As a hunter, it is your responsibility to contact the leaseholder or landowner for permission prior to accessing leased or private land.
to discuss any conditions in place that may impact recreational access.
Learn more about your responsibilities for accessing agricultural land, and the process at:
Recreational user responsibilities for accessing agricultural public land
For information on access conditions and disposition leaseholder contact information, visit:
Recreational Access Internet Mapping Tool
You can call 310-LAND(5263) Monday to Friday, 8:15am - 4:30pm for information about agricultural dispositions and recreational access.
Crown Land
Alberta has about 100 million acres of Crown land, which offers opportunities for recreation and 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
Natural Areas and Provincial Recreation Areas
Hunting is permitted in some areas. Contact is not required. Learn more here.
Public land
Agricultural Crown Land
Recreational access to agricultural public land is managed under the
Recreational Access Regulation.
The regulation facilitates communication, cooperation and respect, and clarifies rules and responsibilities for agricultural leaseholders and recreational
users regarding recreational access on public lands that are leased for grazing and cultivation.
It is a recreational user’s responsibility to contact the leaseholder and discuss what the conditions of access are before arriving at agricultural public land.
It is a leaseholder’s responsibility to allow reasonable recreational access. Both parties must work together to come to an agreement that follows the Recreational Access Regulation.
Provincial Grazing Reserves
Provincial grazing reserves are public land. Recreational access conditions are in place on all provincial grazing reserves. To find their respective access conditions, use the Recreational Access Internet Mapping Tool and locate the Provincial Grazing Reserve you wish to access.
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 Government of Alberta and the Alberta Conservation Association developed the Use Respect program to raise awareness of the
rights and responsibilities of recreationists, agricultural leaseholders, and landowners related to recreational access to leased and privately owned land.
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 and always:
- Discuss access before entering a grazing lease or farm development lease.
- Follow all access conditions.
- Pack out all litter. Take all garbage and waste with you for proper disposal at home or at a dump station.
- Do not cause damage to the land or property of the disposition holder.
- If pets are allowed, keep them under control.
- Leave gates in the same state in which they were found (open or closed)
- Get consent prior to blocking access to or parking a vehicle on the disposition.
- Get consent prior to setting, lighting or maintaining a fire on the disposition.
- Get consent prior to entering any buildings or improvements on the disposition.
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.
310-LAND is available 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: Apr 26, 2023