How Alberta's WMUs are organized
Alberta is divided into roughly 185 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), and every season date, draw and bag limit in the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations is pinned to one of them.
- 100-series + WMU 732: prairie units of the southeast, including CFB Suffield (732). Note: Sunday hunting for big game is prohibited in the prairie WMUs (102–160).
- 200-series: central parkland around Edmonton (248, 250, 254 and neighbours).
- 300-series: west-central and southern foothills, and the mountain units west of Calgary (including 730).
- 400-series: northwest and the Peace country.
- 500-series and up: the far north and special management areas.
Units hunters ask about most
- WMU 248 (Strathcona County, east of Edmonton): special bow-oriented whitetail management hunt.
- WMU 250: chronic-wasting-disease surveillance sampling zone east of Edmonton.
- WMU 212: east of Edmonton, a workhorse for antlerless elk archery draws.
- WMUs 302–308: southeast prairie and Suffield-adjacent country.
Official sources for WMU boundaries
| Source | What you get | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta.ca: Wildlife Management Units | Interactive WMU maps + the legal land descriptions (which are the legally authoritative boundaries) | alberta.ca/wildlife-management-units |
| Open Alberta: WMU map PDF | Printable full-province WMU map | open.alberta.ca |
| albertaregulations.ca: WMU list | Clickable WMU list with legal descriptions and maps from the hunting regs publishers | albertaregulations.ca |
| Government of Canada Open Data | GIS shapefile dataset of WMUs for Garmin/onX import | open.canada.ca |
| 2026 Hunting Draws booklet | Current draw WMUs, quotas and seasons (PDF) | open.alberta.ca |
Alberta's own guidance: online WMU boundaries are small-scale approximations: the legal land descriptions in the guide are what counts in the field. Carry the description, not just the picture.
Using WMU maps in the field
- Match your licence and draw tag to the exact WMU before the hunt: a bull in the wrong unit is a violation, not a mulligan.
- For offline use, load WMU boundary files into your GPS or phone mapping app; cell coverage in the 300s and north is unreliable.
- Cross-reference the WMU with the current season tables on our Alberta regulations page: every row cites its guide page.
- Draw hunters: the 2026 draw window ran June 2–25 with results July 14 via AlbertaRELM.
Frequently asked questions
How many WMUs does Alberta have?
Roughly 185 Wildlife Management Units, organized in the 100s (prairie), 200s (central parkland), 300s (foothills/mountain), 400s (northwest/Peace) and 500s+ (far north), plus special units like 732 (CFB Suffield).
What's the difference between a WMU and a Wildlife Management Zone?
Nothing: Alberta uses 'Wildlife Management Unit'. Other provinces call them zones, GHAs (Manitoba) or MUs (BC).