Alberta's Hunting Regs - Could it be more confusing?

RoscoeT

RoscoeT

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I'm seriously hoping that some wiser person that I can please explain a bit about AB hunting regs.

I'm new to the province, I've only hunted birds and rabbits but thought about going deer stalking.

I've had a real good look but I can't seem to figure out exactly which pieces of paper I would need to chase deer. And maybe some game and water birds.
Seems like there are licenses, special license draws, a win card and everything is about WMU#, and other stuff... it's not very obvious exactly what I need to do.

Can anyone help?

R
 
WMU =Wildlife Management Unit
If you want to hunt White tails your in luck
They are availible almost everywhere
Other big game you will have to apply for well in advance
 
The regulations aren't that complicated. I can't really tell if you've hunted in Alberta yet for birds / rabbits or not, but if not, pick up a copy of the hunting regulations from Canadian Tire, etc.

The next think you need to decide is where you want to hunt. Find out what seasons are available, which species require draws, etc. Generally speaking, each big game license consists of a tag and a paper license. You need to carry both while hunting, and tag your animal as soon as it is killed.

It's also important in Alberta to determine if you are on crown land or private / leased land. Private and leased land require the owner / lease holder's permission, otherwise you can find your self in trouble. A county / land owner's map is invaluable for gaining permission.

Like jspbird said, get a WIN card if you don't already have one. You need this to buy fishing / hunting licenses.

It would be easier to provide information if you could post what you want to hunt and where. What do you hope to hunt? Many species require a license to be drawn, and Alberta has a priority draw system. What that means is that the longer you apply, the better your chances of getting drawn are. It's more fair if a guy who has been applying for 4 years gets drawn before the guy applying for the first year.

Here's a link to the regs if you don't have a copy yet. I find the paper copy easier to navigate though.

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/huntingregs/
 
Thanks for all the help,

I have not hunted anything in Alberta before. I have read most of the regs online but I am wondering if I want to chase mule deer or white tail, do I need a license, and a "special license" from a draw? Or just the license period?
It is pretty confusing when you read it. Can anyone make common sense out of it?

Right now I see that I need a WIN card + White-tailed Deer License + Mule Deer Licence + plus enter some kind of draw also?


http://www.mywildalberta.com/Hunting/HuntingDraws/DrawsSummaryReport.aspx

This page has draws listed for white tail but they talk about Antlered and Anterless separate. Do they mean Buck and Doe or what?

I'm planning on going out with a experienced deer hunter but he has also never hunted in Alberta. I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of permits.

I read that if you win a draw you can take on other hunter with you also. I just don't get it really.
 
Okay, not meaning to be condescending, but if if you are not clear on whether antlerless and antlered means buck and doe, you should really take the first time hunter's course. If you have never shot a deer before, at least you will have an idea what to expect.

As for hunting deer in AB (most areas anyway) you need to have a WIN card, then buy your wildlife certificate, then your whitetail tag. For mule deer, WIN, then draw application - if successful that is the tag you buy. In the reg's under seasons, the dates with no black square in front of them means they are general open season, just buy the appropriate licenses and you are good. If there is a black square in front of the dates, then they are on draw - you need to have been successfully drawn to hunt. Note that there is a general open season for mule deer in most zones - BUT this is almost always only archery (bow - no crossbows).

Again, take the first time hunters course, please, before you go getting in trouble.

Cheers,

Ian
 
Yeah,

Get a WIN card, buy a general lincese (wildlife certicicate), then a white tail tag......easiest way to hunt deer.....then find land you can legally hunt on. Crown or priviate with permission.

Birds-Win card, general (wildlife certificate), upland game bird lincese and for migratory you buy a migratory stamp....then find land..crown or private with permission.
Basically any other large game (including mulies for the most part) you need to have a WIN card and enter a draw. Once sucessful......you buy your general, tag etc....
You need a WIN card to get a fishing lic also. To get a WIN card you may need to have proof of a hunters education course.
 
In all fairness to RoscoeT, antlerless and antlered doesn't necessarily mean buck VS doe. I could shot a young buck with an antlerless tag as long as it's antlers are less than 4" long. It is a good point to maybe take a hunter training course or hook up with a more experience hunter if this is your first big game hunting experience though.

Roscoe, a "license" consists of a tag similar to a ski lift pass that you attach to your animal, plus a piece of paper that goes with each tag. Like Ian mentioned, in the regs you can tell which animals need a "special" license by the little black box by that species. A special license simply means that you need a draw. With a general tag, you can just go buy it and hunt the WMUs that have a general season open.

The general tags are mainly whitetail deer, black bear, elk, and sheep / moose in a few selected WMUs. Mule deer, most antlerless draws, some elk, most moose, and most sheep require a draw. Each WMU might have different license requirements though.

What area of the province do you want to hunt?
 
@Pudelpointer - RE: antlered Vs. antlerless. What I mean is do they have specific definitions that I can follow as to what is considered shoot-able. Where would I find this info?

Also, there seems to be whitetail draws according to the link I posted above. What is the story with that? People seem to be telling me that I do not need to draw for it.

Not to worry, I'm not going to go out blasting stuff if I don't know what it is. The thing is I want to know more about the terms they use.
 
@Scott_N -

Thanks for the info. I am in Calgary and I am sure that NW of the city is probably my most likely location. It's hard to tell which WMU it is from the maps. Looks to me like 214, 314 but I would really like to go where the deer are :)
 
RoscoeT said:
@Pudelpointer - RE: antlered Vs. antlerless. What I mean is do they have specific definitions that I can follow as to what is considered shoot-able. Where would I find this info?

Also, there seems to be whitetail draws according to the link I posted above. What is the story with that? People seem to be telling me that I do not need to draw for it.

Not to worry, I'm not going to go out blasting stuff if I don't know what it is. The thing is I want to know more about the terms they use.
Click to expand...


Antlered VS antlerless can be found in the "definitions" section of the hunting regulations. You then need to determine what WMU you will be hunting and find out the status of the species you are interested i.e. does it require a special license, or a general tag.

As for the whitetail draw, again, it depends on which WMU. For some WMUs whitetail is a special license, for others it is a general tag. It all depends on where you plan on hunting.

The key to understanding the hunting regulations is to figure out which WMUs you want to hunt, then narrow it down to which seasons are available. If you are trying to get all of your information from the internet, you might find a paper copy of the 2008 hunting regulations more user friendly and easier to understand. There is a map which indicates where the WMU boundaries are.

Also included are the generally rules i.e. definitions of what is prohibited, season dates, definitions (antleress vs antlered, what is a 3 point elk, etc.,). They may seem overwhelming at first, but once you read through the regulations, it will probably make a little more sense.
 
RoscoeT said:
@Scott_N -

Thanks for the info. I am in Calgary and I am sure that NW of the city is probably my most likely location. It's hard to tell which WMU it is from the maps. Looks to me like 214, 314 but I would really like to go where the deer are :)
Click to expand...


Knowing the WMUs helps.

214 - Whitetail (you could shoot either antlered or antlerless) is a general tag, so you can buy it and go hunting (with permission of course). Mule deer is a draw for both antlered and antlerless. Moose, both antlered and antlerless is a draw. Elk is a general tag for 3 point or larger bulls only. Both fall and spring black bear is a general tag. The same info applies for 314. You can find the season dates starting on page 45 of the regulations. Hopefully this helps.

There is also good hunting south / west of Calgary in the 400 and 402 WMUs, which have a lot of crown land. South of Lethbridge is also good in 108 for mule deer and whitetails. Last year 2 tags were given out in that WMU for antlerless mule deer, and while requiring a draw, the last few years everyone has gotten drawn. Mulie does are fairly easy to hunt, and would be a good species for a first time big game hunter to try for.

Hope this helps you a little bit...

Scott
 
Thanks Scott, It's more clear now.

I do have a copy of the regs on order but it just seemed really hard to get your head around at first.

Roscoe
 
RoscoeT said:
Thanks Scott, It's more clear now.

I do have a copy of the regs on order but it just seemed really hard to get your head around at first.

Roscoe
Click to expand...

LOL i feel your pain buddy....lucky my grandpa knows them in and out and helped me with translation. :)
 
I see I'm not the only one that the Alberta Hunting Reg's confused. 2009 will be my first season and I am still trying to figure out where I want to hunt.
 
Well, I came here new 12 years ago and had no help. Do what I did. Get the regs. Start on page one and read to the end -- every word. Do it again and again and again. Then every time you want to hunt or have a question, do it again. After a while you will know just where to look to get the info you need for any WMU. Do it yourself though. Depending on internet experts is a sure trip to a ticket.
 
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