For Vermont hunters
Hunting in Canada from Vermont
A small annual lottery that keeps getting smaller. Our herd doesn't have that problem.
Vermont still has a moose hunt, but it is a small annual lottery that keeps getting smaller. Winter ticks and herd stress have pushed the state to cut permits hard in recent years, down to a fraction of what the hunt once offered, concentrated in a single zone. Vermonters have watched their moose herd and their permit numbers shrink together, and that trend is the whole context for this page.
We run guided moose hunts in Alberta's Rockies where the herd is robust and the tag comes with the booking. No shrinking permit count, no lottery to sweat. From Burlington it is a clean one-stop north, our camp near Nordegg is about three and a half hours from the airport, and hunting a healthy western herd is a different world from watching a struggling one at home.
Hunting moose from Vermont
Vermont's moose hunt is real but under pressure. Winter ticks have battered the herd, the state has cut the lottery hard, and the number of permits keeps trending down, concentrated in one zone. It is a small hunt that gets smaller, run carefully to protect an animal the state is worried about.
Alberta's herd is not carrying that burden. 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: not a Vermont hunt
Vermont has no elk hunt and no wild elk herd, and no bighorn sheep. Both animals have always meant leaving New England for a Vermont hunter.
In Alberta both are a booking on the same trip your moose is. 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 everywhere: 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 Vermont
From Burlington the routing is a straightforward one-stop to Calgary through Toronto, Montreal or Chicago. 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 Vermont
Here is what our hunts cost from Vermont, 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 Vermont?
Only if you draw the small annual lottery, and the permit numbers keep shrinking as the state protects a herd under pressure from winter ticks. Our Alberta moose hunts carry the tag through an allocation with no draw.
Q. Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada as a Vermont 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. Why does Vermont keep cutting moose permits?
Winter ticks and herd stress have pushed the state to reduce the lottery hard in recent years, so the hunt keeps getting smaller. Alberta's herd is robust, and our moose hunts come with the tag through our allocation.
Q. How do I get from Vermont to your Alberta hunts?
A one-stop from Burlington through Toronto, Montreal or Chicago, then about three and a half hours by road from Calgary or Edmonton.
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 shrinking lottery.
Keep reading
Plan your hunt
Ask us about an Alberta moose hunt without the Vermont lottery
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.