Hunting in Alberta for newbies.....

eltorro

eltorro

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I have recently become a Westerner by moving to Calgary, from the over-regulated-Ontario. The hunting regulations are a bit different than those I was used to. ON regs are species-oriented, while the AB regs are zone-oriented.
I want to ask you nice folks if you can give me any pointers about how hunting is done here, where do I find Crown land, what can I hunt there.....
I've noticed that a lot of land is private and some tips about asking permission to hunt on someone's land would also be very appreciated.
 
alberta

Welcome to Canada:D

Depends on what you want to hunt.
Birds. coyotes etc. will probably mean private property. Get away from Calgary/Edmonton and you shouldn't have any problems getting permission.

big game can mean private or crown land. Again permission is not hard to get.

Go to the M.D. office where you want to hunt. Buy a map or map book of the area. about $20. It will have all th landowners listed and whether the land is deeded or leased. Crown . or parks or whatever. You pretty much need one to hunt unlesss you want to spend all your time driving around looking for a farm house.

If you want to give me a call, I'll try to point you in the right direction.
 
A good place to start would be to pick up a copy of the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. It's free at Canadian Tire, Wholesale Sports, etc., and it will give you some idea of what tags you can buy, what tags you need to get drawn for, and where the boundaries for the different WMUs are.

The 2007 regulations will be coming out by July, and you'll also want to know that the deadline for any big game tags that require you to apply for the "draw" for is in June. Alberta uses a "priority" point system, so someone who has been applying for a few years will be drawn before someone applying for the first time for certain tags.

There is quite a bit of crown land south west of Calgary in WMUs 400, 402, 304, and 305. As far as getting permission to hunt on private land, I think the best thing to do is simply ask before the hunting seasons starts. From my experience the majority of people will grant access by foot, although some will not allow hunting. You'll probably find that it is easier to get permission the farther away from Calgary you go.
 
But of course I read the regulations. I managed to get a copy of the draw booklet today (I have a WIN but I don't think they'll send mo one this year)
If I knew where I want to hunt, at least I'd have a place to start. I am begining to ge to know Calgary streets and not get lost without a map, but to know the surroundings?.....:runaway: I'm totally lost.
I've been driving to the Homestead range, and the land seems nice .... lots of deer... but I gather that - being so close to the City - it will be heavy hunted (if there is any Crown land).


I know a lot of people ask rather than read, but I read the regs at least 3-4 times before posting here.
 
the regs are a little confusing at times!! but the advise so far is sound.
get a land owners map.
what are you looking for? (deer,bear etc) up north you can get tonnes of anterless mule deer tags after the draw. just keep asking any questions you may have. the folks here will keep you on the straight and narrow. another good source is albertagame.com. pm me with any questions...
and welcome to the real canada ;) ;)
 
A lot of guys from Calgary seem to come down here, closer to Taber. nd alot of guys from here tend to migrate towards Magrath. Crown land lies West towards the mountains, and extreme south, along the grazing leases. As mentioned above, welcome to the land of the free. :D
 
pharaoh2 said:
A lot of guys from Calgary seem to come down here, closer to Taber. nd alot of guys from here tend to migrate towards Magrath. Crown land lies West towards the mountains, and extreme south, along the grazing leases. As mentioned above, welcome to the land of the free. :D
Click to expand...


Hey...stay away from Magrath....thats my home stompin grounds....haha
 
+1...personally if I had the choice of North vs South, I'd head north......

I like the south country a pile, but a northern trip every once in a while makes for good times....
 
And make sure you introduce yourself to the farmer as being from Calgary.....Id probably skip that "I just moved from Ontario" part.............lol
 
I feel a lot of love for Ontarians..... :D
Any tips for approaching the landowners? What is customary to do regarding the game that was harvested on their property? Would it be understood that the a part of the game goes to the owner ? Or they would be offended if offered ? I don't know if I could be of any help at the farm, but I'd like to know what are actually the landowners expect of prospective hunters....

BTW... the Ontario thinghy would not impress anybody, since I have an accent....:rolleyes: And no, is not a Spanish one, like the name would suggest.;)
 
eltorro said:
I feel a lot of love for Ontarians..... :D
Any tips for approaching the landowners? What is customary to do regarding the game that was harvested on their property? Would it be understood that the a part of the game goes to the owner ? Or they would be offended if offered ? I don't know if I could be of any help at the farm, but I'd like to know what are actually the landowners expect of prospective hunters....

BTW... the Ontario thinghy would not impress anybody, since I have an accent....:rolleyes: And no, is not a Spanish one, like the name would suggest.;)
Click to expand...


We love Ontarians here in Alberta. We just feel bad about the wicked amount of regs that you guys have to follow over there.;)

Welcome to AB Eltorro. Too bad yer so far away.

Get a local MD or county map that lists the land owners and start by going for a drive with the map.

I haven't met too many farmers that won't sit and have a yarn over a coffee.

I heard there's big mulies in the lethbridge area (3 hours south of Calgary I think) Worth checking out on a suturday drive

Good luck
 
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