Alberta Hunter Education Practice Test 2026: Practice test 4

Practice test 4 of 5 for the Alberta Hunter Education Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Hunting
Alberta
122 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 of 25
What should you do with your firearm before you climb a steep bank, cross a creek on a log, or get into a boat?
- Hold it with your finger on the trigger for balance
- Put the safety on and keep it loaded
- Unload it
- Carry it by the barrel
Show answer
Answer: C. Unload it
Unload any time you could slip or fall, because a fall can make a loaded firearm fire.
Question 2 of 25
When should you validate and attach a big game tag?
- Only if a conservation officer asks for it
- When you get home and unload the animal
- Right after the kill, as your regulations require
- When you drop the meat off at the butcher shop
Show answer
Answer: C. Right after the kill, as your regulations require
Tag rules are strict. Follow your province's regulations on when and how to attach the tag.
Question 3 of 25
You see someone hunting illegally. What should you do?
- Note details from a safe distance and report it to a conservation officer
- Walk up and confront them while holding your firearm so they know you mean it
- Ignore it, since it is not your job to get involved
- Post photos online first so others can identify them
Show answer
Answer: A. Note details from a safe distance and report it to a conservation officer
Every province has a line for reporting poaching. Safe, accurate details help officers act.
Question 4 of 25
You are lost and night is coming in cold, wet weather. What is usually your first priority?
- Finding food to keep your strength up
- Climbing the highest hill
- Walking out in the dark
- Shelter, to stay warm and dry
Show answer
Answer: D. Shelter, to stay warm and dry
Cold and wet can kill in hours. Food can wait for days.
Question 5 of 25
After unloading, how should you get the firearm to the other side of a fence when you are alone?
- Throw it gently over the fence onto soft ground
- Hold it over your head with one hand as you climb
- Lay it on the far side, muzzle pointing away, then cross away from the muzzle
- Lean it against a fence post with the safety on, then climb over right beside it
Show answer
Answer: C. Lay it on the far side, muzzle pointing away, then cross away from the muzzle
Laying the unloaded firearm on the far side, muzzle away, means you are never in front of the muzzle while you cross.
Question 6 of 25
When is the shoulder carry (muzzle up and behind you) a poor choice?
- When someone is beside you
- When you are at the back of the group
- When someone is walking behind you
- When you are walking alone
Show answer
Answer: C. When someone is walking behind you
The shoulder carry points the muzzle behind you, so use it only when nobody is behind you.
Question 7 of 25
In the ACTS safety rules, what does the "T" stand for?
- Trigger finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard
- Test-fire the firearm at a target before every hunt to check the sights
- Take the safety off as soon as you start walking
- Tell your hunting partner whenever you see game
Show answer
Answer: A. Trigger finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard
Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Question 8 of 25
Why should big game be field dressed soon after the kill?
- To attract other animals to the area
- To cool the carcass quickly so the meat does not spoil
- Because the law requires it within one minute of the kill in every province
- To make the animal look better in photos
Show answer
Answer: B. To cool the carcass quickly so the meat does not spoil
Heat and bacteria spoil meat. Remove the organs and let the body heat escape.
Question 9 of 25
A hunting partner has a deep cut that is bleeding heavily. What should you do first?
- Give them a drink of water and wait for the bleeding to stop by itself
- Apply firm, direct pressure on the wound and call for help
- Have them walk out alone quickly to get help
- Wash it in a creek and leave it open to the air
Show answer
Answer: B. Apply firm, direct pressure on the wound and call for help
Firm, direct pressure is the first step to control serious bleeding.
Question 10 of 25
When shooting a crossbow, where must your fingers and thumb be?
- Resting on the string to feel it
- Wrapped over the rail to steady it
- Below the rail, out of the path of the string
- In front of the bolt to guide it
Show answer
Answer: C. Below the rail, out of the path of the string
A crossbow string moves with great force and can badly injure fingers in its path.
Question 11 of 25
Look at the diagram. Which hunter can other hunters see most easily?
- The hunter in the orange hat and vest (1 and 2)
- Hunter 3, because camouflage shows up well against the trees and bushes
- Both hunters are equally easy to see
- Neither hunter can be seen among the trees
Show answer
Answer: A. The hunter in the orange hat and vest (1 and 2)
Blaze orange stands out against trees and bushes, so other hunters can see you and not mistake you for game.
Question 12 of 25
What is a "safe direction" to point a firearm?
- Toward the nearest tree, since trees stop bullets
- Always at the ground near your feet, in every situation
- A direction where an accidental shot could not hurt anyone or damage property
- Always straight up in the air, since bullets fired upward cannot hurt anyone below
Show answer
Answer: C. A direction where an accidental shot could not hurt anyone or damage property
The safe direction depends on where people, buildings and hard surfaces are. Straight up or straight down is not always safe.
Question 13 of 25
A deer runs out of hunter 3's zone and into hunter 2's zone. What should hunter 3 do?
- Keep following the deer with the muzzle and shoot when it is clear of hunter 2
- Stop swinging with the deer and not shoot outside their own zone
- Shout for hunter 2 to get down, then shoot over them
- Shoot quickly before the deer leaves their own zone
Show answer
Answer: B. Stop swinging with the deer and not shoot outside their own zone
Swinging the muzzle across a partner's zone is a common cause of hunting incidents.
Question 14 of 25
What should you do before using a tree stand each season?
- Nothing, as long as the stand worked well last year and has been left on the same tree
- Paint the whole stand blaze orange so others see it
- Inspect the stand, straps and harness, and make sure the tree is healthy and strong
- Only check that the seat cushion is still comfortable
Show answer
Answer: C. Inspect the stand, straps and harness, and make sure the tree is healthy and strong
Straps and parts wear out over time, and dead or leaning trees can fail. Check everything before you climb.
Question 15 of 25
What is "carrying capacity"?
- The number of hunters allowed in an area
- The weight a hunter can carry out of the bush
- The number of animals an area can support over time
- The amount of cargo space in a hunting vehicle
Show answer
Answer: C. The number of animals an area can support over time
When a population grows past carrying capacity, habitat is damaged and animals starve or get sick.
Question 16 of 25
Three hunters walk in a line, numbered 1, 2 and 3 from left to right. Where may hunter 2, in the middle, shoot?
- Anywhere in front of the line
- Into the zones of hunters 1 and 3 if game crosses
- Only into the zone straight ahead
- Behind the line if game doubles back
Show answer
Answer: C. Only into the zone straight ahead
Each hunter shoots only into their own zone of fire. Hunter 2's zone is straight ahead.
Question 17 of 25
Before hunting on private land, what should you do?
- Park out of sight of the house
- Only call a conservation officer
- Get permission from the owner or occupant
- Nothing, as long as the land has no signs posted on it
Show answer
Answer: C. Get permission from the owner or occupant
You need the owner's or occupant's consent. In Alberta, occupied land is protected even without signs.
Question 18 of 25
Is it acceptable to let the edible meat of big game spoil?
- Yes, if the animal is a small one
- Yes, as long as you keep the antlers and the hide for yourself
- No. Wasting edible meat is illegal and unethical
- Yes, once the hunting season has ended
Show answer
Answer: C. No. Wasting edible meat is illegal and unethical
Provinces such as Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba ban abandoning or wasting the edible flesh of big game.
Question 19 of 25
How should arrows with broadheads be carried?
- In your jacket pocket with the tips up
- In a quiver that covers the broadheads
- Tucked under your belt at your side
- Loose in your hand, ready to nock
Show answer
Answer: B. In a quiver that covers the broadheads
Broadheads are razor sharp. A covered quiver protects you if you trip or fall.
Question 20 of 25
A friend hands you a rifle and says, "Don't worry, it's unloaded." What should you do?
- Look down the barrel from the muzzle end
- Pull the trigger to make sure
- Trust your friend and put it in the truck
- Keep the muzzle pointed safely and check it yourself
Show answer
Answer: D. Keep the muzzle pointed safely and check it yourself
Treat every firearm as loaded until you have checked it yourself. Never look down the muzzle or pull the trigger to test it.
Question 21 of 25
What is the safe rule about alcohol, cannabis and other drugs while hunting?
- Do not use them before or while handling firearms or hunting
- A small amount is fine if you are an experienced hunter who knows your limits
- They are fine once you are settled in the tree stand
- They are fine as long as you only hunt with a bow
Show answer
Answer: A. Do not use them before or while handling firearms or hunting
Alcohol and drugs slow your reactions and affect your judgment, which leads to accidents.
Question 22 of 25
How do mule deer antlers usually differ from white-tailed deer antlers?
- They fork into two branches, which can fork again
- They are broad and flat, like a shovel
- All their points grow straight up from one main beam on each side
- They never grow more than two points
Show answer
Answer: A. They fork into two branches, which can fork again
White-tailed deer points grow up from one main beam. Mule deer antlers branch into forks.
Question 23 of 25
How should you get your firearm or bow up into a tree stand?
- Raise it unloaded with a haul line once you are secure in the stand
- Carry it loaded in one hand so it is ready
- Have a partner on the ground throw it up to you
- Carry it slung on your back while you climb up, so both hands stay free
Show answer
Answer: A. Raise it unloaded with a haul line once you are secure in the stand
Climb with both hands free. Then pull up the unloaded firearm or bow with a haul line.
Question 24 of 25
Right after you shoot at an animal, what should you do?
- Fire more shots into the bush where it went
- Leave the area if you did not see it fall
- Run after it right away so it cannot get far, and keep it moving until it tires out completely
- Watch where it goes, mark the spot where it stood, and wait quietly before following
Show answer
Answer: D. Watch where it goes, mark the spot where it stood, and wait quietly before following
Waiting lets a hit animal lie down. Marking the spot helps you find the first signs of a hit.
Question 25 of 25
Which animal has broad, flat (palmated) antlers?
- Moose
- White-tailed deer
- Mule deer
- Elk
Show answer
Answer: A. Moose
Bull moose grow large, flat, palm-shaped antlers. Elk and deer have antlers made of round beams and tines.

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