No matter where you are hunting, it is your responsibility to ensure you have the proper permission from leaseholders or landowners to access the land. This should be done at least two weeks prior to when you wish to go hunting.
For detailed information on access to agricultural Crown land in Alberta and who to contact to request access visit:
Recreational User Responsibilities for Accessing Agricultural Crown land
You can call 310-LAND(5263) Monday to Friday, 8:40am- 4:30pm to talk to Environment and Parks staff about land-related inquiries on Alberta’s crown land.
Crown Land
In total, Alberta has 100 million acres of Crown land that provides unique opportunities for hunting. Crown land refers to provincial parks, protected areas and public land, Not all Crown land is managed in the same way.
Provincial Parks and Protected Areas
Including Natural Areas and Provincial Recreation Areas
Hunting is permitted in some areas. Contact is not required. Learn more here.
Public land
Agricultural Crown Land
If you wish to access agricultural Crown land, you must first contact the leaseholder and provide information about your visit. Although leaseholders must allow reasonable access to the land for recreation, there are circumstances where the leaseholder may deny access or apply conditions under the Recreational Access Regulation.
Check out a fact sheet with information to help hunters understand the process of accessing agricultural Crown Land.
Provincial Grazing Reserves
Provincial grazing reserves are public land. Contact is required to access some provincial grazing reserves. To learn which reserves require contacting AEP staff prior to entering for hunting visit here.
Public land use zones
Contact is not required. Alberta hunting regulations apply.
Private Land
You must first contact the landowner, or the designated contact person for permission. The landowner has the right to permit or deny access for any reason.
The Use Respect Program
The Use Respect program is an initiative of Alberta Environment and Parks and the Alberta Conservation Association. Its purpose is to build awareness of the
rights and responsibilities of recreationists, agricultural leaseholders, and landowners, particularly as they pertain to recreational access to lands.
Under the Use Respect program, yellow and green signs will be placed along the fences of potential hunting areas on both
agricultural Crown lands and privately owned lands. These signs will list the contact information of the leaseholder, landowner
or a designated contact person. Remember, you must contact landowners and leaseholders well before you arrive on site to hunt. The signs are intended to make it easy for hunters to meet the responsibility of contacting leaseholders or landowners before
entering onto their lands. Although there is a moral obligation to pursue wounded game and a legal requirement to ensure game is retrieved and not wasted or abandoned, these obligations do not override the legal requirement to get permission to enter private land.
Use respect while hunting. Hunters must always:
- pack out all litter
- park vehicles so the approach to the land is clear
- refrain from lighting fires without consent
- leave gates in the same state in which they were found (for example, closed if found closed)
- not cause any damage to the lease land or the property of the agricultural leaseholder
Enforcement
We all have a role to play in ensuring that visiting public land is safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Fines for violating the rules range from $150-$500. Fish and Wildlife Officers and Conservation officers can issue tickets for offences under the Recreational Access Regulation, outlined below.
Report violations to the Recreational Access Regulation – call 310-LAND(5263) – call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to report illegal activity, public safety incidents and enforcement concerns on provincial Crown land.
| RAR Section |
Description/Particulars |
| Section 5(3) |
Unable to make contact and recreational user enters anyway |
| Section 9(1)(a) |
Litter |
| Section 9(1)(b) |
Bringing an animal on a lease without authority or not in control |
| 9(1)(c) |
Parking |
| 9(1)(d) |
Lighting fires |
| 9(1)(f) |
Using a building or improvement without consent |
| 9(1)(f) |
Causing damage to a lease or property |
| 9(2)(a) |
Not leaving gates and property in the same condition and state it was found prior to recreational use |
| 9(2)(c) |
Not complying with a Recreational Management Plan |
| 9(2)(d) |
Not complying with terms and conditions of a leaseholder |
| 9(2)(e) |
Not complying with terms and conditions imposed under a Recreational Management Plan, Local Settlement Officer or Director |
Updated: May 10, 2022