85104 – Trappers and hunters

Lead statement

Trappers and hunters trap and hunt wild animals for pelts or live sale.

Main duties

• Set traps with bait and position traps along trails
• Operate boats or snowmobiles or travel on foot, snowshoes or skis to patrol trapline or to reach hunting areas
• Pursue animals by observing and recognizing tracks, trails, animal droppings or broken foliage
• Remove catch and reset traps and snares
• Kill and skin catch for pelts, and treat and pack pelts for marketing or for transport to public auctions
• Kill wild animals using firearms or other weapons
• Trap live animals for sale to buyers or for relocation purposes
• Maintain and repair trapping and hunting equipment
• Maintain trails and access to trapping lines or hunting regions
• Trap designated animals for bounty or other control programs
• May train dogs for hunting
• May monitor animal population in the trapping or hunting regions to ensure future sustainability.

Employment requirements

• Completion of trapping or hunting courses may be required in some provinces.
• A provincial trapping or hunting licence is required.

Example job titles

hunter · seal hunter - hunting and trapping · sealer - hunting and trapping · sealer · trapper · fur trapper · beaver trapper · game trapper · muskrat trapper · land-based seal hunter · land-based sealer

Wages (per hour)

Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.