Saskatchewan’s big game draw opened May 1, and hunters have until midnight on Thursday, May 25 to submit their online applications. The big game draw is a transparent and equitable method of allocating a limited number of hunting licences to Saskatchewan residents. This year’s draw includes licences for elk, moose, pronghorn, either-sex mule deer and antlerless mule deer.
Hunters should apply early to prevent system outages, and use the online residency verification tool. Last year during the final day of the draw, the ministry received more than 11,000 applications, which is a significant increase from 7,000 on the final day in 2015. More than 92,000 applications were received in 2016, up from 71,445 in 2015. Applicants are advised to review results from previous years, available on the website, to assist them with selecting hunt choices that will improve their chances of being drawn. Several hunts have a high number of applicants compared to available licences and, therefore, the likelihood of any one application being drawn is very low, even for applications in the top priority pool.
The big game draw is administered through HAL, the ministry’s online hunting, angling and trapping licence system. Through HAL, clients can submit, review and update their application, check pool status history and purchase a draw licence. Clients who need help with their account or the draw application can contact the Active Network call centre at 1-888-773-8450 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.), or a Ministry of Environment office.
Draw results will be available through HAL accounts by mid-June, with the exception of pronghorn, which will be available in mid-July. Although applicants with valid email addresses on their HAL account are sent a notification of their draw results, successful email delivery cannot be guaranteed. All applicants are responsible for looking up their draw results through their HAL account. The appropriate licence will be available for purchase on your HAL account. Select the licences to purchase and complete the transaction.
