Units Region 5 Cariboo MU 5-2

MU 5-2 hunting seasons · Cariboo, BC

Management Unit 5-2 is in Region 5 (Cariboo), about 14,022 km², around Quesnel, Williams Lake, 108 Mile Ranch, 141 Mile House, 150 Mile House and 93 Mile.

19 general open seasons in the synopsis cover MU 5-2: Mule deer, White-tailed deer, Mountain sheep, Black bear, Cougar, Wolf, Grouse.

Parks inside the unit include Beaver Valley Park, Becher's Prairie Park, Cariboo Nature Park and Cottonwood River Park. Hunting rules in parks differ; Huntable shows each park’s rules where you stand.

General open seasons, 2026–2028

Species	What	Season	Who	Also check
Mule deer	Bucks	Sep 1 – Sep 9	Bow only
	4 Point Bucks	Sep 10 – Sep 30	Any licensed hunter	See Definitions section: Mule (Black-tailed) deer. The antlers must accompany the species licence. Buck meets the 4-point definition Antlers must accompany the species licence
	Bucks	Oct 1 – Oct 31	Any licensed hunter
	4 Point Bucks	Nov 1 – Nov 10	Any licensed hunter	See Definitions section: Mule (Black-tailed) deer. The antlers must accompany the species licence. Buck meets the 4-point definition Antlers must accompany the species licence
	4 Point Bucks	Nov 21 – Nov 30	Any licensed hunter	See Definitions section: Mule (Black-tailed) deer. The antlers must accompany the species licence. Buck meets the 4-point definition Antlers must accompany the species licence
	Bucks	Dec 1 – Dec 10	Bow only
White-tailed deer	Bucks	Sep 1 – Sep 9	Youth hunters only
	Bucks	Sep 1 – Sep 9	Bow only
	Bucks	Sep 10 – Nov 30	Any licensed hunter
	Antlerless	Oct 10 – Oct 31	Any licensed hunter
	Either Sex	Nov 1 – Nov 30	Youth hunters only
	Bucks	Dec 1 – Dec 10	Bow only
Mountain sheep (bighorn/thinhorn)	Full Curl Bighorn Rams	Sep 10 – Oct 20	Any licensed hunter	Ram meets the full-curl definition Compulsory inspection required
Black bear	Any	Apr 1 – Jun 30	Any licensed hunter
	Any	Sep 1 – Nov 30	Any licensed hunter
Cougar	Any	Sep 10 – Apr 30	Any licensed hunter	Hunters are asked not to harvest a cougar wearing a radio collar in the Cariboo region until the study concludes in winter 2026/27 (p. 42). Not a kitten or a cougar in a kitten's company Compulsory inspection required
Wolf	Any	Jan 1 – Dec 31	Any licensed hunter	No closed season; no bag limit.
Grouse (sooty/dusky, ruffed, spruce)	Any	Sep 1 – Sep 9	Youth hunters only	Sooty/Dusky (Blue) grouse bag 5 (15); Spruce & Ruffed 10 (30); daily aggregate 10, possession aggregate 30.
	Any	Sep 10 – Nov 30	Any licensed hunter	Sooty/Dusky (Blue) grouse bag 5 (15); Spruce & Ruffed 10 (30); daily aggregate 10, possession aggregate 30.

Synopsis p. 44

Bag limits in Region 5

Deer: mule (black-tailed) deer 2, only one may be a buck (antlerless mule deer by LEH only). White-tailed deer 2, only one may be a buck. See also the Deer Bag Limits article on p. 14. Bighorn sheep 1, mountain goat 1, black bear 2, cougar 2 (p. 44). Wolf 3, except no bag limit in MUs 5-1 to 5-6, 5-12 to 5-15. Grouse: Sooty/Dusky (Blue) 5 daily (15 possession); Spruce & Ruffed 10 (30); daily aggregate 10, possession aggregate 30 (p. 44). Synopsis p. 43

Region 5 notices

Tsilhqot'in Nation declared Aboriginal Title area (hatched on the region map, MUs 5-4/5-5): treat as private land; hunters are advised not to enter and to contact the Xeni Gwet'in band office (p. 42). Hunting is prohibited within 400 m of the portions of Chilko-Newton Road and Elkin Creek-Lord River FSR within the title area (Maps E10, E11).
No black bear season in the Mussel Inlet Special Management Area (MU 5-9); portions of MU 5-9 are Black Bear No Hunting Areas (Map F14, p. 52).
No Shooting Areas (firearm discharge prohibited): 100 Mile House (MU 5-2, Map E1); Rose Lake (MU 5-2, Map E2); Gibraltar Mines (MU 5-2, Map E4); Williams Lake and Williams Lake River (MU 5-2, Map E3); Snootli Creek Park (MU 5-8); Ocean Falls (MU 5-9, Map E8); Wells (MU 5-15, Map E23).
Reidemann Wildlife Sanctuary (Alkali Lake, MU 5-2): no hunting, trapping or discharge of firearms (Map E5).
Nekite River Spawning Channel (MU 5-7): hunting and firearm discharge prohibited within 100 m of the DFO spawning channel.
Stum (Pelican) Lake Park (MU 5-13): hunting, trapping and firearm discharge prohibited Mar 1 - Aug 31, including all of Stum Lake below the high water mark and its islands.
Tweedsmuir Park No Hunting Areas in MUs 5-10, 5-11 (Map E16).
Quarter-mile single-projectile closed areas (no single-projectile firearm within 400 m either side of the road; shot permitted): Robertson Road and side roads (MU 5-2); Tatlayoko Road south from Eagle Lake Road (MU 5-5); Horn-Bluff Lakes Road (MU 5-5, Map E12); West Fraser Road (MUs 5-2, 5-13, 5-14, Map E18); Soda Creek Rd / Williams Lake Cutoff Rd along Buckskin Road; Tibbles Road (MU 5-13, Map E19).
Highway No Shooting Areas and No Hunting/No Shooting Areas on page 10 apply.
Motor vehicle closures: all motor vehicles (except snowmobiles) prohibited above 1700 m except on existing roads and trails; ATVs/snowmobiles for hunting closed 4:00-10:00 a.m. Sept 1 - Nov 30 in MUs 5-3 to 5-6 and 5-14, and all of MUs 5-12 and 5-13 Sept 1 - Nov 30; plus mapped road/area closures (see www.gov.bc.ca/caribooaccess).
Access to the Mount Polley mine site (MU 5-2) is prohibited.
It is unlawful to intentionally feed or bait ungulates within 200 m of a dwelling, school yard or playground.

Synopsis p. 43

Next to MU 5-2

MU 3-31 MU 5-1 MU 5-3 MU 5-13 MU 5-14 MU 5-15 MU 7-8

Seasons are from the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis 2026-2028 as transcribed by Huntable. This page is a summary, not legal advice or a licence. It leaves out Limited Entry Hunting (LEH) seasons, area-specific maps and in-season changes: always read the synopsis pages listed and check gov.bc.ca/hunting before you go. Spot a mistake? Tell us.