For North Dakota hunters
Hunting in Canada from North Dakota
Your state's big three are resident-only, once-in-a-lifetime lotteries. Ours are a booking.
North Dakota has a healthy prairie moose herd, real elk and real bighorn sheep. You just cannot count on ever hunting any of them. All three are once-in-a-lifetime lotteries, and for a nonresident the moose and bighorn draws are closed entirely: you cannot even apply. Even a lifelong North Dakotan wins a moose tag once, if the numbers ever fall their way.
We hunt all three in Alberta's Rockies on guaranteed outfitter allocations, with no draw and no residency wall. You book the date, you hunt. From the western part of the state you can load the truck and drive north, and from anywhere in North Dakota it is a short one-stop flight through Denver or Minneapolis. This page is the straight comparison for a hunter who is tired of putting in for tags that never come.
Hunting moose from North Dakota
North Dakota Game and Fish runs its moose hunt as a once-in-a-lifetime lottery, and it is a residents-only tag. A nonresident cannot apply at all, and residents who do apply are chasing a tag most of them will never draw in a lifetime of trying. The prairie moose are there. The access is not.
In Alberta the tag rides with the hunt. Our one-on-one rut hunts produce bulls that average better than fifty inches, we take only a handful of hunters a season, and there is no lottery in front of you. 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: the rest of the resident-only wall
It is not just moose. North Dakota's elk and bighorn lotteries are the same once-in-a-lifetime structure, and the same door is shut to nonresidents. If you live in the state, the big three are a numbers game you may lose forever. If you do not, they are simply closed.
We run elk in Alberta at $9,500 for a ten-day rut hunt or $7,500 for a six-day migration hunt, and bighorn as the continent's premier ram tag at $45,000 to $100,000. Worth remembering: in every US state that has bighorn at all, the tag is a lottery 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 North Dakota
North Dakota is a genuine drive state. From the western tier it is a long haul north, a solid day and a bit behind the wheel, but it is truck-feasible if you would rather bring your own gear and cross at a land port. If you would rather fly, it is a quick one-stop from Bismarck, Fargo, Minot or Williston through Denver or Minneapolis, both of which have year-round nonstops to Calgary.
Either way, 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. The land crossing uses the exact same form. See bringing firearms into Canada.
What our hunts cost from North Dakota
Here is what our hunts cost from North Dakota, 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 North Dakota as a nonresident?
No. North Dakota's moose hunt is a once-in-a-lifetime lottery open to residents only, so a nonresident cannot apply at all. Our Alberta moose hunts carry the tag through an outfitter allocation with no draw and no residency requirement.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as a North Dakota resident?
Yes. In Alberta a non-resident hunts big game with a licensed outfitter-guide, and as an American you obtain the tag through the outfitter's allocation rather than a draw. We hold the allocations for the species we hunt.
Q. Can I drive to your Alberta hunts from North Dakota?
Yes. From the western part of the state it is a long day-plus drive north, and the land border crossing uses the same RCMP firearm declaration and CAD $25 fee. If you prefer to fly it is a one-stop through Denver or Minneapolis.
Q. Are North Dakota's elk and bighorn tags open to me?
Only to residents, and only as once-in-a-lifetime lotteries. We hunt elk and bighorn in Alberta on guaranteed allocations, so there is no draw wall and no residency requirement.
Q. Is there a lottery for your hunts?
No. Every hunt we run comes with its tag through our Alberta allocation. You choose a date and book, rather than applying and hoping.
Keep reading
Plan your hunt
Ask us about hunting moose, elk or bighorn from North Dakota
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.