Question about hunting rules in Alberta

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birdman86

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Newbie here. So buddy says that if the two of us went out hunting an elk or deer or whatever, and we have only one tag, then we can only carry one rifle. I haven't been able to find this in writing...is it accurate? My thoughts were he could hypothetically carry his rifle and tag and I could carry a bush gun for bear defense basically.

Also came across this little rule while trying to find an answer - any idea what the reasoning is? "(It is unlawful to) hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft."
 
There is no specific rule about what firearms and who can carry firearms in the woods or grasslands. You obviously can't hunt big game without a tag. If you are pursuing animals while in possession of a firearm, that seems like hunting to me, to a game warden, and to a judge. That said, if it's in an area where you can shoot wolves or coyotes, then you can simply be wolf/coyote hunting while buddy is deer/elk hunting. Choose your words carefully if you come across a law enforcement officer. Or just buy a black bear tag. I was up Beehive Mountain last fall and shot a nice blackie because two sheep hunters who got up there before I did didn't have a bear tag.
 
birdman86 said:
Also came across this little rule while trying to find an answer - any idea what the reasoning is? "(It is unlawful to) hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft."
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So you can't spot the animals from the air in a bushplane and then land to shoot them. Common type of rule in every province. The exception for jet planes is so you can still hunt if you flew into the Calgary airport on a WestJet, for example. In BC the exception is for regularly scheduled commercial flights.
 
While I'm not positive about Alta, here in Sask hunting includes taking, wounding, killing, chasing, pursuing, worrying, capturing, following after or following on the trail of, searching for, shooting at, trapping, setting snares for, stalking or lying in wait for any wildlife, or attempting to do any of those things, whether or not the wildlife is then or subsequently captured, wounded or killed.

When I have C.O.'s come to my hunter ed classes for Q&A, I always ask the same question that you are. The answer is that anyone accompanying a hunter is technically hunting, even if "pushing bush". It is up to the discretion of the officer the intention at the moment.

If you are merely "pushing bush" unarmed, chances you wouldn't be charged with hunting without a license, if you are carrying a 12g with a slug on a bird license, chances are that you will.

Take it for what it's worth.

**Edit** a person may not accompany a hunter with a big game tag here with a firearm to "shoot coyotes" either.
 
Hunt&Hook said:
**Edit** a person may not accompany a hunter with a big game tag here with a firearm to "shoot coyotes" either.
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I've read that rule from Sask but we don't have anything similar in AB. And nothing like Ontario where you can't carry a big game rifle during a big game open season w/o a big game tag. Or something like that. Here a resident doesn't need any hunting license for wolves or coyotes (and various small pest animals) so that's probably why there's no rule about carrying a gun w/o a license/tag. No bag limit, either. Landowners or their authorized agents can also shoot black bears any time of year on their land w/o a license. Landowner permission to shoot wolves outside of hunting season extends 8km past the edge of the property as long as the hunter has legal access to that land. Ranchers don't like predators LOL!
 
When faced with this situation before hunting with my brother in law, we made sure we had a tag each for a critter appropriate for the caliber we were carrying. When push comes to shove I don't know how it would go down, but a large caliber for coyote or a scoped hunting rifle for bear defense I figure would look kinda fishy right off the bat.
 
rifleman762 said:
I've read that rule from Sask but we don't have anything similar in AB. And nothing like Ontario where you can't carry a big game rifle during a big game open season w/o a big game tag. Or something like that. Here a resident doesn't need any hunting license for wolves or coyotes (and various small pest animals) so that's probably why there's no rule about carrying a gun w/o a license/tag. No bag limit, either. Landowners or their authorized agents can also shoot black bears any time of year on their land w/o a license. Landowner permission to shoot wolves outside of hunting season extends 8km past the edge of the property as long as the hunter has legal access to that land. Ranchers don't like predators LOL!
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Found it here : http://www.huntalberta.ca/en/Species/OtherGame

In general, Coyotes may be hunted year round on private lands and from October 1 until February 28 on public lands. During open big game seasons, the Coyote hunter must possess a big game license valid for that open season and management unit. The serious Coyote hunter should wait until the end of the big game season (usually November 30) when pelts are at their best and other hunters are not as active. An Alberta Wolf /Coyote game license is required.
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Dammit! I read the whole Alberta wildlife act when a google search gave me the answer!
 
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birdman86 said:
...if the two of us went out hunting an elk or deer or whatever, and we have only one tag, then we can only carry one rifle. t."
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No. Party hunting is allowed in most provinces, so far as I know. You can have an entire camp full of guys out hunting, each with a gun, so long as one person in the group has a valid tag. Obviously there must be communication among them, so that everyone stops hunting when the last tag is filled.

Look at the description of the Partner License in the Alberta regs. Clearly the intent is to have two people out hunting, with only one license between them.
 
BattleRife said:
No. Party hunting is allowed in most provinces, so far as I know. You can have an entire camp full of guys out hunting, each with a gun, so long as one person in the group has a valid tag. Obviously there must be communication among them, so that everyone stops hunting when the last tag is filled.

Look at the description of the Partner License in the Alberta regs. Clearly the intent is to have two people out hunting, with only one license between them.
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The youth program,a party hunt (not available in Alta) and the partner program include shared licenses, , thus, everyone is licensed. The OP is asking about only 1 hunter being licensed and the other not, but still carry a rifle.

Again, it will be entirely upon the discretion of a CO or judge, whatever the case may be.
 
The partner licence is only valid for moose. Party hunting is NOT allowed in Alberta for other species. I know it is frequently practised but is illegal
Neil
 
birdman86 said:
Newbie here. So buddy says that if the two of us went out hunting an elk or deer or whatever, and we have only one tag, then we can only carry one rifle. I haven't been able to find this in writing...is it accurate? My thoughts were he could hypothetically carry his rifle and tag and I could carry a bush gun for bear defense basically.

Also came across this little rule while trying to find an answer - any idea what the reasoning is? "(It is unlawful to) hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft."
Click to expand...

BattleRife said:
No. Party hunting is allowed in most provinces, so far as I know. You can have an entire camp full of guys out hunting, each with a gun, so long as one person in the group has a valid tag. Obviously there must be communication among them, so that everyone stops hunting when the last tag is filled.

Look at the description of the Partner License in the Alberta regs. Clearly the intent is to have two people out hunting, with only one license between them.
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Not in Alberta.

If look at the regulations for Alberta there is a Partner License available (2019 regs, pg. 17) for moose or bison but it isn't for Party hunting with a group of guys with just 1 tag. The Partner license allows the tag holder to designate one(1) person to be a partner with them on their special license.
 
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BattleRife said:
No. Party hunting is allowed in most provinces, so far as I know. You can have an entire camp full of guys out hunting, each with a gun, so long as one person in the group has a valid tag. Obviously there must be communication among them, so that everyone stops hunting when the last tag is filled.

Look at the description of the Partner License in the Alberta regs. Clearly the intent is to have two people out hunting, with only one license between them.
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So far as you know is wrong. In BC only certain LEH draws can be group hunted, and all of the group members have their names on the LEH authorization - they apply for the authorization as a group. Most of the time, everyone needs a tag if they've got a gun in the woods, as pursuing wildlife is generally within the definition of hunting regardless of whether you plan to pull the trigger.

Of course it's perfectly legal to have a gun for bear defense or whatever while out in the woods in BC, but you'll be considered hunting if you are with someone who is hunting, at which point you better have a tag for something if you don't want the potential for trouble.
 
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Neilm said:
The partner licence is only valid for moose. Party hunting is NOT allowed in Alberta for other species. I know it is frequently practised but is illegal
Neil
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Yep.

Dunno whether it played out the way I figured, or not, but when they came up with the blank tags and the ability to buy tags over the interwebs, it immediately occurred to us at the lunch table that it would save a lot of money as you only had to have a deer tag to be legal to be out there, and you could buy a tag as opportunity presented itself, as the 'tag' was simply a number you wrote on to a blank physical tag.

Here in BC, several of the tags that you buy are not valid for a period after they are purchased, 24/48 Hours. Date and time are/were marked on them. IIRC, that was for Cougars and Sheep. But check the Regs.

As for the OP's question, if you are out hunting, normally everyone in the party that is carrying a firearm has at the very least, a hunting licence and tags for deer or some other game that is open a the time. Saves headaches.

The real question that comes to mind is "Who, in their right mind, goes out hunting with only one friggen tag?" Nobody I ever met! In AB the standard loadout was at least the Antlered (1) and Antlerless (sold 2 at a time) White Tail tags, possibly the Mulie tag, and then, whatever 'other' tags, usually Draw stuff or local specials like the Strathcona County tags, etc.

Read and understand the Regs. It sounds a lot like your friend read them, but didn't understand them. Get a spare regs book and keep it in the book rack in the sh*tter.
 
trevj said:
Yep.

Dunno whether it played out the way I figured, or not, but when they came up with the blank tags and the ability to buy tags over the interwebs, it immediately occurred to us at the lunch table that it would save a lot of money as you only had to have a deer tag to be legal to be out there, and you could buy a tag as opportunity presented itself, as the 'tag' was simply a number you wrote on to a blank physical tag.

Here in BC, several of the tags that you buy are not valid for a period after they are purchased, 24/48 Hours. Date and time are/were marked on them. IIRC, that was for Cougars and Sheep. But check the Regs.

As for the OP's question, if you are out hunting, normally everyone in the party that is carrying a firearm has at the very least, a hunting licence and tags for deer or some other game that is open a the time. Saves headaches.

The real question that comes to mind is "Who, in their right mind, goes out hunting with only one friggen tag?" Nobody I ever met! In AB the standard loadout was at least the Antlered (1) and Antlerless (sold 2 at a time) White Tail tags, possibly the Mulie tag, and then, whatever 'other' tags, usually Draw stuff or local specials like the Strathcona County tags, etc.

Read and understand the Regs. It sounds a lot like your friend read them, but didn't understand them. Get a spare regs book and keep it in the book rack in the sh*tter.
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Shoulda seen the guy infront of me at Cabelas the other year. I think he bought every single tag they sold!
 
trevj said:
Yep.

Dunno whether it played out the way I figured, or not, but when they came up with the blank tags and the ability to buy tags over the interwebs, it immediately occurred to us at the lunch table that it would save a lot of money as you only had to have a deer tag to be legal to be out there, and you could buy a tag as opportunity presented itself, as the 'tag' was simply a number you wrote on to a blank physical tag.

Here in BC, several of the tags that you buy are not valid for a period after they are purchased, 24/48 Hours. Date and time are/were marked on them. IIRC, that was for Cougars and Sheep. But check the Regs.

As for the OP's question, if you are out hunting, normally everyone in the party that is carrying a firearm has at the very least, a hunting licence and tags for deer or some other game that is open a the time. Saves headaches.

The real question that comes to mind is "Who, in their right mind, goes out hunting with only one friggen tag?" Nobody I ever met! In AB the standard loadout was at least the Antlered (1) and Antlerless (sold 2 at a time) White Tail tags, possibly the Mulie tag, and then, whatever 'other' tags, usually Draw stuff or local specials like the Strathcona County tags, etc.

Read and understand the Regs. It sounds a lot like your friend read them, but didn't understand them. Get a spare regs book and keep it in the book rack in the sh*tter.
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We used to be able to shoot our whitetail with a rifle in draw elk season (Sept) if we held both tags. Sadly, no more.

Very few of our seasons overlap anymore.
 
Suther said:
Shoulda seen the guy infront of me at Cabelas the other year. I think he bought every single tag they sold!
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I've bought tags I had no intention of using, just so if I did tag what I wanted (usually a big doe), I had the option of still being out there.

Hunt&Hook said:
We used to be able to shoot our whitetail with a rifle in draw elk season (Sept) if we held both tags. Sadly, no more.

Very few of our seasons overlap anymore.
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Same was for Draw Moose, IIRC. But we usually went way out in the sticks North of Red Earth Creek, where the general moose season overlapped with the deer openings.

But yeah. Regs. Read and understand!
 
Hunt&Hook said:
We used to be able to shoot our whitetail with a rifle in draw elk season (Sept) if we held both tags. Sadly, no more.

Very few of our seasons overlap anymore.
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That sucks. In BC most things run long enough that they overlap in some way or another. In the middle of October most things are open.
 
BattleRife said:
No. Party hunting is allowed in most provinces, so far as I know. You can have an entire camp full of guys out hunting, each with a gun, so long as one person in the group has a valid tag. Obviously there must be communication among them, so that everyone stops hunting when the last tag is filled.

Look at the description of the Partner License in the Alberta regs. Clearly the intent is to have two people out hunting, with only one license between them.
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Party hunting isn’t allowed in Alberta and I’m glad too... that’s why the partner licence came in. It’s the only way 2 people can hunt on one tag.
 
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