Alberta hunting licences: the WiN number, the Alberta hunter education course, the $35 wildlife certificate, species licences, and the June draw.
Applies in: Alberta
Alberta's hunting system has three layers, and you need all of them: a hunter education certificate if you are a first-time hunter, a Wildlife Identification Number, and a wildlife certificate plus a licence for each species you hunt. Everything runs through AlbertaRELM, the province's online licensing system, or through a private licence issuer. This guide follows that order, and it is distinct from the Alberta fishing licence: fishing needs only the WiN, while hunting also needs the education course and the wildlife certificate.
First-time hunters must complete the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course before buying their first hunting licence. A first-time hunter is someone who has not previously held a hunting licence in Alberta or elsewhere, has not met Alberta's first-time hunter criteria before April 1, 2010, or has not successfully completed a hunter education course in Alberta or elsewhere. The course is delivered by the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association, known as AHEIA, online or in person. To enrol, call AHEIA toll-free in Alberta at 1-866-852-4342, in Edmonton at 780-466-6682, or in Calgary at 403-252-8474. The course covers safety, wildlife conservation, ethics, wildlife identification, and being a responsible hunter, and the final exam has an 80 percent pass mark. Non-resident and non-resident alien hunters aged 10 or older are exempt from the first-time hunter requirement if they are accompanied by a hunter host or a designated guide while hunting in Alberta.
Hunters in Alberta must possess a 10-digit Wildlife Identification Number (WiN) to apply for draws, purchase wildlife certificates, licences, and replacements. Register for a WiN online at AlbertaRELM or at a licence issuer. WiN activation costs $10, and a physical WiN card costs $3. Keep your information up to date; address changes can be made online or at an issuer. If your right to hold a recreational hunting licence has been suspended because of a conviction, you must complete the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course after the suspension period begins before you can hold a licence again.
First-time hunters who completed the Alberta conservation and hunter education course must add their certificate number to their WiN profile to buy a licence. AHEIA issues a 5-digit code after the final exam is passed, which you enter into your AlbertaRELM WiN account to update your hunter education certification. Youth first-time hunters must be at least 10 years of age to hunt under the authority of any hunting licence in Alberta or to apply for big game draws. Hunters under 16 need written permission from a parent or guardian to purchase hunting licences, and hunters under 18 hunting with a firearm must be accompanied by a parent, a legal guardian, or a person aged 18 or older with the parent's written permission. Youth under 10 may hunt game birds without a licence if supervised by a licensed adult, but they do not get their own bag limit.
Hunters must possess a valid wildlife certificate and the applicable hunting licence to hunt big game or game birds. Before purchasing any licence, each hunter must possess a valid WiN and a wildlife certificate, which costs $35, or $12 for a resident youth or senior wildlife certificate. A non-resident alien wildlife certificate costs $80. A resident youth aged 10 to 17 may purchase a resident youth wildlife certificate, including a game bird licence, for $12.00, and a resident aged 65 or older may purchase a resident youth or senior wildlife certificate, including a game bird licence, for $12.00. Hunters wishing to hunt with a bow and arrow must also purchase a bowhunting permit, which costs $10 for residents; no permit is needed for a crossbow.
On top of the wildlife certificate, buy the licence for each species you will hunt. For residents, a white-tailed deer licence is $50, a mule deer licence is $50, an elk licence is $50 or $65 depending on the type, a moose licence is $50 or $65, a black bear licence is $30, a game bird licence is $20, and a pheasant licence is $30. A resident adult may obtain only one of the first two white-tailed deer licences, and similar combination rules apply across the species list, so check the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations for the combination that applies to you. Special licences for limited opportunities are available only through draws held in June: a non-refundable $6 levy, plus GST, is charged per application or group of up to four applicants for the same draw. For fall 2026, applications closed June 25, results were posted starting July 14 at AlbertaRELM, and leftover undersubscribed licences went on sale August 4.
Licences, whether electronic or paper, and applicable tags must be carried on your person while hunting. To purchase a licence that requires tags online, you must have pre-numbered tags before you begin your purchase process; tags are available by calling 1-888-944-5494 and at licence issuers. The primary licensee must carry the tags issued with a special licence and must tag the animal as soon as there is a kill. If you hold a special licence, you must submit a mandatory harvest report: most reports are due by February 15, while elk special licences ending after February 15 must be reported by March 15. Failure to report results in a $15.00 survey fee charged before you can purchase a Wildlife Certificate and take part in the special licence draw process. Non-resident hunters of big game, wolf, or coyote must be accompanied by a licensed guide or a hunter host.
The opened Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations states the certificate and licence fees, the draw dates, and the harvest report rules set out above. It does not state the tuition for the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course, which AHEIA sets and which participants pay, so no course price is asserted in this guide. Confirm the current course fee with AHEIA before enrolling.
Yes, if you are a first-time hunter. A first-time hunter is someone who has not previously held a hunting licence in Alberta or elsewhere, has not met Alberta's first-time hunter criteria before April 1, 2010, or has not successfully completed a hunter education course in Alberta or elsewhere. Take the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education course through the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association, known as AHEIA, online or in person, then add your certificate number to your WiN profile to buy a licence.
A WiN is a Wildlife Identification Number, a permanent 10-digit number you need to apply for draws, purchase wildlife certificates, licences, and replacements. A wildlife certificate is the base licence every hunter must hold alongside the licence for the species they hunt. A resident wildlife certificate costs $35, or $12 for a resident youth or senior; a non-resident alien wildlife certificate costs $80. You must hold a valid WiN before you can buy a wildlife certificate.
The 5 percent federal Goods and Services Tax is not included in the costs below. A resident adult wildlife certificate is $35. On top of that, a resident white-tailed deer licence is $50, a mule deer licence is $50, an elk licence is $50 or $65 depending on the type, a moose licence is $50 or $65, a black bear licence is $30, a game bird licence is $20, and a bowhunting permit is $10. A resident youth or senior wildlife certificate, including a game bird licence, is $12.
When demand exceeds the number of hunting opportunities, special licences are awarded through draws. A non-refundable $6 levy, plus GST, is charged for each application or group of up to four applicants for the same draw. For fall 2026 hunts, applications had to be submitted by June 25, draw results were available online at AlbertaRELM starting July 14, and leftover undersubscribed licences went on sale August 4.
Licences are sold through private licence issuers or online at AlbertaRELM. Costs are the same online or at an issuer, with no service fees added. To buy a licence that requires tags online, you must have pre-numbered tags before you begin the purchase; tags are available by calling 1-888-944-5494 and at licence issuers. You can also store licences and your WiN card in the AlbertaRELM app.
You must submit a mandatory harvest report. Most special licence harvest reports are due by February 15, while elk special licences ending after February 15 must be reported by March 15. If you fail to report, a $15.00 survey fee is charged before you can buy a Wildlife Certificate and take part in the special licence draw process.