For Michigan hunters
Hunting in Canada from Michigan
Moose in the U.P. you can't hunt, an elk tag you can't even apply for. Ours come with the hunt.
Michigan hunters live around game they cannot draw. There are moose in the Upper Peninsula, a real established herd, and the state has never opened a season on them. There is an elk hunt in the northern Lower Peninsula, a couple hundred permits a year, and it is resident-only, so an out-of-stater cannot even apply, while residents face lottery odds so long that many put in for decades. Michigan is deer-camp country, and November 15 is practically a state holiday, but the mountain game is a locked door.
We run guided moose and elk hunts in Alberta's Rockies where the tag comes with the booking. No closed season, no resident-only wall, no decades of points. From Detroit it is a one-stop north for a fall hunt, our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours from the airport, and the animals Michigan keeps behind glass are here to hunt.
Hunting moose from Michigan
Moose live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Michigan has never opened a moose season on them. The herd is there, studied and managed, but not hunted, so a Michigan hunter has no home moose tag to draw, ever, under the current framework. The animal is close to home and completely off-limits.
Alberta is the hunt Michigan cannot offer. 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.
Hunting elk from Michigan: resident-only at home
Michigan's elk hunt in the northern Lower Peninsula is real, roughly a couple hundred permits a year, but it is resident-only: an out-of-state hunter literally cannot apply, and residents face lottery odds so long that many apply for decades without drawing. There is no wild bighorn in the state at all.
Our Alberta elk is open and guaranteed. The rut hunt is $9,500 for ten days of bugling bulls and the migration hunt is $7,500 for six, on an allocation with no draw and no residency requirement. 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, 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 Michigan
Detroit 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: plan a one-stop through Chicago, Minneapolis or Toronto 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 the same 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. See bringing firearms into Canada.
What our hunts cost from Michigan
Here is what our hunts cost from Michigan, 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 Michigan?
No. Michigan has an established moose herd in the Upper Peninsula but has never opened a season on them. Our Alberta moose hunts carry the tag through an allocation with no draw, so you can hunt the animal Michigan keeps off-limits.
Q. Can a nonresident hunt elk in Michigan?
No. Michigan's elk hunt is resident-only, so an out-of-stater cannot even apply, and residents face decades-long lottery odds. Our Alberta elk hunts come with the tag through our allocation, with no residency requirement.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as a Michigan 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 Michigan to your Alberta hunts?
Detroit's Calgary nonstop is summer-seasonal, so for a fall hunt plan a one-stop through Chicago, Minneapolis or Toronto. Our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours' drive from the airport.
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 applying for a resident-only lottery you cannot enter.
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