For Iowa hunters
Hunting in Canada from Iowa
You wait years of points for an Iowa buck. Our tags come with the hunt.
Iowa hunters understand draws better than almost anyone. Even a nonresident chasing one of Iowa's famous whitetails waits multiple years of preference points to get in, so the idea of banking points for a tag is second nature here. What Iowa does not have is mountain game: no wild moose, no elk. Those animals mean leaving the state entirely.
So here is a different kind of hunt for a hunter who knows the points grind: guided moose, elk and bighorn in Alberta's Rockies on guaranteed outfitter allocations. No lottery, no points, no wait. You book a date and you hunt. It is a one-stop from Des Moines through Denver or Minneapolis, our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours from the airport, and the tag comes with the hunt.
Hunting moose from Iowa
There is no wild moose in Iowa, so unlike your whitetail this is not a tag you can build points toward at home. The only way an Iowan hunts a bull is out of state, and we take the wait out of it entirely.
Our Alberta moose is a horseback wilderness hunt. Bulls average better than fifty inches, we run one-on-one rut hunts, and the tag rides with the booking 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.
Elk and bighorn: no Iowa tag, no Iowa wait
Iowa has no elk hunt and no bighorn sheep, so there is not even a points line to stand in for them at home. Both mean travel.
We hunt both in Alberta on guaranteed allocations. Our elk rut hunt is $9,500 for ten days of bugling bulls or $7,500 for six days on the migration, and bighorn is the continent's premier ram tag at $45,000 to $100,000. Every US state with bighorn makes it a jackpot or decades of points, and guaranteed-allocation bighorn does not exist in the Lower 48. Unlike your Iowa deer points, there is nothing to bank here, you just book. 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 Iowa
From Des Moines it is a clean one-stop to Calgary through Denver or Minneapolis, both of which have year-round nonstops on to Calgary. From the airport our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours by road, whether you land at 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 Iowa
Here is what our hunts cost from Iowa, 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 hunt moose in Iowa?
No, there is no wild moose in Iowa. Our Alberta moose hunts carry the tag through an outfitter allocation with no draw and no points, so a bull is a booking away instead of a tag you could never build toward at home.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as an Iowa resident?
Yes. In Alberta a non-resident hunts big game either with a licensed outfitter-guide or an unpaid resident hunter host, 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. How does this compare to waiting for an Iowa deer tag?
You already wait years of preference points for an Iowa whitetail. Our Alberta hunts have no points and no wait: the tag comes with the hunt through our allocation, so you pick a date and book.
Q. How do I get from Iowa to your Alberta hunts?
A one-stop from Des Moines through Denver or Minneapolis, both with year-round nonstops to Calgary. From there our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours by road.
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Plan your hunt
Ask us about an Alberta moose or elk hunt with no points to bank
Tell us what you are after. We reply within 1 to 2 business days with honest numbers, real dates and the outfitters we would send our own family to. It costs you nothing.