Alabama Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Alabama hunting license costs $35.30 for a resident adult and $411.95 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-11-06).
Alabama's hunting license splits between an all-game and a small-game-only tier for residents, and the state exempts both young and older hunters from needing a license at all, a generous carve-out compared to most of its neighbors.
- Non-resident 3-day $179.05
- Non-resident 10-day $253.95
Resident annual all-game shown; resident small-game-only is $23.40. Residents under 16 or 65+ are exempt from a license (must carry proof of age/residency). Non-resident 3-day ($179.05) and 10-day ($253.95) all-game trip options also exist. Licenses bought now expire August 31, 2027; Alabama raises some prices each September 1.
Fee last verified 2026-11-06.
Heading out for Alabama hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What an Alabama hunting license costs
Residents pay $35.30 for the annual all-game license or $23.40 for small-game-only. Non-residents pay $411.95 for the annual all-game license, with shorter trip options at $253.95 for 10 days or $179.05 for 3 days. Licenses bought now expire August 31, 2027.
Age exemptions
Alabama residents under 16 and residents 65 or older are exempt from needing a hunting license at all, though they must carry proof of age and residency while hunting. This is a notably broader exemption than most states offer, which typically only exempt young children.
How to buy your Alabama hunting license
Outdoor Alabama (outdooralabama.com) is the state's official licensing portal. Licenses are also sold at retailers including Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops, and county probate offices across the state.
Hunting in Alabama: what to expect
Alabama has one of the longest deer seasons in the country, and the state's Black Belt region (named for its dark, fertile soil) has built a national reputation for trophy whitetail deer, supporting a significant hunting-lease and outfitter economy in the west-central part of the state. Turkey hunting each spring is a serious tradition too, and Alabama's mix of national forest land (Talladega, Bankhead, Conecuh and William B. Bankhead among them) gives hunters without private land access real public options. The Gulf Coast counties add a different character entirely, with hog hunting essentially unrestricted on private land given their invasive status.
Public hunting land in Alabama
Alabama's Wildlife Management Area system covers well over a million acres, with the state's four national forests forming the backbone of public deer, turkey and small game hunting outside the private-lease-dominated Black Belt. Because so much of Alabama's best deer country is privately owned and leased, public WMA hunts here tend to draw heavier pressure on opening weekends than in states with more public acreage relative to population, so hunting midweek or scouting a WMA's back corners tends to pay off more than it would in a state like Michigan or Pennsylvania.
Trip licenses and the under-16 / 65+ exemption
Resident all-game is $35.30; small-game-only is $23.40. Non-resident annual all-game is $411.95, with a 10-day trip at $253.95 and a 3-day trip at $179.05. Those trip licenses are how a visiting hunter hunts the Black Belt without buying a $412 year. Residents under 16 and residents 65 or older are exempt from a hunting license if they carry proof of age and residency. That exemption is resident-only. A 70-year-old from Georgia pays non-resident.
Outdoor Alabama is the portal. Academy, Bass Pro and county probate offices also sell. A 3-day license is not a 3-day turkey license if turkey needs a separate privilege in the year you hunt; read the current privilege list. Hog hunting on private land is widespread and still sits inside Alabama's license framework unless an exemption on the current page says otherwise.
The Black Belt lease country is private, which is why a $411.95 non-resident annual without a place to hunt is an expensive PDF. If you do not have a lease or an invitation, look at WMA seasons and national forest before you pay. A 3-day or 10-day trip license matches a weekend hunt on a WMA better than the annual. Carry proof of residency if you are using the under-16 or 65-and-older exemption; "I left my wallet in the truck" is not proof. Hunter education rules still apply to first-time hunters who are not in those exempt age bands. Outdoor Alabama will sell the 3-day and 10-day non-resident trip licenses in the same account as the annual; pick the trip product if you are not staying a season.
How to renew a Alabama hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Alabama. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. 2026-2027 season.
The fastest route is the official Alabama online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Alabama fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.