Who needs hunter education in Alberta
First-time hunters must complete the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course before they can get a recreational hunting licence. A first-time hunter is someone who has never held a hunting licence in Alberta or elsewhere and has not completed a hunter education course anywhere.
If your hunting licence is suspended because of a conviction, you must also complete the course after the suspension begins. Non-residents aged 12 or older (10 or older for game birds) do not need the course if they hunt with a Hunter Host or a Designated Guide.
Steps to your first licence
- Take the course in person or online.
- Pass the online final exam (80%, 90 minutes).
- Get your hunter certificate number from AHEIA.
- Add the number to your Wildlife Identification Number (WiN) profile.
- Buy a Wildlife Certificate and the licences you need.
The course and the final exam
The program is delivered by the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association (AHEIA). You can take it in person at AHEIA centres in Calgary and Edmonton, with an independent hunter education instructor elsewhere in the province, or online from a computer, tablet or phone.
| Feature | Alberta final exam |
|---|---|
| Format | Online |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Pass mark | 80% |
| After passing | Get your certificate number and add it to your WiN profile |
Your WiN and youth hunters
Every hunter and angler needs a 10-digit Wildlife Identification Number (WiN) to apply for draws and buy wildlife certificates and licences. Keep your WiN details up to date.
| Age | What Alberta allows |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | No hunting licence |
| 10 and 11 | Game birds only |
| 12 and older | Any hunting licence the hunter qualifies for |
| Under 16 | Written permission from a parent or guardian needed to buy licences |
| Under 18 with a firearm | Must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or an adult 18 or older with written permission |
An 11-year-old may apply in a draw if they will turn 12 before or during that draw's season, but cannot hunt until they are 12. A youth who turns 18 during the season can keep hunting under their valid licence.
Key rules from the hunting regulations
- Hours: no hunting or firing a firearm from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
- Vehicles: no firearm with live ammunition in the breech, chamber or magazine in or on any vehicle or aircraft, moving or stopped. Human-powered boats and boats at anchor have exceptions.
- Roads: no shooting from, along or across a provincial highway or a maintained road. Where no ditch or fence marks it, the roadway extends 20 feet from the travelled part.
- Buildings: no discharging a weapon within 183 m (200 yards) of an occupied building without authorization.
- Lights: using a light to hunt any wildlife is prohibited.
- Sundays: big game hunting is closed on Sundays in some wildlife management units, so check your unit.
Before you shoot, make sure the ground behind the animal will stop the bullet.
- Safe: the earth bank behind the deer stops the shot.
- Unsafe: the deer is on a ridge against the sky, and the shot could carry on to a house the hunter cannot see.
Safety habits to know for the exam
Expect many questions on safe firearm handling. In Canada, the basic rules are often taught as ACTS: assume every firearm is loaded; control the muzzle direction at all times; keep your trigger finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard; and see that the firearm is unloaded by proving it safe.
When you hunt with others, agree on a zone of fire for each person before you set out, and never swing your muzzle into a partner's zone. Unload before you cross a fence, climb a steep bank or get into a vehicle. If a cartridge does not fire, keep the muzzle pointed safely and wait before you open the action.
Each hunter shoots only into their own zone, and the zones do not overlap.
- Hunter 1 shoots only into the zone ahead and to the left.
- Hunter 2 shoots only into the zone straight ahead.
- Hunter 3 shoots only into the zone ahead and to the right.
Cold weather comes early in much of Alberta. Dress in layers, avoid cotton, carry a fire starter and a whistle, and leave a trip plan with someone who will call for help if you do not return on time.
Private land, meat and evidence
You need the owner's or occupant's consent to hunt on occupied land, which includes privately owned land that is cultivated or fenced and where the owner lives. Signs are not required for this protection, so always ask.
Do not abandon or waste the edible meat of any game bird or big game animal, except cougar or bear. Make every effort to retrieve migratory birds you kill or wound. Keep one fully feathered wing or the head on game birds until you get home or prepare them for cooking; for wild turkey, keep the head and beard on.
Report poaching to Report A Poacher at 1-800-642-3800.