About

In 1956, the Alberta Provincial Archery Association and the Edmonton Bowhunters joined to form the Alberta Bowhunters and Archers Association.
The number one goal of this new association was to legalize bowhunting in the Province of Alberta.
This goal was acheived in 1957 and in 1958 a Bowhunter named Ray Anderson harvested the first legal animal in the Province of Alberta with a Bow and Arrow! Armed with his trusty 85 pound Howard Hill Longbow and using 3/8th inch birch dowell tipped with a Howard Hill Broadhead, Ray harvested a cow elk!
The 42 members of the newly formed ABAA then set out on their next quest, to lobby government for changes to the Fish and Wildlife Act that related directly to bowhunters.
Bowhunters had to comply with the same rules governing gun hunters in respect to clothing, season length and even the Bucks and Bulls rule.
The first "Bow and Arrow Only" zone was established and called Zone 8. This zone is still a Bow zone and is known world wide as WMU 410, the Canmore Corridor!
In 1969 the ABAA was able to secure some changes in the F&W Act.
Bowhunters are allowed to wear camoflauge clothing.
Seasons are lengthened for bowhunters.
In 1970, the Government agreed to allow the use of aluminium arrows for the first time.
In 1974, the Government instituted a Bowhunting license (stamp) to better count the number of bowhunters in the province. The cost of this original stamp was $3.00 and the first year there were 34 bowhunters licensed in the province. This number doubled the next year and with the phenomenal growth of the sport has increased to approx. 16,000 bowhunters in the Province of Alberta.
In 1975, the Government set aside two more "Bow and Arrow Only" zones in the province. One surrounds the City of Edmonton in the northern part of the province and one around Calgary in the south. Both of these zones are very productive and with proper management will last for years to come.
In 1976-77, the ABAA succesfully won the fight for "archery only" ( pre-season ) seasons. The ABAA was also succesful in getting the Archery Antelope draw in place.

Restructuring
In 1991, The Alberta Bowhunters and Archers Association took a step to insure that the needs of both the Bowhunters and the Target Archers of the province were being looked after by people who were directly involved with each faction.
The result was the formation of two child associations under the umbrella of the ABAA.
The Alberta Bowhunters Association (A.B.A.) & The Alberta Target Archers Association
Since the restructuring in 1991, the membership in the ABA has increased approximately by 120%. The direct result of bowhunters controlling their own destiny.

The ABA has been succcesful in working with Government through our Bowhunting Regulations Program to maintain and acheive new opportunities for Alberta bowhunters over the years,

Our recent accomplishments include sunday hunting allowed in numerous WMU's in Central to Southern Alberta.

We are an active member of the Alberta Outdoor Coallition (AOC) in which we sit with all the member groups to discuss and resolve issues pretaining to Albertans and the natural resources that we enjoy.