Apply for a Permit Hunt Authorization

When to apply

Permit hunt authorization (PHA) applications closed on Thursday, May 20 at 4 p.m.

We do not accept applications after the deadline - no exceptions.

Eligibility

You can apply for the Permit Hunt Authorization (PHA) lottery if you:

• are a Yukon resident;
• have a valid Yukon big game hunting licence; and
• are at least 12 years of age.
  • Note: only hunters 14-15 years old can apply for the 2 deer PHAs for young hunters. Youth age 12-13 may apply for weighting purposes.

How to get a hunting licence and seals

Yukon hunting licences are available online or at any Department of Environment office. New hunters need to apply in person at any Department of Environment office.

Seals are available for purchase at any Environment office or registered vendors. To purchase paper seals from these vendors, you will be required to have a print out of your electronic licence with you.

Where to apply for the PHA lottery

You must submit an application and fee for each species and area you're interested in.

Online

To apply online you need:

• a valid Yukon resident hunting licence;
• an Environment Client ID, birth date and phone number to log in to your profile;
• a credit card to pay the non-refundable application fee of $10 plus GST, or $20 plus GST if you're applying jointly with another hunter; and
• an email address for confirmation of your application request.

Apply for a PHA online by logging in or creating an eServices account

Applicants can review their history and number of years' applied online by logging into their client profile. You will need to verify your previous applications before you can apply.

In person

To apply in person at any Department of Environment office you need:

• a valid Yukon resident hunting licence;
• a Yukon driver's licence or general identification card; and
• cash, cheque or credit card to pay the non-refundable application fee of $10 plus GST or $20 plus GST if you're applying jointly with another hunter.

Apply for weighting purposes only

If you don’t want a permit this year but want to increase your chance of success in future draws, you should use the option to apply for weighting only.

Your number of years' applied will stay the same if you choose not to apply.

Joint applications

• You can apply with another person for all species except moose and Kluane sheep.
• Applications must indicate a “primary applicant” and a “joint applicant.”
• Joint permit hunt authorization applications will now enter into the draw as the average of years applied for the two applicants.
• When the joint permit is issued, both individuals' number of years applied will start over for the next application for that species.
• When the primary applicant returns their permit, the joint applicant’s permit must be returned and will be considered as if they had not applied (years applied does not increase or decrease).
• When there is a single remaining permit, it will be issued to the primary applicant of a joint application. If the primary applicant returns the permit, they will be treated as if they had not applied (i.e., the applicant's number of years applied remains the same). The secondary applicant is treated as unsuccessful in the draw, and their weighting increases accordingly.

 

Go to Permit Hunt Authorization maps by species

No map is available for deer permit hunt areas. All eligible hunters may apply for hunt code DE601. Youth aged 14-15 may also apply for hunt code DE602. 

Results

2021-2022

Successful applicants for the 2021-2022 season were notified by email June 17, 2021. A list of permit holders will no longer be posted online. 

Statistics

2021-2022

View 2021 statistics for each species including distribution of permits by years applied and the number of applications for each hunt code.

• Caribou
• Deer
• Elk
• Goat
• Moose
• Sheep

 

Permit hunts help responsibly manage overall species populations and improve hunt quality. In some areas of the Yukon, you need a permit to hunt moose, caribou, sheep, goat, deer or elk. A unique permit lottery is held for each species.

The number of permits are limited and you must first submit an application and be successful in the weighted lottery to hunt for one of these species in these areas.

To distribute permits fairly, the Government of Yukon uses a weighted, computerized lottery system that randomly selects applicants. Lottery draws are based on species and areas.

Number of permits by species

There are no new permit hunts for the 2021-2022 lottery.

• Elk - 6
• Goat - 3
• Moose - 44
• Sheep - 161
  • Richardson Mountains - 2
  • Southern Yukon - 158
  • Kluane - 1
• Caribou - 44
  • Permits for Finlayson caribou will not be issued for the 2021-2022 season.
• Deer - 12
  • Two of the 12 deer permits are reserved for youth hunters who are 14 or 15 years of age at the time of application.

Download a data sheet with the number of permits by hunt code.

First Nations permission

Some permit areas include First Nations Settlement Lands. Written permission from the First Nation is required prior to hunting any big or small game species on Category A Settlement Lands. Larger blocks of Category A Settlement Land boundaries are identified on the Overview map of Game Management Subzones and special area restrictions included with the Yukon hunting regulations summary.

Smaller blocks, and all other First Nations Settlement Lands, are marked on detailed maps which can be viewed at the local First Nation's office or viewed online.

Kluane Sheep Hunt

A successful hunt in Kluane National Park and Reserve is intended as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  A hunter who harvests a sheep under the Kluane permit will become ineligible for all future Kluane sheep draws.  A hunter who is drawn for the Kluane permit, but does not harvest a sheep, can apply again in this draw. 

To apply for a Kluane sheep permit, applicants must be a Yukon resident, at least 14 years of age, have a valid big game hunting licence and be eligible to hold a sheep seal.

The Kluane sheep permit is not a Permit Hunt Authorization and it is not a weighted draw, but applications are collected at the same time as the PHA process. This permit comes from Chapter 22, sec 6.0 - Special Sheep Guiding Opportunities of the Kluane First Nation Final Agreement and is offered at the discretion of the First Nation and territorial Minister of Environment.

 

The number of applicants for Permit Hunt Authorizations (PHAs) has been increasing each year.

To fairly distribute PHAs, the Government of Yukon uses a weighted, computerized lottery system that randomly selects applicants. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics conducts the draw.

How the weighting system works

When you enter the draw for the first time, your name is entered into the draw once.

For each year that you enter the draw and are unsuccessful, your chances increase. Specifically, your name is entered the number of years you have been unsuccessful in that draw, multiplied by itself seven times.

If you apply for a permit for the fifth time, not having been successfully drawn on four earlier occasions, your name is entered into the draw 5x5x5x5x5x5x5=78,125 times.

Your weighting will increase until you are successful in a draw and accept the permit.

Once that happens, the next time you apply your weighting will reset to one.

Many applicants may have the same weighting as you and there are no guarantees for being drawn. Success depends on:

• number of permits available;
• number of applicants;
• number of times you’ve applied; and
• random selection.

Applying for different sp​ecies

Each species is a different draw. Your success in one species will not affect your weighting for a different species.

For example: you apply for moose and sheep. You are successful for moose, but not sheep. Next year you apply for moose and sheep again. Your weighting for moose will be reset to one, but your weighting for sheep will increase.

What happens if you miss a year

Your weighting does not change. You do not have to apply each year to have your name remain weighted.

What if you can't hunt this year

Please make an effort to plan ahead and apply for the PHA based on your interest and ability to accept a permit. Accepted returns will result in applicants’ weighting remaining the same, not increasing.

If you can't accept a permit this year, take advantage of the option to apply for weighting only. By selecting "weighting only" on the application, you will increase your chance of success in future draws.

If you are drawn for a permit but miss the return deadline or do not hunt in the PHA area you will still be considered successful in the draw. The weighting of your name is reset to one for the next time you apply.

Withdrawal of application

Hunters are able to request the withdrawal of a submitted application in writing (either mailed or electronic) up to 24 hours before the close of the lottery application period.  The withdrawal results in the specified application being deleted, allowing the hunter to re-submit a corrected application.  No refunds are issued for withdrawn applications, unless the withdrawal is a result of an administrative error caused by Government of Yukon. 

Disqualified applications

The Department of Environment screens applications for eligibility requirements including residency, age restrictions, hunting suspensions and past harvest of Kluane sheep.

Staff verify the online application process to ensure only eligible applications enter the draw. Disqualified applicants are notified by email. 

These verification steps follow recommendations from a third-party review of the lottery completed in 2019.

Returning permits

Successful applicants can now return their permit online through their Department of Environment eServices account by selecting the “return” button beside the affected permit. Drawn applicants have 14 days from the date of notification to return a permit. The button will disappear once the deadline to return has passed.

Accepted returns will result in the applicant’s number of years applied remaining the same, not increasing. We do not refund application fees for returned permits.

The department makes every attempt to reissue returned permits. The 14-day deadline for returns is to facilitate reissuance and allow next-drawn hunters a chance to be notified of available opportunities in a timely manner.

Refunds

Licences and applications are non-refundable unless there is administrative error caused by Government of Yukon.

Appeal process

The appeal process is a tool available to the public should they disagree with lottery-administration decisions of the Government of Yukon.

Appeals must be submitted in writing (either mailed or electronic) and sent to:

• Mail:
  Department of Environment
  Client, Business & Technology Solutions
  PO Box 2703 (V3A)
  Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6
• Email: EnvironmentYukon@yukon.ca 

You must complete the harvest reporting requirements for the species you hunt. 

See harvest reporting information

For most species, Permit Hunt Authorization holders are required to report their kill no later than 15 days after the end of the month in which the animal was taken.

Bison, elk and deer permits have specific reporting requirements. Season closures may differ between permit areas. Read and follow the instructions that come with your permit.