Additional Information

2025/26 Alberta Hunting Report

Where did your 2025/26 hunting licence dollars go?

• Over $22.1 million in revenue was collected from the sale of hunting licences, hunting draw applications and WiN cards.
• 55 per cent of hunting licence revenue goes directly to the Alberta Conservation Association levy in support of programming (For more information please visit abconservation.com).
• Licence and administration fees accounted for 15 per cent and provides compensation to licence issuers, pays for licensing services including the annual hunter harvest & effort survey delivered through AlbertaRelm.com.
  
• The Government of Alberta receives 27 per cent of hunting licence revenue collected; 70 per cent goes to General Revenue while 30 per cent goes to a dedicated fund to deliver wildlife management programs such as annual ungulate surveys. For more information visit: Alberta.ca and search “wildlife survey”.

For more information, visit mywildalberta.com/BuyLicences/Annual-Sales-Statistics     

Youth and senior hunters in Alberta in 2025
● Youth/senior wildlife certificates, which include a game bird licence, were available for $12 in 2025.Over 33,850 were sold, 12,680 youth and 21,160 senior.
● Youth/senior white-tailed deer and youth mule deer were available for $12. Over 22,800 white-tailed deer were sold, 9,230 youth and 13,600 senior. Over 800 youth mule deer licences were sold.
● Did you know that you can legally share almost any big game special licence opportunity with a youth or senior hunter using the partner licence for only $12. Over 260 youth and 500 senior hunters took advantage of this opportunity allowing them to hunt elk, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and wild turkey.
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Hunter hosts in Alberta in 2025
●Over 2,900 Albertans hosted 7,138 friends and family to hunt with them in Alberta.
● Over 6,000 hosted hunters were Canadian.  

Madatory harvest and effort reporting
Regulation requires mandatory reporting of harvest and effort on all special hunting licences purchased. Visit albertarelm.com for more information on how convenient it is to report harvest and effort including through the AlbertaRELM app.

Harvest and effort information is essential to providing resource managers indicators of overall wildlife populations. Without this information, the department must rely on more intensive and costly wildlife surveys.

Hunters failing to submit harvest and effort survey results for 2026 special licences purchased will be subject to a $15 survey surcharge payable on their next wildlife certificate purchase.

Congratulations to the lucky hunter that has been awarded a free 2026 special licence just for completing their 2025 hunter harvest and effort survey!

Hunters will continue to be entered for a chance to win a special licence hunting opportunity for either a moose, mule deer, pronghorn or elk for each harvest and effort survey completed.

Please visit mywildalberta.ca to see 2025 hunter harvest and effort survey results..

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Marked Wildlife

Some species of wildlife are banded, collared or marked by other means in an ongoing effort to gain additional population biology information.

A person who kills a wildlife animal or finds a dead wildlife animal that has been fitted with a device for the purpose of tracking the animal’s movements must report and return the device to Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services.

Some of these marked wildlife, as well as certain nuisance animals (e.g., some black bears), may have received drugs for research purposes or to facilitate their capture and handling. Any such animal will be marked with a tag advising that the meat of the animal should not be consumed before contacting Fish and Wildlife of Alberta Forestry and Parks.

Report Waterfowl Leg Bands by Telephone or Internet
All waterfowl leg bands recovered in North America can now be reported by telephoning the toll-free number 1-800-327-BAND (1-800-327-2263). Band recovery can also be reported by internet at the website reportband.gov.

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Chronic Wasting Disease and Deer Management

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a chronic degenerative and ultimately fatal prion disease of cervids (primarily mule deer in Alberta). It is not known to infect humans but health authorities advise against eating any animal known to have any prion disease. CWD occurs throughout much of eastern and central Alberta. Previous information, including maps of known cases is available at alberta.ca/chronic-wasting-disease-updates.

Hunters and outfitters are key in assisting big game management by helping to reduce deer numbers and by providing heads from harvested deer in designated areas for the CWD surveillance program. Alberta began looking for CWD in harvested wild cervids in 1998. Since then, we tested over 124,000 heads and found CWD in 5,982 mule deer, 1,200 white-tailed deer, 78 elk, and 29 moose.  

CARCASS DISPOSAL
All hunters should properly dispose of their harvested carcasses, particularly animals taken in the CWD Risk Area. Where possible, debone meat making sure you keep the required evidence of sex and species. Hunters may prefer to avoid the spinal cord when deboning. Leave remainder of carcass at the kill site. If the carcass is transported elsewhere, remove all useable meat, then burn, bury, or dispose of the remains in a landfill.

For more information about CWD, contact your local Fish and Wildlife office or visit alberta.ca/chronic-wasting-disease.

Alberta Health recommends that deer from the CWD mandatory areas be tested for CWD. For more information about potential human health risks associated with CWD contact health authorities. 

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Report A Poacher

IMPORANT THINGS TO KNOW:
Report A Poacher can be reached all day, every day.
1-800-642-3800

● All calls are kept strictly confidential and you can remain anonymous.
● If you see something that may be poaching, record as much information as possible:
- Date and time
- Location
- Vehicle description and licence number
- Description of who was involved in the crime
- Details of the violation and any other details you can think of, no matter how insignificant they might seem
● The information you provide could lead to a conviction (and possibly a reward for your help).
● Poaching covers a wide range of violations including:
- Fishing or hunting out of season
- Night hunting
- Hunting from the road
- Exceeding limits
- Hunting while intoxicated
- Illegal sales of wildlife or fish
● The Report A Poacher line can also be used for reporting major violations to land and habitat such as tree harvesting or destruction of stream beds.
● Please familiarize yourself with Alberta's Hunting and Fishing regulations to help protect Alberta. 

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Wild Game Public Health Advisory

The wild game public health advisory for the Swan Hills area – originally issued on December 13, 1996, by the Provincial Health Officer – has been revised as a result of more extensive wild game testing. While recent test results confirm that eating wild game from the Swan Hills area poses no immediate threat to human health, it is recommended that individuals limit the amount of wild game eaten.

For more information contact Alberta Health and Wellness at 780-427-7164 or visit My Wild Alberta at
mywildalberta.ca/hunting/safety-procedures/harvested-wildlife-human-health.aspx.

Swan Hills Treatment Centre
15 km radius around Swan Hills Treatment Centre 

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Common Licence Mistakes

GENERAL MULE DEER LICENCE
This general licence is valid during the archery-only season, which precedes the general season. It is valid during the general season in the following WMUs: 352, 353, 355, 440-446, 512-519, 528-534, 536, 539-542 and 841. This licence is not valid during a season in which a special licence is required. In the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations, special licences are required for all seasons where a small black box is located beside the season date.

SUPPLEMENTAL ANTLERLESS WHITE-TAILED DEER LICENCE
The supplemental antlerless white-tailed deer licences will be issued with one tag and will be valid in the following WMUs: 200-208, 214, 220-246, 248, 258, 260, 332, 334, 440-446, 500-504, 506 and 509-519.

YOUTH MULE DEER LICENCE
This general licence is available for resident hunters who are 10-17 years of age and who are eligible to hunt. It is a general licence that is valid during the archery-only season, which precedes the general season. It is valid during the general season in the following WMUs: 352, 353, 355, 440-446, 512-519, 528-534, 536, 539-542 and 841. This licence is not valid during a season in which a special licence is required. In the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations, special licences are required for all seasons where a small black box is located beside the season date.

YOUTH/SENIOR WHITE-TAILED DEER LICENCE
This licence is valid for resident hunters who are 10-17 and 65 years of age and over who are eligible to hunt. It is a general licence and is valid during a general season (archery or rifle). Because it is a general licence, it cannot be used during the rifle season in WMUs 404, 406 and 408 (a special licence is required). In the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations, special licences are required for all seasons where a small black box is located beside the season date.

SUPPLEMENTAL BLACK BEAR LICENCE
This licence is only valid in WMUs 224, 250, 258, 260, 320-360, 429, 445, 500-544 and 841.

SPECIAL LICENCES
If you are drawn for a special licence, your draw priority returns to zero and that draw cannot be cancelled. You may not be able to purchase a particular general licence once you have been drawn for a special licence of that same species. Example: if you are drawn for antlered mule deer, antlered white-tailed deer or antlered, antlerless, or calf moose you will not be able to purchase a general licence for that species. If you are drawn for either sex elk, WMU 300 elk, antlered or antlerless elk, you will not be able to purchase a general elk licence. Resident hunters are able to purchase an elk licence in combination with the WMU 212 antlerless elk archery and the WMU 212 antlerless elk special licence. See licence combinations.