Baiting deer in Quebec: the rules

In Quebec, baiting deer and feeding deer are two different things in law. One is permitted inside a fixed window; the other is prohibited nine months of the year. Here is what applies, plainly.

Baiting: 1 September to 30 November

Baiting white-tailed deer for hunting is permitted from 1 September to 30 November only. That is a 91-day window, the same across Quebec.

Corn, apples, carrots, molasses, grain mixes and non-saline attractants all count as bait. They must be placed in limited quantities, dispersed in the forest, away from dwellings and roads.

Salt: permitted year-round

Saline substances are the exception. Loose salt, salt blocks and licks remain permitted all year. That is in fact preferable: a lick established well in advance works harder than a site thrown together at the last minute.

Feeding: prohibited 1 December to 31 August

Outside the hunting period, feeding white-tailed deer is prohibited. Fines run from $1,000 to $5,000. Anticosti Island is the exception.

The ban targets feeding as such — putting food out to sustain deer — not the hunting techniques governed by the Hunting Regulation.

What it means in practice

• Build your licks early. Salt is permitted year-round, so nothing stops you establishing a site in spring or summer.
• Wait for 1 September for bait. Corn, apples, carrots and molasses only go out from that date.
• Clear up before 1 December. After 30 November, baiting is finished for the year.
• Check your zone. Hunting dates vary by zone. The ones below are for zones 5 ouest and 8 sud.

This page is a plain-language summary prepared by F.G. Edwards. It does not replace the official regulation. Always check with the ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs for the rules in force in your zone.