Almost every week someone asks us a version of the same question: "I've got my PAL — can I go hunting now?" The answer is no, and the reason is that BC stacks several separate requirements on top of each other. None of them are difficult, but they come from different agencies and people routinely get halfway through and discover they've missed one.

Here's the whole thing in order, written for people hunting the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland — which BC classifies as Region 2.

1. Your firearms licence (PAL)

Federal, administered by the RCMP. The PAL is what lets you buy, own, borrow and transport firearms. If you plan to hunt with a rifle or shotgun, this is the non-restricted course — the CFSC. You take the course, pass a written and a practical test, then apply to the RCMP.

This is the part we teach. We run it in Surrey and, since late 2026, in Agassiz for the Fraser Valley. Expect roughly 90 days for the RCMP to process your application, so start earlier than you think you need to.

2. CORE certification

Provincial, and completely separate from your PAL. CORE — Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education — is BC's hunter education program, and it's what the province requires before it will issue you a first resident hunting licence. It covers wildlife identification, conservation, ethics, regulations and safe field handling.

CORE involves a written exam and a practical firearm-handling test. You can prepare for it with our self-paced Online Hunting Course and then challenge the exam, or take the full instructor-led class. Worth being clear: finishing an online prep course is not the same as being CORE certified. You still have to challenge the official exam with a certified examiner.

3. Your Fish and Wildlife ID (FWID)

This is the one almost nobody knows about until they hit it. BC runs hunting and freshwater fishing through an online system called WILD, and you need a Fish and Wildlife ID to use it. The FWID is free, but you can't buy a licence or enter a Limited Entry Hunting draw without one.

You register through the province's FWID page. Your CORE certificate is what establishes your hunting credential on the account. There's also a BC resident credential that needs renewing periodically — if you've hunted before and your licence suddenly won't issue, this is usually why.

4. The hunting licence itself

Once your FWID is active with a valid hunting credential, you buy your BC resident hunting licence. These are electronic now, not paper. They run on the licence year, not the calendar year, so check the dates rather than assuming.

5. Species licences and tags

Your base hunting licence doesn't cover everything. Individual species — deer, black bear, and so on — need their own species licence, and some hunts are only available through the Limited Entry Hunting (LEH) draw, which has its own application deadlines well ahead of the season.

Where to check the actual regulations

Open seasons, boundaries, bag limits and legal methods change, and they vary by region and sometimes by individual management unit. Do not take any of it from a blog post — including this one. The authority is the BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis, published by the province, along with the separate LEH synopsis. Read the Region 2 section for the valley, and read it again each licence year.

The short version

  • PAL — federal, RCMP, lets you own the firearm.
  • CORE — provincial, lets you qualify for a hunting licence.
  • FWID — free account, required to buy anything.
  • Hunting licence — the base licence, bought through WILD.
  • Species licence / LEH — what you actually hunt, and when.

The two that take real time are the PAL and CORE, and they can be done in parallel. If you're in the eastern valley, our Chilliwack, Hope and Harrison pages have the local details, or see all Fraser Valley dates.

Questions? Call 604-562-7546. For firearms licensing specifically, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program is at 1-800-731-4000.