Apply for a disabled hunting permit

Ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements prior to applying:

• Wildlife must be wildlife as defined under the Wildlife Act
• You have a permanent injury or disability (see section 5, Wildlife Act Permit Regulation) 
• You are 19 years of age or older, or you are 10-18 years old and have the written consent of a parent or guardian

Disabled hunting permits are not limited to B.C. residents, U.S. citizens and out of province hunters are also eligible. They will have to follow the same process as a B.C. resident and submit a medical assessment form.

An application by a hunter having a physical disability for a permit under section 2 (aa), 2 (bb), 3 (2) or 3.1 (1)(a) of the Wildlife Act Permit Regulation.

Permit types

Disabled hunter can request the permit for any combination of the following:

1. To discharge a firearms from a motor vehicle
   • This is intended for those persons who are unable to safely exit a motor vehicle to shoot (for example, paraplegics)
2. To use a motor vehicle to hunt in areas closed to motor vehicles
   • This is primarily intended for those persons who are unable to walk very far without mobility assistance (for example, cane, walker, crutches, wheelchair, or prosthetics)
3. To be assisted by having one or more hunting companions, to track, kill and retrieve big game wounded by the disabled person (open or closed area)
   • This is primarily intended for those persons who are unable to walk very far without mobility assistance (for example, cane, walker, crutches, wheelchair, or prosthetics)
4. To be assisted by having one or more designated (proxy) hunting companions, to hunt and kill big game on behalf of the disabled person
   • This is intended for those persons who are completely unable to discharge a firearm or crossbow due to their physical disability (for example, quadriplegics, double arm amputee)

Companions:

• Authorizing a physically disabled person to be assisted by having one or more hunting companions
• Refer to the disabled hunting permit application for further details on companions and the definition of hunt

Motor vehicle restrictions:

• If you are seeking exemptions from motor vehicle restrictions or time of day restrictions you must provide the management unit (M.U.) and the specific closure within that M.U. where you are seeking the exemption.
• Refer to the most recently published Hunting and trapping regulations synopsis

Costs

There are no fees associated with a disabled hunting permit application.

Your application will go through the following process before any decision is made:

1. Receiving the application
   Your application will be reviewed to ensure that it is complete. If necessary, you will be contacted for more information.
   
   An application will not be accepted and processed until all required information and application fee have been received.

2. Decision making
   The target time frame for making a decision on your application is 70 days after a complete application is received. Processing time within the Northeast Region will be considerably longer as there is a required consultation process.
   
   A decision will be made on whether to issue a permit or not after a full review of your submission.

3. Issuance of permit
   If your application is approved, the permit is issued and sent to you by FrontCounter BC. If your application was not approved, you will be notified.

NOTE: If you used a BCeID and a permit is issued, you can download it from Manage your natural resource applications by logging in using your BCeID.

Application enquiries

Read more about application processing and how to check the status of your application.