Bow Season Opens September 1 in Alberta: Hauling Gear Out of Calgary Without Towing a Trailer
Alberta's archery season for deer and elk opens September 1 across most WMUs, and Bow River fall fishing is picking up at the same time. Here's what actually fits in a rented GMC Sierra 1500's bed out of Calgary — and why a rental truck can't legally tow a boat or gear trailer.
Archery season for deer and elk opens September 1 across most of Alberta’s Wildlife Management Units, and that first weekend has Calgary hunters loading a truck before sunrise. The same week, the Bow River through and downstream of the city is settling into its fall pattern — walleye staging in the deeper breaks, browns getting aggressive on streamers. Both trips have the same practical question behind them: what actually fits in the truck, and what doesn’t.
When Does Bow Season Start in Alberta?
Archery season for whitetail deer, mule deer, and elk opens September 1 in most Wildlife Management Units and runs into October, though exact close dates and any zone-specific restrictions vary by WMU — check the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations for your specific unit before you go.
What You’re Actually Hauling
For a hunting trip, it’s rarely one big item — it’s a cooler for the meat, a tote of decoys, tree stand or blind hardware, boots, and a rifle or bow case, all needing to survive a gravel forestry road without sliding around in the back seat. For a Bow River day, it’s waders, a rod case, and a cooler that’s coming back either empty or very full. Both are bed jobs, not trunk jobs, and both are one-trip loads if the truck bed is actually usable and not eaten up by a permanently mounted canopy.
Can You Tow a Boat with a Rental Truck in Alberta?
No. Turo’s rental terms prohibit towing anything with a rented vehicle, and that rule doesn’t bend for a boat trailer any more than it does for a travel trailer. If your fall fishing plan depends on trailering a boat to a launch, a Turo truck isn’t the vehicle for that leg of the trip.
What still works: bank fishing the Bow’s public access points, wading, or a car-top or inflatable boat you load directly into the bed instead of towing behind. If the plan absolutely requires a trailered boat, that has to run through a vehicle you own or a towing-appropriate rental channel — not one of our trucks.
What Fits in the Bed of a GMC Sierra 1500?
A 5-foot-8 box with a locking tonneau cover and 12 tie-down points — enough for coolers, totes, and hardware to ride secured and dry, and enough room to lay a stand or blind frame flat.
The tonneau is a hard cover, not a soft roll-up, so plan for that if you’re hauling something tall — it needs to fit under the cover closed, or you’re running with it open and everything strapped down accordingly. Before loading anything heavier, like a stand-up quad or a full game cart with a hauled-out animal, check the payload rating on the specific listing you’re booking rather than assuming — it varies slightly by trim year.
One Thing to Check Before an Early-Season Trip
Our fleet goes on winter tires in October, which means a September booking is still running on the truck’s regular tires. That’s normally a non-issue in the city, but if your hunting route runs up into higher elevation or backcountry gravel where an early snap can hit before the calendar says so, check the forecast for wherever you’re headed before you commit to the route, not after you’re on it.
Book a GMC Sierra 1500 in Calgary
Self-serve handover in northwest Calgary — no counter, no queue, no explaining a gun case to a rental agent.
→ Book a 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 Elevation on Turo — three 2025 Elevation units, black, grey, or white. Crew cab, 5.3L V8, 5-foot-8 box, locking tonneau.
→ Book the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Elevation on Turo — newest truck in the fleet. Factory sunroof, blacked-out exterior, larger wheels, premium interior.
→ Browse the full Magic Red Leaf Calgary fleet — Sierras and the Volvo XC60 side by side.