White-tailed Deer Hunting in Alberta
Alberta whitetails are legendary. The parkland belt between Edmonton and the Saskatchewan border, the farmland of the south, and the boreal fringe grow deep-bodied, heavy-horned bucks: and Alberta's general whitetail seasons let residents hunt them without a draw in most WMUs, including long archery windows and the famous late-season rut hunts in November.
Archery-only seasons typically open in late August or on September 1, rifle seasons run through November, and some WMUs hold antlerless opportunities on special licences. The tables below quote the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations with citations.
Whitetail hunting in Alberta: the basics
- Season window: archery late Aug/Sep 1 start; general rifle seasons through November: the rut hunt is the marquee event.
- WMU 248 (Strathcona County, east of Edmonton) runs a special bow-only management hunt: check its specific rules.
- Where: parkland WMUs east of Edmonton, the south country along river breaks, and the Peace region.
- Licences: WiN card + Wildlife Certificate + resident whitetail licence through AlbertaRELM.
White-tailed Deer
📋 Mandatory requirement to submit heads of deer harvested in specified WMUs for CWD testing: WMUs 102, 108, 110, 116, 118, 119, 148, 150, 151, 200, 224, 232, 234, 236, 238, 246, 247, 250, 300, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, 332, 334, 402, 404, 406, 412, 414, 503, 504, 505, 506, 508, 509, 510, 514, 515, 728 and 730 (p. 66). Parkland extra licence: 'Antlerless deer (WMUs 212, 247 and 248) licence' holders may kill two antlerless deer (either white-tailed or mule deer) with a bow and arrow (not crossbow) during archery-only season S1 - N30; 'WMU 248 white-tailed deer licence' holders may kill three white-tailed deer, only one of which may be antlered, with bow, crossbow, muzzle loader or shotgun in WMU 248 between O25 - D7 (p. 51).
| Zone | Season | Bag / tag limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie WMUs 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 124, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 148, 150, 151, 152, 156, 158, 160 - Antlered | Archery-only: S1 - N3; General: (Wed - Sat only) N4 - N7, N11 - N14, N18 - N21, N25 - N28 | – | General season open Wednesday-Saturday only in the listed weeks. Sunday hunting for big game is prohibited in Prairie WMUs 102-160 (p. 47).Source: p. 47 (Big Game Seasons, Prairie WMUs) |
| Prairie WMUs 162, 163, 164, 166 - Antlered | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: N1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 47 |
| Prairie WMUs 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 124, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 148, 150, 151, 152, 156, 158, 160 - Antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - N3; General: ■(Wed - Sat only) N4 - N7, N11 - N14, N18 - N21, N25 - N28 | – | ■ = special licence only. General season open Wednesday-Saturday only.Source: p. 47 |
| Prairie WMUs 162, 163, 164, 166 - Antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: ■ N1 - N30 | – | ■ = special licence only.Source: p. 47 |
| Parkland WMUs 200, 202, 203, 204, 206, 208, 214, 216, 220, 221, 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242, 244, 246, 250, 252, 254, 256, 258, 260 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: N1 - N30 | – | Sunday hunting for big game prohibited in WMUs 728, 730 and 936 (p. 50).Source: p. 50 (Parkland WMUs) |
| Parkland WMUs 212, 247, 248 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - N30 (no general season) | – | Archery-only WMUs (game birds in WMUs 212/247/248 also restricted to bow/crossbow/shotgun/falconry, p. 62).Source: p. 50 |
| Parkland WMU 936 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: O17 - O31; General: N9 - N30 | – | WMU 936 (Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area): hunters (including bowhunters) require a firearms discharge permit and must review an online hunter information package (footnote 1, p. 51; p. 63).Source: p. 50 |
| Parkland WMU 210 - Antlered | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: N1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 50 |
| Parkland WMU 210 - Antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: ■ N1 - N30 | – | ■ = special licence only.Source: p. 50 |
| Foothills WMUs 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, 332, 334, 336, 337, 338, 348 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: N1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 52 (Foothills WMUs) |
| Foothills WMUs 300, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 308 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O24; General: O25 - N30 | – | Source: p. 52 |
| Foothills WMUs 326, 328, 330, 339, 340, 342, 344, 346, 347, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: A25 - S16; General: S17 - N30 | – | Source: p. 52 |
| Mountain WMUs 404, 406, 408 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S9 - S23; General: ■ S24 - N30 | – | ■ = special licence only.Source: p. 54 (Mountain WMUs) |
| Mountain WMU 410 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S9 - N30 (no general season) | – | WMU 410 archery-only for big game; game birds in WMU 410 may only be hunted with bows and arrows or a falconry bird (p. 62).Source: p. 54 |
| Mountain WMUs 429, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 444, 445, 446 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: A25 - S16; General: S17 - N30 | – | Source: p. 54 |
| Mountain WMUs 412, 414, 416, 417, 418, 420, 422, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434 - Antlered | Archery-only: A25 - S16; General: S17 - N30 | – | Source: p. 54 |
| Mountain WMUs 400, 402 - Antlered | Archery-only: S1 - S23; General: S24 - N30 | – | Source: p. 54 |
| Mountain WMUs 412, 414, 416, 417, 418, 420, 422, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434 - Antlerless | Archery-only: A25 - S16; General: N1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 54 |
| Mountain WMUs 400, 402 - Antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - S23; General: N1 - N15 | – | Source: p. 54 |
| Boreal WMUs 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: S1 - O31; General: N1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 56 (Boreal WMUs) |
| Boreal WMUs 511, 512, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 524, 525, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 534, 536, 539, 540, 541, 542, 544 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: A25 - A31; General: S1 - N30 | – | Source: p. 56 |
| Boreal WMUs 521, 522, 523, 526, 527, 535, 537 - Antlered and antlerless | Archery-only: A25 - S16; General: S17 - N30 | – | Source: p. 56 |
| Boreal WMU 841 - Antlered and antlerless | General: S17 - N30 (no archery-only season listed) | – | Source: p. 56 |
| Supplemental antlerless white-tailed deer licence (Parkland/Boreal WMUs 200-208, 214, 220-246, 248, 258, 260, 332, 334, 440-446, 500-504, 506 and 509-519) | Valid during open antlerless seasons; issued with one tag | 1 deer per supplemental licence (one tag) | Supplemental antlerless white-tailed deer licences - Additional hunting opportunities note, Boreal section.Source: p. 57; p. 51 (Parkland note) |
| CFB Wainwright deer special licence - WMUs 728 and 730 | Bow and arrow or muzzle loader: N26 - N28; Rifle: N30 - D2, D3 - D5, D7 - D9, D10 - D12 | – | CFB Wainwright; refer to mywildalberta.ca/wainwrighthunt.Source: p. 60 |