About & Data Sources
A tool built by Canadian hunters, for Canadian hunters.
Our Story
BetterHunts was developed by a small team of Canadian hunters with a shared experience. After moving around the country and living in several different provinces, we found it difficult to find good hunts for different species. Sifting through complicated tables of draw results and harvest numbers was tedious and time consuming, and we knew there must be other hunters out there experiencing similar frustrations. So we set out to develop a solution.
We organized and analyzed data from select provinces to build a tool that would make understanding and interpreting this information so much easier. Our goal is to provide hunters with an easy way to find the best hunt every season, so they can spend more time doing what they love. We're excited to keep adding more features and provinces as we grow.
What We're Trying to Do
Make government data usable
Provincial wildlife agencies publish draw results, harvest reports, and open season regulations every year — but the raw PDFs and spreadsheets are hard to work with. We parse, clean, and map that data so it's actually useful in the field.
Help hunters make better decisions
Whether you're deciding which WMU to apply for, comparing draw odds across species, or scouting land before the season opens — we want to give you the information to make that call confidently.
Cover more of Canada every year
We currently cover Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Quebec, and Manitoba, with more provinces in development. Our goal is to be the most complete hunting tool for Canadian hunters coast to coast.
Where the Data Comes From
Everything on BetterHunts is sourced from publicly available government data — the same information published by provincial wildlife agencies each season. We don't make up odds or estimate harvest numbers. We take what the government publishes, and make it easier to read.
- Draw odds & results — Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, via the Alberta Regulatory Environment Management System (RELM)
- Open seasons — Alberta Wildlife Regulation, published annually
- Harvest figures — Alberta Hunter Harvest Survey, compiled from mandatory harvest reporting
- WMU boundaries — Alberta Open Government Data portal
- Draw odds & results — Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, via SaskHunter draw result reports
- Open seasons — Saskatchewan Hunting Regulations Summary, published annually
- Harvest figures — SK Hunter Harvest Survey reports (2020–2024)
- WMZ boundaries — Saskatchewan Open Data portal
- Draw odds & results — Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRF), moose draw result summaries
- Open seasons & deer — Ontario Hunting Regulations, published annually by MNRF
- Harvest figures — Ontario Hunter Survey reports
- WMU boundaries — Ontario Open Data catalogue
- Draw odds & results — NB Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, moose draw result bulletins
- Harvest figures — NB Moose Harvest Reports (2019–2024)
- Zone boundaries — NB Department of Natural Resources
- Draw odds & results — NL Wildlife Division, Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
- Moose & caribou data — NL hunter harvest survey reports and draw summary bulletins
- Zone boundaries — NL Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture open data
- Harvest statistics — Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP), annual harvest summary reports
- Zone boundaries — Gouvernement du Québec open geospatial data
Map Layers
Beyond hunt unit data, BetterHunts overlays several additional layers to help with scouting and trip planning.
Forest Harvest Cutblocks
Cutblock layers are derived from the Canadian National Forest Inventory's satellite-based harvest detection dataset, covering 1985–2022. Each cutblock is time-stamped by harvest year, allowing hunters to identify early-succession regenerating forest — prime habitat for moose, deer, and bear. This data is openly published by the Canadian Forest Service.
Crown Land
Publicly accessible Crown Land boundaries are sourced from provincial open data portals. Coverage varies by province and is updated as new data becomes available.
Butcher Shops & Float Plane Charters
Business locations are sourced from OpenStreetMap contributors and curated manually. If a business is missing or incorrect, let us know at contact@BetterHunts.ca.
Base Maps
Map tiles are rendered using Protomaps, built on OpenStreetMap data. Satellite imagery is provided via standard tile sources.
A Note on Accuracy
We do our best to keep data current and accurate, but regulations change and government publications are updated each season. Always verify hunt dates, quotas, and zone boundaries against the official provincial regulations before you go out.
If you spot an error or something that looks out of date, please let us know — we take data quality seriously and will correct it as quickly as we can.
Get in Touch
Have a comment, suggestion, or data correction? We'd love to hear from you.
contact@BetterHunts.ca