For Massachusetts hunters
Hunting in Canada from Massachusetts
The only way a Massachusetts hunter ever tags a moose is somewhere else. Here is somewhere else.
Massachusetts has moose. A four-figure population of them roams the central and western parts of the state, enough that collisions and backyard sightings make the local news. What Massachusetts does not have is a season. There is no hunt, no lottery, no points, no path. The only way a Massachusetts hunter ever tags a moose is somewhere else.
We run guided moose hunts in Alberta's Rockies where the tag comes with the booking. No season to wait for, no draw to win. Boston's Calgary nonstop is seasonal, but a fall hunt is an easy one-stop, our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours from the airport, and the bull you can only watch at home is a flight and a booking away. This page is your somewhere else.
Hunting moose from Massachusetts
The Massachusetts herd recolonized the state on its own and now numbers in the low thousands, but the state has never opened a season on them. They are an animal you can see and never hunt, which for a hunter is its own particular frustration: the moose is right there, and the law is a wall.
Alberta takes the wall down. Our bulls average better than fifty inches, we run a small number of one-on-one rut hunts a season, and the tag rides with the booking through our provincial allocation. Our moose hunt 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: never a Massachusetts option
Massachusetts has no elk hunt and no wild elk herd, and no bighorn sheep. Both animals have always been out-of-state trips for a Bay State hunter, the same as the moose.
In Alberta all three are a booking on the same trip. Elk is $9,500 for a ten-day rut hunt or $7,500 for six days on the migration, and bighorn is the continent's premier tag at $45,000 to $100,000, on a guaranteed allocation. The bighorn rule holds nationwide: in every US state with the animal, a tag is a jackpot or decades of points, and 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 Massachusetts
Boston has a WestJet nonstop to Calgary, but it runs summer-seasonal, so for a September through November hunt do not count on flying it direct. A fall trip is a clean one-stop through Toronto, Chicago or Denver instead. 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 uniform for every US hunter regardless of state: the RCMP Non-Resident Firearm Declaration and a flat CAD $25 at the border for non-restricted rifles and shotguns. We walk every hunter through the simple border paperwork. See bringing firearms into Canada.
What our hunts cost from Massachusetts
Here is what our hunts cost from Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts?
No. Massachusetts has a moose population in the low thousands but no hunting season at all, and no lottery. Our Alberta moose hunts carry the tag through an allocation with no draw, so you can hunt the animal you can only watch at home.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as a Massachusetts 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. How do I get from Massachusetts to your Alberta hunts?
Boston's Calgary nonstop is summer-seasonal, so for a fall hunt plan a one-stop through Toronto, Chicago or Denver. Our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours' drive from the airport.
Q. How much is a guided moose hunt with you?
Our Alberta moose hunt is $15,500 to $17,500 in USD plus Alberta's 5% GST for ten days, one-on-one, with the tag included through our allocation.
Q. Is there a draw for your hunts?
No. Every hunt we run comes with its tag through our Alberta allocation. You pick a date and book, rather than entering a lottery that in Massachusetts does not exist.
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