N.S. hunters aged 12 and up can enter antlerless deer draw starting Monday

Hunters are seen in this file photo from the Province of Nova Scotia.

More Nova Scotians can enter the antlerless deer draw this year after the province lowered the minimum age for deer hunting from 16 to 12 last fall.

Young hunters aged 12 to 15 can now apply for the antlerless deer draw, as long as they meet all the licensing requirements.

People can enter the draw for one of the hunting stamps starting this Monday.

The stamp allows a hunter to harvest an antlerless deer in a specific deer management zone. One stamp allows the hunter to bag one antlerless deer.

“The antlerless deer draw helps achieve healthy and balanced deer populations by allowing licensed hunters to harvest female antlerless in areas where numbers are higher,” explained the Nova Scotia government in a news release Friday.

The province says there are 6,025 antlerless deer hunting stamps for the 2026 season. Stamps are available for five of the 10 deer management zones:

• zones 103, 104, 106, 108 and 110 in mainland Nova Scotia
• zones 111 and 112 in Cape Breton

Antlerless deer stamps are not required in the other mainland zones, where hunters can harvest both male and female deer.

To be eligible for an antlerless deer stamp, hunters must:

• be a resident of Nova Scotia
• have a valid Nova Scotia Wildlife Resources Card
• be eligible to purchase a deer hunting licence, including having a valid hunting certification on their HuntNS profile before applying

Here’s how to apply:

• online through a HuntNS profile
• by calling 1-833-302-0750
• by mailing Antlerless Deer Draw Application, Citizen Services Division, Business Registration Unit, Box 1529, 6N-1505 Barrington St., Halifax, N.S., B3J 2Y4

The fee is $8.04 plus tax for electronic and phone applications and $11.70 plus tax for paper applications.

Hunters have until July 31 to apply. The results of the draw will be posted online on Aug. 18.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page