For Colorado hunters
Hunting in Canada from Colorado
Even Colorado put nonresidents in a draw. Our elk tags still come with the hunt.
Colorado has more elk than any state in the country, and for years it was the last big walk-in elk door in the West: a nonresident could buy an over-the-counter archery tag and go. That door closed. Starting in 2025 Colorado ended over-the-counter archery elk for nonresidents, and elk west of I-25 went draw-only. The overcrowding that drove the change was real, with something like a thousand hunters chasing every good unit, but the result is the same: even Colorado now puts you in a draw.
We run guided elk hunts in Alberta's Rockies where the tag comes with the booking, no draw and no points. Denver has a year-round nonstop to Calgary, our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours from the airport, and the elk are bugling in the same range, just north of the line. For a Colorado hunter watching the tag system tighten every year, that is worth a look.
Moose from Colorado: a draw at home, a booking here
Colorado has a growing moose herd, but tags are a preference-point draw across the archery, muzzleloader and rifle seasons, and most applicants never win. It is the same points-and-patience pattern as the rest of the state's premium tags.
Alberta moose is a booking. Our bulls average better than fifty inches, we run one-on-one rut hunts, and the tag rides with the hunt through our provincial allocation. It is $15,500 to $17,500 in USD plus 5% GST for ten days. See the moose hunt page and the moose cost guide.
Hunting elk from Colorado
The 2025 change is the story. Colorado ended over-the-counter archery elk for nonresidents, so the state that used to be the West's guaranteed walk-in is now a draw west of I-25. Crowding drove it, and the direction of travel is one way: tighter every year. If your Colorado plan depended on that OTC tag, the plan just changed.
Our Alberta elk did not change. The rut hunt is $9,500 for ten days of bugling bulls and the migration hunt is $7,500 for six, on a guaranteed allocation with no draw. Bighorn is the continent's premier tag at $45,000 to $100,000, and the rule holds everywhere: in every US state with bighorn, a tag is a jackpot or decades of points. Guaranteed-allocation bighorn does not exist in the Lower 48. See elk and bighorn sheep.
What we hunt in Alberta
Everything on this page runs out of one operation: our horseback backcountry camp in Alberta's Rockies near Nordegg, in country where motorized vehicles are prohibited and access is by horse and on foot. We hold provincial allocations for the species below, which is what lets us hand you a tag with the hunt instead of sending you into a draw.
- Moose: premium mountain bulls averaging better than fifty inches, one-on-one, $15,500 to $17,500 in USD plus GST.
- Elk: a $9,500 ten-day rut hunt for bugling bulls, or a $7,500 six-day migration hunt.
- Bighorn sheep: the premier tag on the continent, $45,000 to $100,000, on a guaranteed allocation.
- Mule and whitetail deer: the November rut, $6,500, 130 to 170 class.
- Black bear: baited hunts, $2,500 to $5,000 CAD, the most affordable guided big game in Canada.
- Wolf: a free add-on with any booked hunt, unlimited harvest, CITES permit to export.
Getting here from Colorado
Easy trip. United flies a year-round nonstop from Denver to Calgary, and WestJet serves the route too, so from the Front Range you are one flight from the mountains. From the airport our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours by road, the same from Calgary or Edmonton.
The rifle paperwork is the same for every US hunter: the RCMP Non-Resident Firearm Declaration and a flat CAD $25 at the border for non-restricted rifles and shotguns. See bringing firearms into Canada.
What our hunts cost from Colorado
Here is what our hunts cost from Colorado, in plain USD. These are our own published rates, and the figure below is the guided hunt only. Licences and tags, Alberta's 5% GST, your airfare, tips for guides and camp staff, and any taxidermy or export sit on top of it. For the full stack on any species, follow the cost guides.
| Our Alberta hunt | Price | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Elk, migration | $7,500 USD | 6 days |
| Elk, rut | $9,500 USD | 10 days |
| Mule or whitetail deer | $6,500 USD | November rut |
| Moose, rut one-on-one | $15,500 - $17,500 USD + GST | 10 days |
| Bighorn sheep | $45,000 - $100,000 USD | Backcountry camps |
| Black bear | $2,500 - $5,000 CAD | Baited |
| Wolf | Free add-on | With any booked hunt |
For the full itemised breakdown by species, see the moose cost guide, the elk cost guide and the other cost guides.
Bringing your rifle across the border
This part is the same for every US hunter, whatever state you leave from. You fill out the RCMP Non-Resident Firearm Declaration, form 5589, pay a flat CAD $25 at the border, and have it witnessed by a border officer. That declaration acts as a temporary licence for the length of your trip and lets you buy ammunition here. It covers non-restricted rifles and shotguns, the sporting long guns you hunt with. Leave any handguns at home, and note the five-round magazine cap on semi-automatic centre-fire long guns.
We walk every hunter through the paperwork before you travel, so nothing at the border is a surprise. See bringing firearms into Canada for the full walkthrough, and do you need a guide in Canada for why the outfitter is the access, not an add-on.
Common questions
Q. Can I still get an over-the-counter elk tag in Colorado?
Not as a nonresident archer. Colorado ended over-the-counter archery elk for nonresidents starting in 2025, so elk west of I-25 is draw-only. Our Alberta elk hunts carry the tag through an allocation with no draw.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as a Colorado resident?
Yes. In Alberta a non-resident hunts big game with a licensed outfitter-guide, and as an American your tag comes through the outfitter's allocation rather than a draw. We hold the allocations for the species we hunt.
Q. Can I hunt moose in Colorado?
Only through a preference-point draw most applicants never win. Our Alberta moose hunt at $15,500 to $17,500 in USD plus 5% GST comes with the tag through our allocation, no draw.
Q. How do I get from Colorado to your Alberta hunts?
United flies a year-round nonstop from Denver to Calgary, with WestJet also on the route, and our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours' drive from there.
Q. Is there a draw for your elk hunts?
No. Our Alberta elk hunts come with the tag through our allocation. The rut hunt is $9,500 for ten days; you book a date rather than apply.
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