NOC 85104: Trappers and hunters
What trappers and hunters do
Trappers and hunters trap and hunt wild animals for pelts or live sale. They are usually self-employed and work on a seasonal basis.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following 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.
Job titles under NOC 85104
11 job titles are classified here, including fur trapper, game trapper, hunter.
- beaver trapper
- fur trapper
- game trapper
- hunter
- land-based seal hunter
- land-based sealer
- muskrat trapper
- seal hunter - hunting and trapping
- sealer
- sealer - hunting and trapping
- trapper
Employment requirements
- Completion of trapping or hunting courses may be required in some provinces.
- A provincial trapping or hunting licence is required.
Trappers and hunters wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $16.12/hr | $23.23/hr | $35.85/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $18.21/hr | $22.33/hr | $27.69/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Quebec | $18.21/hr | $22.33/hr | $27.69/hr |
Ontario | $17.87/hr | $20.96/hr | $28.52/hr |
Manitoba | $24.09/hr | $29.60/hr | $36.34/hr |
British Columbia | $19.18/hr | $25.22/hr | $27.78/hr |
Using NOC 85104 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 11 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Animal control trapper AND nuisance control trapper (NOC 73202)
- Hunting guide (NOC 64322)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for trappers and hunters?
Trappers and hunters are NOC 2021 unit group 85104. Example job titles in this group include fur trapper, game trapper, hunter, sealer.
What TEER is NOC 85104?
NOC 85104 is TEER 5 (Short work demonstration). Usually requires a short work demonstration and no formal education. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do trappers and hunters earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $23.23/hr, about $45,000 a year full-time, with a range of $16.12/hr to $35.85/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.