in the open and duck back into cover without travelling, so they spend a lot of time right there. Open field has food but no security. Deep spruce has security but not much to eat. The edge gives them both at once.
8. Deer in a Nova Scotia wintering area have all the summer browse they could want, yet a run of deep-snow winters cuts their numbers sharply. In management terms, what is the deep snow?
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A limiting factor, the single condition that caps the population no matter how good everything else is
A population is held by whichever need is in shortest supply, not by the average of all of them. Summer food is beside the point when the herd can't move or reach browse in February. That's a limiting factor. Managers hunt for it because easing that one pinch point, say by protecting the softwood cover deer yard up in, does more than improving anything else.
9. A biologist tells you that a moderate hunting harvest often doesn't lower next spring's population as much as the raw numbers would suggest. What explains that?
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Hunting deaths replace deaths that would have come anyway from winter, disease, or predators, so total mortality changes less than expected
Every year a chunk of the herd is going to die whether you're out there or not. Take some of those animals in the fall and you've largely swapped one cause of death for another, which is why biologists call it compensatory mortality. There's a limit, though. Push the harvest hard enough and it stops compensating and starts adding, and that's the line a manager is watching.
10. Every fall a few Nova Scotia hunters take a duck wearing a numbered metal leg band and report the number. What does that report give wildlife managers?
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Survival rates and migration routes, which feed into population estimates and management decisions
That little band is a data point that's been waiting years to be collected. Where the bird was banded, where it was taken, and how long in between all go into survival estimates and flyway maps that shape how the whole population is managed. Report it and you've done a small piece of the research yourself.
11. A hunter says, 'If nobody's stopping me, it's fine by me.' Why would the ethics chapter push back on that?
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Ethics starts where rules stop; it's the standard you hold yourself to when nothing and nobody is forcing you
Plenty of things nobody will stop you doing are still wrong. A shot you're not sure of, a wounded animal you don't bother to follow, a gate left swinging. Ethics is the code you carry into the woods for exactly those moments, and the course puts it this way: it's what you do when you're alone and no one would ever know.
12. A hunter used to measure a day by how many birds hit the ground. Now she'd rather work a single grouse cover with her dog and take one bird over a clean point. Which stage of hunter development has she reached?
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The technique stage
Most hunters move through five stages. Early on it's about pulling the trigger, then about filling the limit, then about the biggest animal. Somewhere after that, how you hunt starts to matter more than what you bring home, and that's the technique stage she's in. The last one, the mellowing-out stage, is where the whole experience, company and country included, is the point.
13. Hunting a farm with the owner's blessing, you come across a stretch of fence knocked flat and cattle drifting toward the gap. What does good hunter-landowner relations call for?
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Let the farmer know right away, and if you safely can, keep the cattle back until he gets there; his stock matters more than your morning
He gave you access to his livelihood, and this is the moment that access gets repaid. Cattle on the road cost money and can get someone killed, so the hunt stops and the farmer gets a call or a knock on the door. Most landowners will remember that phone call long after they've forgotten whether you shot anything. Silence, on the other hand, is how you become the last hunter he ever let in.
14. Your deer is down and you want a photo for social media. Which choice fits the hunter image the course asks you to protect?
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Wipe away the blood, tuck the tongue in, set the animal up with some dignity, and keep the caption about the hunt rather than the kill
Most people who see that photo have never hunted, and their opinion is what keeps hunting acceptable. A respectful picture reads as someone who values the animal. A bloody one with a smart caption reads as a thug, and that's the image that gets shared. You're not just showing your friends. You're representing every hunter in the province.
15. The course lists natural values of the hunt, the things that draw people out beyond the meat. Which of these is NOT one of them?
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Bragging rights from outscoring the other hunters in camp
Turn the hunt into a contest and you've lost the thing that made it worth doing. The values the course names are quieter than that: the country, the effort, the people you share it with, the food you earned. Competition with the crowd back at camp isn't on the list, and it's usually what pushes people into shots they shouldn't take.
16. You step out of a cutover at dusk expecting the road and find only more woods. Nothing looks familiar. What's the first thing to do?
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Stop where you are, sit down, and get your breathing and your thinking under control before you move
Panic is the thing that kills lost people, not the woods. The moment you admit you're turned around, stop. Sit, breathe, then think about what you know, look at what's around you, and only then make a plan. The course teaches it as STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. If someone knows your hunting plan, staying put is usually the fastest way home.
17. It's a cold, wet November evening and you've accepted you're spending the night out. Put these in the order that protects you: (1) find water, (2) build shelter and fire, (3) look for food, (4) set out signals for searchers.
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2, 4, 1, 3
Cold can kill you in hours, thirst in days, hunger in weeks, so the order writes itself. Shelter and fire come first because they attack the fastest threat. Then get your signals up, since the fire already doubles as one. Water after that. Food is last, and honestly, for one night you can forget about it altogether.
18. Your canoe rolls in cold water a long way from shore. You're wearing a lifejacket and you're alone. What should you do while you wait for help?
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Draw your knees up, cross your arms tight over your chest, and hold still to slow the loss of body heat
That's the HELP position, Heat Escape Lessening Posture, and it protects your groin, armpits, and chest, which is where the heat leaves fastest. Swimming and treading water feel like they'd warm you up. They do the opposite, pumping heat out through moving limbs. Keep the clothes on too, because even soaked, they trap a layer of warmer water. With a group, you'd huddle together instead.
19. Your partner starts shivering hard, fumbling with his jacket zipper, slurring a little, and snapping at you. He's still on his feet. What's the right treatment?
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Get him out of the wind, swap his wet layers for dry ones, insulate him from the ground, and give warm sweet drinks if he can swallow
Shivering, fumbling, mumbling, and grumbling are the classic signs of mild to moderate hypothermia, and he's still treatable in the field. Shelter, dry clothes, insulation, and warm sugary fluids. No alcohol, because it opens up blood vessels and dumps heat faster. No rough rubbing either, since cold, stressed hearts don't like being jostled. Handle him gently and warm him slowly.
20. Back at the truck after a day scouting deer sign in early fall, you find a tick fastened into your leg. What should you do?
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Grip it with fine tweezers right at the skin, pull straight out with steady pressure, clean the bite, and watch for a rash or fever over the following weeks
Nova Scotia has some of the highest Lyme disease rates in the country, and the blacklegged tick that carries it is well established across the province. The sooner it's out, the lower the risk, so don't wait for it to finish feeding. Tweezers, straight pull, no twisting or squeezing. Heat and jelly can make a tick regurgitate into the wound, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.
21. You plot a bearing on a topographic map of the Cobequid Hills and set it straight onto your compass without adjusting it. Over a few kilometres you drift well off course. What did you miss?
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Magnetic declination, the difference between the true north your map is drawn to and the magnetic north your needle points at
Your map and your compass are pointing at two different norths. The map uses true north. The needle swings to magnetic north, and in this part of the country the gap between them runs to well over a dozen degrees, so it's not a rounding error. Correct for it before you walk, or over a few kilometres you'll come out a long way from where you meant to.
22. You slip off your tree stand platform. Your harness catches you and you're hanging with your feet clear of the stand. What should you do first?
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Get back onto the platform, or push your legs against the tree and keep them moving, using a suspension relief strap if you carry one
The harness saved your life. Now it's the thing that can take it. Hanging motionless lets the leg straps cut off circulation and blood pools in your legs, and that can put you out cold in a surprisingly short time. So get weight off those straps right away, by climbing back on, standing in a relief strap, or pumping your legs against the trunk. And this is why your hunting plan says exactly which tree you're in.
23. You walk up on a deer you shot and it's lying still. Which of these actually confirms it's dead?
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Approach from behind and above the head, then touch the open eye with a stick; no blink means no life
A stunned deer can lie still for a long while and then come up swinging, and those hooves and antlers do real damage. So come in from behind, uphill if you can, watch the chest and ears, and keep the firearm ready. Then reach out with a stick and touch the eye. A living animal blinks. A dead one doesn't, and only then do you set the rifle down.
24. A duck on a lake has to run along the surface, feet slapping the water, before it gets airborne. Which group does that put it in?
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Diving ducks
That running takeoff is the giveaway. Divers have their legs set well back on the body, which is perfect for chasing food under water and awkward for anything else, so they need a runway. Dabblers spring straight up off the surface. Watch how the bird sits too. Divers ride low and dive under to feed, while dabblers float high and tip tail-up in the shallows.
25. A hunter takes three slow steps, then stands for a full minute looking and listening before moving again, and covers only a few hundred metres in an hour. Which hunting method is that?
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Still hunting
Still hunting is moving so slowly through cover that you spend far more time stopped than walking, and you're searching for game you haven't found yet. Stalking is different: you've already spotted a particular animal and you're closing the distance on it. Stand hunting means staying put and letting the game come to you, and a drive uses a group to push animals past waiting hunters.
26. A Nova Scotia grouse hunter is walking a woods road with her shotgun. Under the province's summary of regulations, what must she be carrying at all times while she is in wildlife habitat with a weapon?
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Her Wildlife Resources Client Number
Nova Scotia runs its licensing through the Wildlife Resources Client Number, and the summary of regulations says hunters and trappers must carry it at all times when they are in wildlife habitat and in possession of a weapon or trapping device. It is the number a conservation officer uses to check that the stamps and training behind you are real, which is why the rule attaches to the weapon rather than to any one season or species. Leaving it in a wallet on the kitchen counter is the kind of small mistake that turns a routine field check into a long one.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Licence, stamp and permit regulations:
Hunter and trappers must carry their Wildlife Resources Client Number at all times when in wildlife habitat and in possession of a weapon or trapping device(s).
Checked 2026-09-21.27. A Nova Scotia deer hunter puts on a hunter orange vest that shows from every side, then pulls on his favourite camouflage ball cap. Under the province's mandatory hunter orange rule, is he dressed legally?
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No, he also needs a cap or hat in hunter orange
Nova Scotia's rule has two parts, and both are mandatory. Everyone hunting wildlife must wear a cap or hat in hunter orange, and a shirt, vest or coat of hunter orange or camouflage orange that is plainly visible from all sides. The vest in this scenario is fine. The head is the problem. A hunter's head is the part most likely to show above brush or a blind, and a camo cap makes exactly the part of him that other hunters would see look like the woods. Swap the cap for an orange one and the outfit is legal. The camouflage orange option applies to the body garment, not to the hat.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Hunter safety and awareness, Mandatory hunter orange:
Everyone hunting wildlife must wear • a cap or hat in hunter orange • a shirt, vest, or coat of hunter orange or camouflage orange that is plainly visible from all sides
Checked 2026-09-21.28. Two Nova Scotia hunters argue at the truck. One says you always need the landowner's permission before you hunt on private land in the province. The other says it depends on what kind of land it is. Who does the province's summary of regulations back up?
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The second hunter: you may hunt on unmanaged forest land without permission, while managed forest, crops, enclosed land and posted land require the occupier's permission
Nova Scotia treats private land differently from most provinces. Over 60% of the province is privately owned, and under the Protection of Property Act you may hunt, camp, berry pick or hike on unmanaged forest land without permission. Permission from the occupier is needed for managed forest land such as plantations and harvesting operations, for lawns, gardens, orchards and cropland, for land that is fenced or enclosed to keep people out, and for anything posted with a sign. Even where the law does not require it, the province says it strongly encourages hunters to ask first, and if the occupier tells you to leave, you leave.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Respect private landowners:
You may hunt, camp, berry pick, or hike on unmanaged forest land without permission.
Checked 2026-09-21.29. It is well after dark and a Nova Scotia hunter is driving home from camp with his unloaded rifle lying loose on the back seat. What does the province's summary of regulations require for a firearm in a vehicle at night?
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It must be encased
Nova Scotia's night rule is about the case, not just the chamber. The summary says you cannot possess a firearm in or on a vehicle at any time at night unless it is encased, and it notes that this includes off-highway vehicles. Unloading is required in a vehicle at any hour, but after dark the firearm also has to be in a case. The rule exists because a rifle riding loose in a vehicle at night is exactly what an officer looking for night hunters expects to find. Zipping it into a case before you pull out of camp makes your intentions plain. Unload it, case it, then drive.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Some general regulations:
You cannot possess a firearm in or on a vehicle at any time at night unless it is encased.
Checked 2026-09-21.30. You are signing up for the Nova Scotia Hunter Education course and want to know what score you need. What pass mark does the province publish for the written test?
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80 per cent
Nova Scotia's course page says students complete a written test with a pass mark of 80%. The test covers ecology and wildlife management, ethics and landowner relations, laws, first aid and survival, and field techniques. Study each of those areas, not only the ones you enjoy.
Source: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course:
Students complete a written test; the pass mark is 80%.
Checked 2026-09-30.31. An 11-year-old in Truro wants to take both hunter courses this winter. What does Nova Scotia's hunter education FAQ say about age?
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Hunter Education requires age 12 or older, while 12 is only recommended for the firearms course
Nova Scotia sets a firm minimum of 12 for the Hunter Education course. For the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, the FAQ says 12 or older is recommended rather than required. So this student has to wait a year before taking Hunter Education.
Source: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Hunter Education in Nova Scotia FAQs:
You must be at least 12 years of age or older.
Checked 2026-09-30.32. A 16-year-old in Nova Scotia has passed both courses and wants to hunt with a firearm. According to the province's FAQ, what else does she need because of her age?
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A federal Minors Firearm Licence
Anyone under 18 who wants to hunt with a firearm in Nova Scotia needs a federal Minors Firearm Licence. The FAQ adds that a parent or guardian must go with a minor to buy the hunting licence. Youth hunters must also hunt under the immediate supervision of a certified adult.
Source: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Hunter Education in Nova Scotia FAQs:
If you're under the age of 18, you must obtain a Federal Minors Firearm License 1-800-731-4000 (Ext.6505).
Checked 2026-09-30.33. A Nova Scotia student picks the online Hunter Education course over a classroom. How is the final exam handled on that route?
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It is written online as well, after the interactive course and quizzes
Nova Scotia lets you take the course online or in a classroom. On the online route, you finish the interactive course and quizzes, then write the final exam online too. You still need proof of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course to apply for your Wildlife Resources Card.
Source: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course:
Once you have completed the interactive online course and quizzes, you can write the final exam, which is also conducted online.
Checked 2026-09-30.34. After passing both courses, a new Nova Scotia hunter logs in to HuntNS. Which certification on the profile allows hunting with a firearm?
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HT, Hunter Trained (Firearms)
Nova Scotia records your training as certifications on your HuntNS profile. HT, Hunter Trained (Firearms), allows you to hunt with a firearm and rests on both Hunter Education and the firearms course. Bow, crossbow and trapping each have their own certification and course.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Training Certifications:
Certifications appear on your HuntNS profile once required training and/or prerequisites are completed.
Checked 2026-09-30.35. In old Europe, rulers owned the land and its game, and only they hunted. Which two principles does the manual say sit at the heart of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation instead?
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Wildlife is a public resource any citizen may pursue within the law, and trained professionals manage it using science
The manual shows how North America moved away from the old European way. Under this model, fish and wildlife belong to the public, and any citizen may hunt them within the law. Trained staff who work with government keep the herds and flocks healthy.
36. Nova Scotia's native mainland moose number roughly 1,000 animals. How has the province listed this population since 2003?
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As an endangered species
Mainland moose have been listed as endangered in Nova Scotia since 2003. The summary asks hunters to report any sighting, including tracks, scat, antlers or bones, to help the recovery effort. Species at risk are protected while their numbers are low.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Report mainland moose sightings:
Nova Scotia’s native moose species has been listed as endangered since 2003.
Checked 2026-09-30.37. Jawbones turned in by hunters from one zone show very few young animals and a large share of older adults. What does the manual say managers might do about next year's harvest?
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Consider lowering the harvest quota, since few young animals are joining the herd
Jawbones and teeth tell managers how old each animal was. A herd with few young and many adults has low recruitment and may be in trouble. The manual says one fix is a lower harvest quota in that area the following year.
Source: Atlantic Canada Hunter Education (Part B) Student Manual, 2023 Edition (Province of New Brunswick), Lesson 2, Hunting and conservation:
One of the measures to correct this problem may include a possible reduction in the harvest quota for the population in that area for the following year.
Checked 2026-09-30.38. Every Nova Scotia hunter buys a Wildlife Habitat Stamp before any other stamp. Where does the stamp fee go?
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To the Habitat Conservation Fund, for education, research and wildlife habitat
The small fee for the Wildlife Habitat Stamp goes straight to the Habitat Conservation Fund. The fund was set up under the Wildlife Act and pays for education, research, and protecting, buying and improving habitat. It is one way hunters pay directly for conservation.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund:
The small fee you pay for a Wildlife Habitat Stamp goes directly to the Habitat Conservation Fund.
Checked 2026-09-30.39. On a post-hunt survey, hunters report how many days they hunted and how many animals they saw. Studied over several years, what does the manual call this kind of information?
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Trend data
The number of animals seen per day hunted is closely tied to how dense a population is. Tracked over years, those numbers show whether a population is growing, shrinking or holding steady. That is why your answers matter even in a year when you saw nothing.
40. For one veteran hunter, time outdoors with friends is its own reward, and whether she brings anything home is almost beside the point. Where does the manual place her among its behaviour stages?
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The mellowing-out stage
The mellowing-out stage is the last of the manual's five stages. The hunter enjoys the whole experience, including the company and the outdoors. Taking game becomes more of a symbol than a need.
41. A farmer has agreed to let you hunt his woodlot. You would like to bring several friends from work along. What does the manual say about the size of your group?
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Get permission for everyone, and keep it to one or two companions
Permission is given to people, not to a party, so ask for everyone who might hunt with you. The manual says one or two companions are usually acceptable, and more than that is pushing it. A landowner who feels crowded may post the land against all hunters.
Source: Atlantic Canada Hunter Education (Part B) Student Manual, 2023 Edition (Province of New Brunswick), Lesson 3, Principles of hunter-landowner relationships:
One or two companions are usually acceptable; more than that is pushing it.
Checked 2026-09-30.42. A hunter thinks a new bag limit is unfair and plans to ignore it until the rule changes. What does the ethics lesson say he should do instead?
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Obey it, while working through elected representatives or a fish and game club to change it
The manual says ethical hunters obey all hunting laws, even ones they disagree with. The right path is to push for change through elected representatives or a local fish and game association. Studying a law often reveals why it was made.
43. Another hunter keeps edging closer to your spot on a marsh, hoping to fire first at incoming ducks. Why does the manual treat this as more than bad manners?
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It causes haste, and haste breeds careless and dangerous shooting
The manual ties courtesy closely to safety. A hunter who crowds in for an extra shot is rushing, and rushing leads to mistakes. Those mistakes can hurt people or wound birds that are never recovered.
44. You fire at a deer, it bounds away, and you are sure it was a clean miss. What does an ethical hunter do before walking away?
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Go to where the deer stood and search carefully for hair, blood or other sign of a hit
An animal can be hit hard and still run as if nothing happened. The manual says an ethical hunter always checks the spot where the animal stood to be sure it was not hit. If there is sign, the job becomes careful tracking.
45. Before you head into the woods to hunt in Nova Scotia, which gear does the province's summary say you must have with you by law?
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A working compass, a hand axe or knife, and waterproof matches
Nova Scotia makes basic survival gear a legal requirement for hunters. You must carry a compass in working order and be able to show how to use it, a hand axe or hunting knife or jack-knife, and a way to make a flame. Many hunters carry more, but these are the legal minimum.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Survival in the woods:
You must possess the following gear to enter the woods for the purpose of hunting:
Checked 2026-09-30.46. The manual boils outdoor safety down to three P's. Taking short outings to test your gear before the season, and hunting with a partner, fall under which one?
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Practise safe behaviour
The three P's are plan your trip, prepare yourself, and practise safe behaviour. The third covers a sighted-in firearm, short test outings, hunting with a partner and telling someone where you are going. Doing these things early means fewer surprises when it counts.
47. You have to cross a frozen pond on foot in December to reach your blind. What is the minimum ice thickness the manual gives for a person walking?
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At least 8 to 10 cm, keeping in mind clear ice is stronger than snowy or slushy ice
The manual's first rule of ice safety is to stay off the ice. If you must cross, it should be at least 8 to 10 cm thick for a person walking. Springs, moving water and objects frozen into the ice can all make it thinner and weaker than it looks.
Source: Atlantic Canada Hunter Education (Part B) Student Manual, 2023 Edition (Province of New Brunswick), Lesson 5, Ice safety:
If you find yourself in a situation where you must cross ice, it should be at least 8 to 10 cm thick for a person walking.
Checked 2026-09-30.48. Your partner has been out in freezing rain all day. Now he is barely conscious, his muscles are rigid and his breathing is shallow. What does the manual say about warming him?
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Skip rubbing and rewarming, keep him still, dry and wrapped up, and get him to medical care fast
These are signs of advanced hypothermia. Warming the arms and legs too soon sends cold blood back to the core, which can kill. The manual says to prevent further heat loss with dry clothes or a sleeping bag, not let him walk, and get him to a medical facility right away.
49. You are cleaning a pile of snowshoe hares at camp and have a fresh cut on one hand. Which disease does the manual link to handling hares, and what precaution does it give?
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Tularemia, so wear gloves and keep good hygiene
Tularemia, sometimes called rabbit fever, is a bacterial disease that hares and some rodents can carry. People can catch it by handling infected carcasses, and a cut makes that easier. The manual says to wear gloves when handling carcasses, especially snowshoe hares, and to practise good hygiene.
50. Switching from lead to steel shot for ducks, you want to cut down on crippled birds. What range and choke does the manual recommend?
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Keep shots to 40 metres or less and use a more open choke, such as modified or improved cylinder
Steel shot is lighter than lead, so it carries less energy downrange and throws a tighter pattern. The manual suggests a more open choke for better patterns and a limit of 40 metres. Patterning your gun with steel before the season shows you what it really does.
Source: Atlantic Canada Hunter Education (Part B) Student Manual, 2023 Edition (Province of New Brunswick), Lesson 6, Non-toxic shot:
Limit shooting distance to not more than 40 metres.
Checked 2026-09-30.51. Only male ring-necked pheasants are legal game in Nova Scotia. A bird flushes from a hedgerow. Which features tell you it is a cock bird?
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A white neck ring, a red eye patch and a long, tapered tail
The cock pheasant has a white neck ring, a red patch around the eye, a shiny purple head and a long tail. The hen is a plain, pale brown bird with no neck ring. The brown horseshoe belongs to the Hungarian partridge, which may not be hunted in Nova Scotia.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Small game, About small game hunting:
Upland game birds: Ring-necked pheasant (male); ruffed grouse (partridge)
Checked 2026-09-30.52. Setting up the fall arrest system on your hang-on stand, where does the manual say the tree belt should go?
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At or above head height when you stand on the stand, so the tether has no slack while you sit
The tree belt is the anchor point for your harness. Set at or above head height, it keeps slack out of the tether while you are seated. A short tether means a short fall and a much better chance of getting back onto the stand on your own.
53. You are choosing a knife for field dressing and skinning deer. What blade length does the manual recommend for hunting?
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No longer than about 10 cm
The manual says a hunting knife blade should be no longer than 10 cm. Longer knives are clumsy and less handy for field dressing and skinning. It also warns against using a knife blade to pry, chop or bore holes.
Source: Atlantic Canada Hunter Education (Part B) Student Manual, 2023 Edition (Province of New Brunswick), Lesson 6, Knives:
For hunting purposes, a knife blade should be no longer than 10 cm.
Checked 2026-09-30.54. You plan to marinate venison from a deer shot with a lead bullet in a vinegar-based sauce. Why does Nova Scotia's lead ammunition advice warn against that?
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Acids make lead more soluble, so the body absorbs more of any fragments
Lead bullets can scatter tiny bits up to 46 cm from the wound, often too small to see or feel. The summary warns against vinegar and other acid marinades, because acid helps the body take in lead. Trimming well around the wound and using non-lead ammunition cut the risk further.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Lead Ammunition and Wildlife Health:
Acidic substances make lead more soluble and therefore more easily absorbed by our bodies.
Checked 2026-09-30.55. Nova Scotia's summary sets one setback that applies at any time and to every weapon. How close to a school may you discharge a weapon?
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No closer than 804 metres
Nova Scotia's setback table puts schools at 804 metres for rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, bows and crossbows alike. Other places, such as dwellings, highways and businesses, have shorter setbacks. Schools get the widest buffer of all.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Big game, About bear hunting and snaring:
No person shall at any time discharge a weapon within 804 m of a school.
Checked 2026-09-30.56. You bought a Nova Scotia small game stamp this year but never made it into the woods. What does the summary say about the hunter report?
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You still have to file it, since reporting is required even if you did not hunt
Nova Scotia makes hunter and fur harvester reports mandatory for every licence holder. That includes people who did not hunt or had no success. A zero report is still useful data, and failing to report can cost you a fine and future licences.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, mandatory reporting notice:
Reporting is required from all licence holders even if you did not hunt or have a successful harvest.
Checked 2026-09-30.57. You shoot a deer in Nova Scotia and plan to report the harvest online. Until the harvest is reported and the deer processed, what must stay attached to the carcass?
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The head, attached to at least one front quarter
Nova Scotia's steps after a kill include keeping the head on at least one front quarter until you have reported the harvest and processed the deer. You must also cut out your tag, notch the date and report within 24 hours of the kill or of leaving camp. The detached tag must stay with the deer too.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, After a successful harvest:
Keep the head attached to at least one front quarter of the deer until you have reported your harvest and processed the deer for storage or consumption.
Checked 2026-09-30.58. A hunter new to Nova Scotia flushes a covey of Hungarian partridge at a field edge, and later a spruce grouse in the softwoods. What does the province's summary say about hunting these two birds?
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Hunting spruce partridge and Hungarian partridge is prohibited in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's upland game birds are the ruffed grouse and the male ring-necked pheasant. The summary states plainly that hunting spruce partridge and Hungarian partridge is prohibited. Knowing your birds matters, since a spruce grouse can turn up in the same woods as ruffed grouse.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Small game, About small game hunting:
Hunting of Spruce Partridge Falcipennis canadensis and Hungarian Partridge Perdix perdix is prohibited in Nova Scotia.
Checked 2026-09-30.59. Nova Scotia bans one popular kind of deer attractant to guard against Chronic Wasting Disease. Which kind?
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Scents and lures made with real deer urine
Nova Scotia bans real deer urine products, and any product with deer body parts or fluids, in wildlife habitat. The aim is to keep Chronic Wasting Disease out of the province. Studies show the disease can spread through urine, and most of these products come from captive deer.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, Help protect the deer herd from Chronic Wasting Disease:
Nova Scotia law prohibits the use of real deer urine-based products for scents or lures.
Checked 2026-09-30.60. A Nova Scotia hunter wants to fly a small drone over a clearcut to find deer before walking in. What does the summary say?
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Drones count as aircraft, and using an aircraft to hunt wildlife is prohibited
Transport Canada classes drones as aircraft. Nova Scotia's regulations say no person shall operate or be a passenger in an aircraft for the purpose of hunting wildlife. Finding game with a drone also takes away the fair chase that hunting depends on.
Source: 2026 Nova Scotia Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations, General licence stipulations, No drones allowed:
No person shall operate or be a passenger in an aircraft for the purpose of hunting wildlife
Checked 2026-09-30.
These are practice questions, not the official exam. We wrote them from the published course topics. We did not copy them from the Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course (Part B) question bank. So a good score here means you are ready to book the real thing. It does not mean you are certified.
Ready for the paperwork? Our guide to getting a hunting licence in Nova Scotia covers the steps after the course.
What the Nova Scotia Hunter Education (Part B) exam covers
The Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course (Part B) is organised into 6 chapters. This practice set follows the same outline, so you can drill any of them with the topic buttons above the questions.
- Introduction to Hunter Education
- Ecology and Wildlife Management
- Ethics and Responsibilities
- Hunting Laws and Regulations
- Hunter Survival Skills
- Field Techniques
Questions about the Nova Scotia Hunter Education (Part B) exam
Is this the real Atlantic Provinces Hunter Education Course (Part B) exam?
No. These are original practice questions written from published curriculum topics. They are not reproduced from the official question bank, and passing them does not certify you to hunt in Nova Scotia.
What does the Nova Scotia Hunter Education (Part B) exam cover?
There are 6 topics here: introduction, wildlife management, ethics, survival, field techniques, regulations. The official course covers the same ground in more depth.
Does a Nova Scotia hunting licence work in other provinces?
No. Hunting licences are issued province by province, so a Nova Scotia licence only covers Nova Scotia. The hunter education credential is a separate question, and each province decides for itself which outside credentials it accepts. We set out what each one publishes in our guide to whether hunter education transfers between provinces.