Knowing how to get a hunting license in Alberta comes down to five steps: complete the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course if you are a first-time hunter, get a Wildlife Identification Number (WiN), link your certificate to it, buy a wildlife certificate, then buy the licences for the game you want. This guide explains each step with costs as of October 2026, the age rules, the draw calendar, and how firearms licensing fits in. If you are about to write the course exam, try our free Alberta hunter education practice test first.
Canada Licence Prep is an independent study aid. We are not affiliated with the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association (AHEIA) or the Government of Alberta. Rules and fees change, so check the current Guide to Hunting Regulations before you hunt.
How to get a hunting license in Alberta: the steps at a glance
| Step | What you do | Cost (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hunter education | AHEIA course online or in a classroom; pass the final exam at 80 percent | $70 online ($99.95 with a printed manual); classroom fees set by instructors |
| 2. WiN | Activate your Wildlife Identification Number on AlbertaRELM or at a licence issuer | $10 + GST, one time |
| 3. Link your certificate | Add your hunter education certificate number to your WiN profile | Free |
| 4. Wildlife certificate | Required before any big game or game bird licence | $35 (youth or senior $12) |
| 5. Licences and permits | Deer, elk, moose, bear, game birds; bowhunting permit if using a bow | From $20 (game bird) to $65 (some special licences) |
| 6. Draws (optional) | Apply for special licences for limited hunts | $6 + GST per application |
GST is extra on all provincial fees. If you will hunt with a rifle or shotgun, you also need federal firearms licensing, covered below.
Who needs hunter education in Alberta: the first-time hunter rule
Alberta does not use a birth-date cut-off. Whether you must take the course depends on whether you are a first-time hunter. Under the 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations, you count as a first-time hunter if you:
- have never held a hunting licence in Alberta or anywhere else, and
- did not meet Alberta's first-time hunter criteria before 1 April 2010, and
- have never passed a hunter education course in Alberta or elsewhere.
If any of those apply to you in reverse (you held a licence in Saskatchewan, say, or passed BC's CORE program), you are not a first-time hunter and can go straight to buying a WiN and licences. Our guide on getting a hunting licence in BC covers CORE if you are coming from there.
Two other groups should know the rules:
- Non-residents aged 10 or older are exempt from the first-time hunter requirement when they hunt with a hunter host or a designated guide.
- Suspended hunters whose hunting rights were suspended after a conviction must complete the Alberta course, online or in person, after the suspension starts.
Key fact: You do not need hunter education to buy a WiN. Anyone who pays the $10 can get one. The course only matters when a first-time hunter tries to buy a hunting licence.
Taking the Alberta hunter education course: online or in person
AHEIA delivers the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course for the province. The same 12 modules apply whichever format you choose: Role of the Hunter, Hunting Ethics, Wildlife Management and Conservation, Wildlife Identification, Clothing and Equipment, Firearms, Bow Hunting, Survival, Field Techniques, First Aid, Hypothermia, and Legal Responsibilities.
The Alberta hunter education course online
AHEIA's online training page lists the options. As of October 2026:
- Online certification: $70.
- Online certification with a printed manual mailed by Canada Post: $99.95.
- Online certification bundled with Bear Essentials (a bear-hunting module): $99.95.
You can take the course on a computer, laptop, tablet or phone, pause it, and come back later. Each module has a minimum time requirement, so you cannot rush through in an afternoon. The course is in English only. Note that the online hunter course is not free; the free item on AHEIA's page is the separate fishing education program.
The course in a classroom
AHEIA runs classroom courses at its Calgary and Edmonton centres, and certified volunteer instructors teach courses around the province. Classroom fees are not published centrally, so ask the instructor what the price includes. Dates are posted on AHEIA's classroom training page as they are scheduled. You can also call AHEIA toll-free in Alberta at 1-866-852-4342, in Edmonton at 780-466-6682, or in Calgary at 403-252-8474.
| Online course | Classroom course | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $70, or $99.95 with manual | Set by the instructor or centre |
| Schedule | Self-paced, minimum time per module | Fixed dates |
| Format | Self-directed reading and quizzes | Instructor-led |
| Best for | Busy schedules, rural areas, confident readers | Younger hunters, people who learn by doing |
The final exam
The online final exam has 100 questions from all 12 modules, a 90-minute limit and an 80 percent pass mark. If you fail, a rewrite costs $25 and must be approved by an AHEIA administrator. AHEIA does not publish a separate format for classroom exams, so ask your instructor.
When you pass, AHEIA emails your hunter education certificate number the next business day, and mails a paper certificate and wallet card. There are no digital copies, so keep the card somewhere safe.
Exam tip: 80 percent means no more than 20 wrong answers. Wildlife identification and the Alberta legal rules are where most of the specific detail sits. Run a timed 100-question mock exam before you write the real one, and review the explanations for every question you miss.
Your WiN card (Wildlife Identification Number)
Every hunter and angler in Alberta needs an active WiN before buying any licence, wildlife certificate or draw application. According to My Wild Alberta, as of October 2026:
- The WiN is a 10-digit number that lets the licensing system confirm your eligibility in seconds.
- Activation is a one-time $10 plus GST. After that it never expires and does not need renewing.
- Physical cards are no longer mailed automatically. If you want a plastic card, it costs an extra $3 plus GST.
- You buy it online at AlbertaRELM or at a licence issuer.
Adding your hunter education number to your WiN
Once AHEIA emails your certificate number, add it to your WiN profile on AlbertaRELM. Until it is on your profile, the system will not let you buy a hunting licence as a first-time hunter. If the system asks for a code or will not accept the number, contact AHEIA's Edmonton office. Keep your address and details on your WiN profile up to date.
Wildlife certificate, licences and tags
Licences in Alberta are layered. You need the WiN, then a wildlife certificate, then the specific licence for each species or group. Licences are sold on AlbertaRELM and at private licence issuers, with no service fees added.
| Item (resident, 2026) | Price before GST |
|---|---|
| Wildlife certificate | $35 |
| Youth (10 to 17) or senior (65+) wildlife certificate, includes a game bird licence | $12 |
| White-tailed deer licence | $50 |
| Mule deer licence | $50 |
| Youth white-tailed deer or youth mule deer licence | $12 each |
| Elk licence | $50 |
| Moose (archery) licence | $50 |
| Black bear licence | $30 |
| Game bird licence | $20 |
| Pheasant licence | $30 |
| Bowhunting permit (not needed for crossbows) | $10 |
| Federal migratory game bird hunting permit | $17 (free online for under-18s) |
Source: 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. Non-resident and non-resident alien prices are higher.
What each item does:
- Wildlife certificate: the base document. You need it plus the right licence to hunt big game or game birds.
- Game bird licence: covers grouse, partridge and ptarmigan. Pheasant needs a pheasant licence on top. Ducks, geese and sandhill cranes need the federal migratory permit as well.
- Big game licences: most come with a tag. Tag the animal as required right after the kill and keep the tag on the carcass.
- Carry everything: licences, whether paper or electronic, and tags must be on you while hunting. Reprints are free online or $2 at an issuer.
Alberta hunting draws for special licences
When demand for a hunt is higher than the number of animals that can be taken, Alberta allocates special licences by draw. A special licence lets you hunt a particular type of game, such as antlerless elk or antlered moose, in a defined area and season.
- Eligibility: residents and, for some draws, non-residents (Canadian). You must be at least 10 and have a WiN.
- Cost: a non-refundable $6 plus GST levy for each application or group application (up to four people). The levy goes to the Alberta Conservation Association.
- Dates in 2026: applications for fall 2026 closed on 25 June, results were available from 14 July, and undersubscribed licences went on sale on 4 August. Expect a similar calendar in 2027, but confirm in the Alberta Hunting Draws booklet.
- Partner licences: some special licence holders can designate a partner who hunts under the same licence. The two hunt as one and stop when the tag is filled.
- Harvest reports: many special licences carry a mandatory harvest report, due 15 February (15 March for seasons ending after 15 February). Missing it adds a $15 survey fee before you can buy a wildlife certificate or enter the next draw.
Draws use a priority system, explained species by species in the Alberta Hunting Draws booklet. Read it before your first application so you understand how your choices affect future draws.
Minimum ages for hunting in Alberta
| Age | What is allowed |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | May hunt game birds without a licence only when supervised by a licensed adult; birds count toward the adult's limit; a free federal youth permit is needed for migratory birds |
| 10 and older | May hold any Alberta hunting licence and apply for big game draws (first-time hunters must pass the course) |
| Under 16 | Needs written permission from a parent or guardian to buy licences |
| Under 18 with a firearm | Must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or an adult with the parent's written permission, unless they hold an RCMP-issued minor's firearms licence that allows hunting |
| Turning 18 mid-season | May keep hunting on the licence already held |
| 65 and older | Eligible for the $12 senior wildlife certificate and senior white-tailed deer licence |
Older AHEIA material says 12 for big game. The 2026 Guide is the current authority and sets 10 for any licence and for draws. The Wildlife Regulation adds that hunters aged 10 to 13 must have completed the Alberta course or an equivalent elsewhere, which first-time hunters do anyway.
Hunting with a firearm: the PAL and the CFSC in Alberta
Hunter education is provincial. Firearms licensing is federal. To possess and use a rifle or shotgun you need a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), which means passing the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) and applying to the RCMP. As of October 2026 the non-restricted PAL application fee is $70.38, set by the RCMP's service fee schedule.
One change to know: from 1 September 2026, AHEIA no longer delivers the CFSC as the Chief Firearms Officer's agent in Alberta. The new delivery agent and instructors are listed on the RCMP's find an instructor page. Our guide to getting a PAL in Alberta walks through it, and what to expect from the PAL course explains the course itself.
If you plan to hunt only with a bow, you do not need a PAL, but you do need the $10 bowhunting permit on top of your licences. The permit is not required for crossbows; check the Guide for the crossbow equipment rules.
Rules to know before your first hunt
The Legal Responsibilities module covers these, and conservation officers enforce them. A few that new hunters get wrong:
- No loaded firearm in or on a vehicle, moving or parked. Ammunition can be in a detached magazine.
- 183 m (200 yards): you may not discharge a weapon within this distance of an occupied building without permission.
- Hunting hours: half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
- Consent: get the owner's or occupant's permission before hunting on occupied land.
- No hunting while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
- No wastage: you must not let the edible meat of big game or game birds spoil.
- Report poaching to Report A Poacher at 1-800-642-3800.
The full rules are in our Alberta legal responsibilities note, and the safe-handling basics are in our ACTS and PROVE guide.
How much it costs to start hunting in Alberta
A sample first-year budget for a resident adult planning to hunt deer with a rifle, as of October 2026:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| AHEIA online hunter education course | $70 |
| WiN activation | $10 + GST |
| Wildlife certificate | $35 + GST |
| White-tailed deer licence | $50 + GST |
| Subtotal, provincial | About $165 plus GST |
| CFSC course (federal) | Set by the instructor |
| PAL application | $70.38 |
From the second year, you pay only the wildlife certificate and licences, because the course is a one-time requirement and the WiN never expires.
Your study plan
- Take the free 20-question Alberta hunter education diagnostic to see where you stand before you start the course.
- Sign up for the AHEIA course online or find a classroom date, and read the free Alberta exam guide alongside it.
- Study wildlife identification and the legal rules with the wildlife identification note and topic practice such as Alberta regulations questions. Topic practice, mocks 2 to 10 and all notes come with Pro.
- Sit the free full 100-question mock under a 90-minute timer and aim for 85 percent or better.
- Write the AHEIA final exam, then activate your WiN, add your certificate number, and buy your wildlife certificate and licences.
- If you will hunt with a gun, book the CFSC and apply for your PAL early, since the federal application takes time.
10 free Alberta hunter education practice questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. For a timed experience use the free mock exam.
1. A small drake duck has a grey-blue head with a white crescent in front of the eye and shows a pale blue patch on the front of the wing. Which duck is it?
- A. Blue-winged teal
- B. Bufflehead
- C. Common goldeneye
- D. Lesser scaup
Show answer
A. Blue-winged teal
The blue-winged teal drake has a white crescent between the eye and bill, and both sexes show a pale blue patch on the forewing in flight. It is one of the earliest ducks to migrate south in the fall.
2. What must a business record when you bring big game to it for butchering in Alberta?
- A. Only the weight of the meat
- B. Only the price that was charged
- C. Details like your name, WiN and licence
- D. Nothing, since it is a private matter
Show answer
C. Details like your name, WiN and licence
Processors must record the date, who delivered and who killed the wildlife, their WiN or certificate number, the licence number, any tag number and a description of the animal.
3. At an Alberta check stop, a hunter tells the officer he shot his deer in a different WMU from where he really did. What has he done?
- A. Nothing wrong, as long as the deer was tagged
- B. Nothing, because WMUs are only guidelines
- C. Committed an offence by giving false information
- D. A minor error that needs no correction
Show answer
C. Committed an offence by giving false information
Section 88 prohibits wilfully giving false or misleading information to anyone, including the Minister, acting in the course of duties under the Act. Location of kill matters because seasons and limits vary by WMU.
4. How does a broadhead-tipped arrow kill big game?
- A. By cutting blood vessels and causing rapid bleeding
- B. By the shock from the arrow's high energy
- C. By breaking the large leg and shoulder bones
- D. By a chemical coating on the arrow shaft
Show answer
A. By cutting blood vessels and causing rapid bleeding
Arrows carry far less energy than bullets. Sharp broadheads kill by cutting tissue and causing heavy blood loss, which is why they must be razor sharp.
5. An Alberta hunter must submit a deer head for disease testing. Who owns the parts the Minister keeps?
- A. The landowner where the deer was shot
- B. The hunter, who may demand them back
- C. The testing lab, which may sell them
- D. The Crown keeps ownership of the retained parts
Show answer
D. The Crown keeps ownership of the retained parts
Section 8(2)(b) provides that property in dead wildlife does not transfer from the Crown to the extent of any parts kept by the Minister after being submitted under the regulations. The rest of a lawfully taken, tagged animal belongs to the hunter.
6. An Alberta landowner shoots a cougar on their own land under the predation rules. What must they do?
- A. Register it within one week
- B. Bury it on the property
- C. Sell the pelt within 30 days
- D. Nothing; no report is needed
Show answer
A. Register it within one week
Owners or occupants may hunt cougar on their private land without a licence at any time, but dogs are prohibited, and the kill must be registered at a Fish and Wildlife office within one week, bringing the skin and skull.
7. Alberta has an open hunting season for grizzly bears.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
B. False
Alberta's guide states there is no season for grizzly bear. Hunters must be able to tell grizzlies from black bears.
8. Where is the tag affixed on a black bear or cougar in Alberta when the hide is kept?
- A. To the skin
- B. Through the jaw
- C. To a front paw
- D. On the skull only
Show answer
A. To the skin
Bear and cougar tags are affixed to the skin. If only the meat is kept, the tag goes through the space between the bone and tendon of a hind leg above the hock, as for deer, elk and moose.
9. In a deer-family track in soft mud or snow, two small marks show behind the main hoof print. What are they?
- A. Heel pads
- B. Dewclaws
- C. Tail drag marks
- D. Claw marks
Show answer
B. Dewclaws
Deer, moose, elk and caribou have two dewclaws above and behind the main hooves. They often print in soft ground, deep snow or when the animal is running or heavy.
10. During the rut you find a patch of pawed-up bare soil under an overhanging branch, with a strong urine smell. What sign is this?
- A. A wallow used by moose calves
- B. A bear's dig
- C. A buck's scrape
- D. A deer bed
Show answer
C. A buck's scrape
A scrape is made by a rutting buck that paws the ground bare, urinates on it and marks the overhanging 'licking branch' with scent. Scrapes show that bucks are active in the area.
Frequently asked questions
+How old do you have to be to get a hunting licence in Alberta?
You must be at least 10 to hunt under any Alberta licence or to apply for draws. Hunters under 16 need written permission from a parent or guardian to buy licences, and under-18s hunting with a firearm must be accompanied by an adult unless they hold a minor's firearms licence that allows hunting.
+How much does it cost to get a hunting licence in Alberta?
As of October 2026, a first-time resident deer hunter typically pays $70 for the online course, $10 for a WiN, $35 for a wildlife certificate and $50 for a white-tailed or mule deer licence, about $165 plus GST. A federal firearms licence and its course cost extra.
+Can I take the Alberta hunter education course online?
Yes. AHEIA's online course and final exam can be completed from a computer, tablet or phone, with a minimum time required in each module. It is offered in English only.
+How long does the Alberta hunter education course take?
AHEIA does not publish a total hour count. The online course is self-paced with minimum times per module, and the final exam has a 90-minute limit. Your certificate number is emailed the next business day after you pass.
+What is a WiN number in Alberta?
A WiN (Wildlife Identification Number) is the 10-digit number every hunter and angler in Alberta needs before buying a licence, wildlife certificate or draw application. Activation is a one-time $10 plus GST and it never expires.
+Do I need hunter education if I hunted in another province?
No, if you have held a hunting licence elsewhere or passed a hunter education course in another province or country, you are not a first-time hunter under the Alberta rules. You can buy your WiN and licences directly.
+Do I need a PAL to hunt in Alberta?
You need federal firearms licensing to hunt with a gun, unless you are a minor hunting under the supervision the regulations allow. Bow hunters do not need a PAL but do need a bowhunting permit in addition to their licences.
+Is the Alberta hunter education certificate valid for life?
Alberta treats the course as a one-time requirement for first-time hunters, and the WiN that holds your certificate number does not expire. Keep the paper certificate and wallet card, because AHEIA does not issue digital copies.
Study offline on your phone too
The Canada Licence Prep app has the same questions with audio, French explanations and an ACTS & PROVE coach.
Keep reading
- Alberta Hunter Education Practice TestFree Alberta hunter education practice test with answers explained: wildlife ID, ethics, regulations, survival and firearms. Timed 100-question mock.
- How to Get a PAL in AlbertaAlberta PAL guide: CFSC courses in Calgary and Edmonton, AHEIA, costs, processing times and combining the PAL with Alberta Hunter Education.
- Hunter Education Exam PrepFree practice exams for the Ontario Hunter Education exam, Alberta Hunter Education and BC CORE, plus step-by-step hunting licence guides.
- PAL Course Guide: Cost, Length and Online OptionsWhat a CFSC/CRFSC course costs, how long it takes, whether you can do it online or challenge the exam, and how to choose an instructor.
- How to Get a Hunting Licence in BCCORE course or challenge exam, finding an examiner, fees, ages, youth licences, FWID (old Hunter Number), species licences and LEH. Updated Oct 2026.
- ACTS and PROVE ExplainedWhat ACTS and PROVE stand for, how to apply them to every action on the CFSC practical, the errors that cost marks, and a printable summary.