No matter where you are hunting, it is your responsibility to ensure you have the proper permission to access the land. This should be done at least two weeks prior to when you wish to go hunting.
Private Land
You must first contact the landowner, or the landowner’s designated contact person for permission. The landowner has the right to permit or deny access for any reason.
Crown Land
In total, Alberta has 100 million acres of Crown land that provides unique opportunities for hunting. Not all Crown land in managed in the same way.
Public land use zones
Contact is not required. Alberta hunting regulations apply.
Parks, natural areas and recreation areas.
Hunting is permitted in some areas. Contact is not required; learn more here.
Provincial Grazing Reserves
Contact is required for some provincial grazing reserves. To learn which reserves require contacting AEP staff prior to entering for hunting visit here.
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.
Click here for a fact sheet with information to help hunters understand the process of accessing agricultural Crown Land.
For detailed information on access to agricultural Crown land in Alberta, visit:
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 Regulations are outlined below. You can report violations to the Recreational Access Regulation by to Report a Poacher at 1-800-642-3800.
| RAR Section |
Description/Particulars |
Ticket Amount |
| Section 5(3) |
Unable to make contact and recreational user enters anyway |
$250 |
| Section 9(1)(a) |
Litter |
$250 |
| Section 9(1)(b) |
Bringing an animal on a lease without authority or not in control |
$200 |
| 9(1)(c) |
Parking |
$150 |
| 9(1)(d) |
Lighting fires |
$500 |
| 9(1)(f) |
Using a building or improvement without consent |
$250 |
| 9(1)(f) |
Causing damage to a lease or property |
$350 |
| 9(2)(a) |
Not leaving gates and property in the same condition and state it was found prior to recreational use |
$350 |
| 9(2)(c) |
Not complying with a Recreational Management Plan |
$250 |
| 9(2)(d) |
Not complying with terms and conditions of a leaseholder |
$250 |
| 9(2)(e) |
Not complying with terms and conditions imposed under a Recreational Management Plan, Local Settlement Officer or Director |
$250 |
Updated: Oct 22, 2021