Alabama hunting license

How much does an Alabama hunting license cost?

A Resident All Game Alabama hunting license costs $34.35, as currently listed by ADCNR (the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources). That one purchase covers every legal species, deer and turkey included, so most residents need nothing else for a typical season. If you only chase squirrels, rabbits, doves or quail, the Resident Small Game license is $22.75 and leaves out deer and turkey.

Some add-ons sit outside the base license. Hunting a wildlife management area takes a WMA license ($22.75 for residents), and hunting over bait needs the baiting privilege ($18.45 for residents, $63.40 for nonresidents). Duck hunters should also check the federal and state waterfowl stamp rules on the Outdoor Alabama resident license page.

Which license should you pick? If there is any chance you will sit in a deer stand or call a gobbler this season, the All Game license is the one to buy, because Small Game leaves out both species. The price gap between the two is $11.60 for residents. Small Game makes sense for hunters who only run beagles, shoot doves on opening day or walk field edges for quail.

A note on timing: the ADCNR fee pages checked on October 23, 2026 still say a license bought today expires August 31, 2026, and Alabama prices can change each September 1. Treat the numbers in the table below as the prices currently posted, and confirm the total at checkout before you pay.

Who needs hunter education for an Alabama hunting license?

Anyone born on or after August 1, 1977 must pass an approved hunter education course before buying a license. Hunters born before that date are not required to take the course, though many do anyway.

Alabama offers the course two ways. The free classroom version runs about eight hours, and there is also an approved online course. Students can enroll from age 10, and the ADCNR course page does not mention a separate field day. Cards issued by other states are accepted, which helps if you learned to hunt somewhere else. Sign up on the Alabama hunter education page.

Short on time this season? Alabama lets uncertified license buyers hunt in a "supervision required" status instead. You must stay within normal voice control and no more than 30 feet of a licensed hunter who is at least 21 and is not supervision-required themselves. It works as a stopgap, but finishing the course gives you full freedom to hunt alone.

Where do you buy an Alabama hunting license?

The quickest route is online through Outdoor Alabama's license site, where you pay by card and can print or save your license right away. Prefer to talk to someone? Call 1-888-848-6887. You can also buy in person at a county probate office or license commissioner, at a local license agent, or at a Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries district office or the Montgomery office.

Before you check out, decide on All Game versus Small Game, and whether you need the WMA license or baiting privilege. Those choices matter more in Alabama than tags do, because the license itself is what authorizes deer and turkey.

Buying by phone or in person works the same way as online, and you leave with the same license. Have your hunter education details handy if you were born on or after August 1, 1977, since the course is required before you can buy.

1. Confirm your hunter education status if you were born on or after August 1, 1977, or plan to hunt in supervision-required status.
2. Open the Outdoor Alabama license site, call 1-888-848-6887, or visit a probate office or license agent.
3. Pick the Resident All Game or Small Game license, or a nonresident annual or trip license.
4. Add a WMA license or baiting privilege if your hunt needs one, then download the Outdoor AL app for Game Check.

Buy a Alabama hunting license on the official site

Do you need deer or turkey tags in Alabama?

No, Alabama does not sell separate deer or turkey tags: the All Game license covers both, for residents and nonresidents alike. What it does require is a record of every animal you take.

As soon as you harvest a deer or turkey, log it on a paper harvest record or in the Outdoor AL app, before you move the animal. Then report it through Game Check within 48 hours, using the app, the web or the phone line at 1-800-888-7690. Full details are on the Game Check page.

The Outdoor AL app handles both jobs: it holds your harvest record and sends the Game Check report. That lets you log and report in one place instead of juggling a paper record and a separate phone call or web form.

There is no statewide big game draw to plan around. Some wildlife management areas hold special hunts with their own applications, so check the WMA rules if you plan to hunt public land during a limited-entry hunt.

Do kids need an Alabama hunting license?

No, residents and nonresidents under 16 do not need a license to hunt in Alabama. Hunter education is not required of them either until they reach license age at 16, though the course is open from age 10 and is a good first step.

There is one catch for young hunters. Every age must buy the baiting privilege to hunt over bait, and the nighttime feral swine and coyote license if hunting those animals after dark. Youth harvests still go through Game Check like any other deer or turkey.

Planning a family hunt across the state line? The Georgia hunting license and Tennessee hunting license guides explain how youth rules work next door, and the full hunting license by state table compares all 50.

How much is a nonresident Alabama hunting license?

A nonresident annual All Game Alabama hunting license is $399.50, as currently listed by ADCNR. Like the resident version, it covers deer and turkey with no extra tags, so the price is closer to an all-in cost than it first looks.

Visiting hunters on a short trip have cheaper choices. The All Game trip license is $246.60 for 10 days or $173.90 for 3 days. For small game only, nonresidents pay $130.25 for the year, $79.35 for 10 days or $57.40 for 3 days. Baiting costs nonresidents $63.40 extra.

Which option fits depends on how many days you will actually be in the woods. A single long weekend points to the 3-day All Game license, while a week-long deer camp fits the 10-day version. If you expect to come back more than once in the same license year, the annual license usually works out to be the better buy. Keep in mind that every nonresident license still ends on August 31, whatever date you buy it.

Own land in Alabama but live elsewhere? You still need a nonresident license; the landowner exemption applies only to Alabama residents. Prices and options are on the nonresident license page.

What other rules come with a hunting license in Alabama?

Every Alabama license expires on August 31, because the state runs its license year from September 1 through August 31. A license bought in July is good for only a few weeks, so time your purchase with that in mind. Here are the other rules most hunters ask about.

• Hunter orange: during gun deer seasons, and on WMAs year-round for all hunting, wear a solid hunter orange or fluorescent pink outer garment of at least 144 square inches above the waist, or a full-size orange or pink cap. Turkey hunters and hunters in stands 12 feet or higher are exempt. See the hunter orange rules.
• Landowners: Alabama resident landowners and their resident immediate family can hunt their own land without a license.
• Seniors: residents 65 and older are exempt from the license, except for baiting and the nighttime swine and coyote license.
• Lifetime licenses: residents can buy them, but prices change each September 1 and are not posted online, so call 334-242-3465. Residents who are 64 can get one for the cost of an annual license.
• Disability and military: 100% physically disabled residents pay $7.50, disabled veterans pay $17.70 (50%) or $3.60 (100%), and resident active-duty military on leave can hunt without a license.