Whats happening with the pheasants this year?

[scarey]

Has anybody heard if the release program is going this year? There was no budget for it last I heard.

[scrapper]

won't need much of a release after that winter, lot's of wild birds around

[NewAlbertan]

we can only hope! :sHa_shakeshout:

[hal53]

No budget????...Wonder how many Pheasants we could afford to release if we quit paying the useless MLA's a $1000.bucks a month to attend meetings to a committee that hasn't met in over 3 years.....The Red Queen 's" excuse was....she didn't know she was on that committee?????, but she took the 12k a year???....maybe she should quit ducking question period....

[wwbirds]

Bring me $1000. and you wil leave with a truck load of pheasants. no meeting required.
rob

[scarey]

I guess we have to start another private pheasant club to work the dogs and the gun. Wild birds will take more of a hit than any winter would cause without an additional release. :angry3:

[coyote_man]

Thank God for the mild winter but the pheasant numbers are still going downhill due to larger than usual predator numbers- fox,coyotes,racoons,mink and birds of prey.Not necessarilly in this order. Loss of habitat keeps agoing too.

[joshcat]

Ya know of a bunch of pheasant hunters got together and maybe volunteered a few weekends in the summer to habitat management for pheasants instead of complaining all the time I am sure it would feel alot better the next time you went out and were able to shoot one. I believe there is some sort of club along that line called PF or something that loves volunteers and people to organize those sort of things and then instead of complaining you would be able to come on this site and say hey, we put alot of work this year into habitat management, and other positive comments along those lines. Not a rant just a suggestion

[scarey]

Respectfully Joshcat, I am a member of several associations including PF and do volunteer my time. This thread was a question regarding the pheasant release program and if it has a chance of being revived. I heard talks were happening but have not heard of a decision.

[winger7mm]

All I know is the winter was great on the ones in the field, I just hope this spring is not to wet to cause nest drownings. If that doesnt happen and the next winter is mild as this one was, the season after will be FANTASTIC!!!!!!! I have put a few dogs on the ground, and when Im out if I get a chance at some coons Ill put everyone I see on the ground. The last yote hunt I did after the morning hunt I went for a drive around where I hunt pheasants. I seen ALOT of them on my drive lots of hens and lots of roosters, close to 150 birds altogether in just a couple hours. Man I cant wait for the next season between my new dog and hunting partners and very delicious pheasant meat a few recipes, mmmmm I can taste it now :D

[Pudelpointer]

Through a pretty reliable source I heard SRD asked for a bid from the Great Canadian Pheasant Company and when their bid was reviewed they were informed that a US company was cheaper.

So I have to ask: is the Government of Alberta going to buy pheasants from the US? Are we going to import birds from Wisconson? What kind of condition will those birds going to be in by the time they are released (we already have considerable mortality when birds are captured and released on the same day!)?

The US State governments will not buy from Canadian hatcheries due to their "Buy American" policies. Why the hell should we even consider buying US pheasants?

Thanks, but no thanks.

[Winch101]

X2...Thats absurd PP....Another PC...S^&%$ Show ...Selling the farm

I mean W101

[wwbirds]

of course the US company was cheaper they are raising 200,000 birds or more a year. Same when Jean Marc was raising them in Pefferlaw Ontario no one could compete with his $12. pheasants if you went strictly on price. figure out the air fare, price of crates, insurance as well as the guarantee on no more than 5% loss in transit and you wil very soon have $20. bird. Then the air carrier leaves them in the rain on the tarmack in an unprotected dolly for an hour and you lose 25% to hyperthermia.

One of the reasons no producer wants to sell to clubs or government they nickle and dime you to death. You give a fair competitive price and they hear they can get them .50 a bird cheaper somewhere else 1000 miles away forgetting it wil cost $7. a bird average to import them.
only in the government you say! Penny wise and throw away the dollars.

The province has almost put many of us out of business by tripling the cost of the permit on leased shooting lands so now they want to finish us off by importing birds when half of us struggle to sell the few birds we raise.

I used to licence 8 1/4 sections in the area to give shooters some variety in cover for $100 a year and now they want $600. for less than half of that amount of land. When there are no huntable pheasants on preserves or in the wild they will have succeeded in managing the resource into the ground.

I raised 3200 pheasants in 2001 for my shooters and for dog clubs for trials and training. the gun legislation resulted in a 30% decline in the first 2 years. Mike Cardinal increasing licencing costs to ensure no producer locked up a monopoly of section after section of land resulted in my not being able to afford to licence 2 sections locally. That legislation lost another large group of shooters and dog trainers so we once agian cut back bird production.

I did just under 800 pheasants last year and stil have almost 300 to sell in the next 2 months. The day the province imports US birds to stock in Alberta will be the day the lights go off for the last time at this hatchery/shooting preserve.

[scarey]

So if it is true, The government has asked for a bid, means there are funds for the program? Re WW, i have bought birds from you and have no complaints. Also from CPC. But the late decision making on this has to affect the quality outcome of the birds. Would I be correct to assume WW?

[wwbirds]

I have never seen a government agency act quickly on something so although the asking price out of McLennans may be substantially lower than Alberta producers I am sure Minnisota would have needed a contract months ago to supply for this spring as they would be hatching right now. We got eggs from them one spring as early as February. I am sure the government is not going to brood them so they must be thinking of 16 week old birds with a delivery date of July. Stress levels from long distance transportation could be horrendous.
For my money I think they are bluffing as importation is not feasible.
they going to put all of them out in one week or build a holding pen somewhere to release each week??
Quality depends largely on whether they are getting pure chinese manchurians, Idaho bluebacks or any number of other hybreds.
Some can't survive our snow as they wil not scratch down though more than 6 inches of snow to feed.

[nrsmatth]

According to the CPC, the Alberta government purchases 14,000 birds annually. Apparently selling those birds to european buyers is not an issue.

Doesn't add much to the conversation, but I thought that was an interesting comment from the CPC.

[sheephunter]

Has anybody heard if the release program is going this year? There was no budget for it last I heard.

That was the last thing I heard as well.

[Pudelpointer]

Update (I am going to start another thread on this issue).

It has been confirmed that there is NO money in the SRD budget for this program.

It sounds like government may be able to find money for this program, but it may come through Agriculture and Rural Development or through Tourism, Parks and Recreation.

An important clarification needs to be made re: something I said earlier. A new NGO called Upland Birds Alberta (UBA) put forth a proposal to the AB Government to reinvigorate pheasant hunting in Alberta. It was UBA who went outside AB looking for bids on supplying pheasants. I earlier indicated that SRD went looking for bids; this was not the case.

HOWEVER, the proposal from UBA went to government with both US bids and AB bids. IF the PC government decides to move forward with this program, THEY WILL DECIDE where those birds will come from.

I understand the difference in price between the Canadian Pheasant Company and the cheapest US supplier is in the region of $2 per/bird. If paying the extra $2 to "Buy Albertan" means that 18,000 pheasants are released instead of 20,000..... well I am okay with that, and I think most other Albertans would be good with it as well.

I haven't seen the UBA proposal, so I can't comment on what they did, or did not, recommend; however, I am interested to know what they factored in for shipping and distribution costs, mortality rates from extended cage time, etc.? I can not imagine how birds from Wisconsin could possibly be "cheaper" to release in AB then birds from the CPC or other local producers. Never mind the fact that buying within AB puts that money directly back into the AB economy; CPC is locally owned, they buy feed from local producers, hire local residents, support local charities, pay local taxes, etc.

[Jimboy]

Bring me $1000. and you wil leave with a truck load of pheasants. no meeting required.
rob


HAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa , was just going to post that.
If you take wwbirds out a case a beer he,ll let ya shoot all ya wannt , HAAAAAaaaa , guess his price went up.
How ya doin Rob.

[wwbirds]

I wil let most people shoot pheasants for a fee although I have asked the odd one not to come back due to firing at unlicenced or unpaid species while here but it is very rare. However I am very fussy about who I drink beer with (after a shoot)!!

[saddleup]

Just amazes me that SRD can spend millions to purchase land between Calgary and Cochrane and land to anex Writing on Stone Park down south, and we cant spend any money for our game birds. From what I have seen down south here, pheasants along the Milk River are all but gone, and we are loosing our partridges and drastically reduced our sharp tails. Our once hunted sage grouse are the thing of the past, only a few left now but we continue to supposedly set land aside .... ie Cochrane and Writing on Stone, but dont seem to be doing too much to enhance the wildlife

[elkhunter11]

If they are going to cut the numbers of released birds, stop releasing birds at the locations where the people sit waiting for the truck to drop them off and then kill them all as soon as they are released. It was sickening to read about that on the forum, we shouldn't be spending money to make it so easy for those lazy people.

[scarey]

Check out the urgent call to action thread.......

" South Dakota is on my bucket list!"

[darius]

If they are going to cut the numbers of released birds, stop releasing birds at the locations where the people sit waiting for the truck to drop them off and then kill them all as soon as they are released. It was sickening to read about that on the forum, we shouldn't be spending money to make it so easy for those lazy people.

speak for yourself .

thats the only way many can find phesants in this province .

[elkhunter11]

speak for yourself .

I am speaking for myself.I am very much in favor of the province releasing pheasants, where the birds are released after noon, and can't be hunted until the next morning. At least the birds get time to disperse and there is some sport involved to locate them. Watching the truck unload them, and then walking straight to where you watched them released, and killing them as the truck is still in sight as it drives away, is hardly sporting. It's not hunting, it's a slaughter. Even when we have the Pointer Parties, the birds are released out of sight, and we at least have to walk around and search for them.

thats the only way many can find phesants in this province .

If that is true, perhaps they should just take up another hobby, or pay for their birds at a shooting preserve.

[darius]

I am speaking for myself.I am very much in favor of the province releasing pheasants, where the birds are released after noon, and can't be hunted until the next morning. At least the birds get time to disperse and there is some sport involved to locate them. Watching the truck unload them, and then walking straight to where you watched them released, and killing them as the truck is still in sight as it drives away, is hardly sporting. It's not hunting, it's a slaughter. Even when we have the Pointer Parties, the birds are released out of sight, and we at least have to walk around and search for them.



If that is true, perhaps they should just take up another hobby, or pay for their birds at a shooting preserve.

this way at least they dont end up coyote food as any bird not shot do

[coyote_man]

Numerous years ago they,Alberta government, used to spread the birds out onto private lands where a quality hunt could be had and a few more birds managed to escape and survive. Sadly this was discontinued due to the fact that some landowners started to limit access and save the birds for their friends. Lack of habitat,large numbers of predators and continuos rainfall from wheel moves and pivots continue to pose problems for our pheasants.

[elkhunter11]

this way at least they dont end up coyote food as any bird not shot do

Some released birds do survive and reproduce, which is good for the population.

If you really want the pheasant meat that badly, just buy them in a crate from the hatchery, that way you are 100% sure that they won't be shot up.
If you really want to shoot them, to give the impression that you are actually hunting, but don't care about giving them a sporting chance, you could tie a line around it's leg so it can't get away if you miss. You can just shoot again and again until you hit it.

Shooting just released pheasants as the truck drives away, is about as close to hunting, as shooting ranched elk or deer in a pen.

[Redfrog]

I wonder how many birds could be bought with the $800,000 from the committee payments to the MLAS for not sitting.

[darius]

Some released birds do survive and reproduce, which is good for the population.

If you really want the pheasant meat that badly, just buy them in a crate from the hatchery, that way you are 100% sure that they won't be shot up.
If you really want to shoot them, to give the impression that you are actually hunting, but don't care about giving them a sporting chance, you could tie a line around it's leg so it can't get away if you miss. You can just shoot again and again until you hit it.

Shooting just released pheasants as the truck drives away, is about as close to hunting, as shooting ranched elk or deer in a pen.

then why do they allow it , they make public the location , time , etc . its even published in the regs , isnt it ?

[elkhunter11]

then why do they allow it , they make public the location , time , etc . its even published in the regs , isnt it ?

At the three release sites listed in the regs you can't hunt pheasant after 2PM on any day but Saturday. At these sites, the birds are released after 2PM so people can't shoot them as soon as the truck drops them off. Apparently there are some other sites where this regulation is not in effect, and people are sitting waiting for the birds, and as soon as the truck pulls away the shooting starts. These sites are not listed in the regs, but apparently some people have figured out when the truck comes, and all of the birds are slaughtered there as soon as the truck pulls away. They either need to change the rules at the other sites, or simply stop stocking them.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=109384&highlight=pheasant+release

[Rhino81]

I wil let most people shoot pheasants for a fee although I have asked the odd one not to come back due to firing at unlicenced or unpaid species while here but it is very rare. However I am very fussy about who I drink beer with (after a shoot)!! I will take that as a compliment Rob.

[catnthehat]

At the three release sites listed in the regs you can't hunt pheasant after 2PM on any day but Saturday. At these sites, the birds are released after 2PM so people can't shoot them as soon as the truck drops them off. Apparently there are some other sites where this regulation is not in effect, and people are sitting waiting for the birds, and as soon as the truck pulls away the shooting starts. These sites are not listed in the regs, but apparently some people have figured out when the truck comes, and all of the birds are slaughtered there as soon as the truck pulls away. They either need to change the rules at the other sites, or simply stop stocking them.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=109384&highlight=pheasant+release

A buddy was at one of those sites last year I think, and they still picked up birds after the carnage had stopped, they had to walk a bit, but that is what it is all about, anyway.
Cat

[elkhunter11]

A buddy was at one of those sites last year I think, and they still picked up birds after the carnage had stopped, they had to walk a bit, but that is what it is all about, anyway.

I am still not in favor of the taxpayers paying to support a few lazy people that can't be bothered to go to the effort of actually hunting for birds. It would be like hauling elk out of Elk Island and having people lined up to shoot them as soon as they leave the trucks.

[darius]

I am still not in favor of the taxpayers paying to support a few lazy people that can't be bothered to go to the effort of actually hunting for birds. It would be like hauling elk out of Elk Island and having people lined up to shoot them as soon as they leave the trucks.

honestly you have to get over this

its been happenign for years , totally legal and the gov promotes it by publishing the release sites . oh- the last i checked phesants were not native , here purely raised in captivity to release , shoot and put on the table . if the government didn ';t want this to happen they could tell the drivers that release the birds to do randomly , change up release sites , etc . .

look at fishing , they have stocked ponds , advertise stocked ponds so it is easy for people . you cant compare fishing a stocked pond with cheese and corn to fishing a high mountain river with a fly for bull trout ? yet you do this with bird hunting .?

your comparison to elk in elk island holds no weight . why dont you compare phesant hunting to shooting russian boars , that would be alot fairer.

if you want a difficult hunt for a wild bird i suggest you hunt sharp tails .

[catnthehat]

I've never seen a truck myself, but have heard of people waitng around for it, finding out where the trucks are running ( through frineds or whatever) , and other really stupid things.
I also know that hunting sharptails is a lot esier than hiunting truly wild roosters.

Although they are not truly native here,not all roosters are released, some are born and lkive in the wild.
Cat

[greylynx]

I've never seen a truck myself, but have heard of people waitng around for it, finding out where the trucks are running ( through frineds or whatever) , and other really stupid things.
I also know that hunting sharptails is a lot esier than hiunting truly wild roosters.

Although they are not truly native here,not all roosters are released, some are born and lkive in the wild.
Cat

Right on Cat.

It sure does not take long for old Darwin to do his work, resulting in some pretty smart birds.

[Pudelpointer]

I wonder how many birds could be bought with the $800,000 from the committee payments to the MLAS for not sitting.

Approximately 47,000, give or take 10,000.

[Redfrog]

And how much money would that generate for the local economies?:)

[Neil Waugh]

All covered in my column in last month's AO. Right from Oberle's mouth on budget day.
No budget for pheasant releases in 2012 but he agreed to handover license/surcharge cash to "private" outfit willing to take it over.
ACA said to be working on something. At least that's what Zimmerling hinted at AFGA convention.
Upland Birds Alberta has something going too.
But the government - at least this government - in outa of the bird release business.
Wasn't much outrage from the AFGA delegates, which I found kinda strange. Since pheasant releases has been a big part of their program going back to 1908.
I had to push Butler to even mention it from the podium during the hunting discussion.
Short and I pinned the minister down on it in a scrum after his speech.
Where this leaves the Brooks Hatchery (originally built by Alberta taxpayers) is an interesting question.

[ishootbambi]

ive been on both ends of released birds. when i was younger, i had a friend tip me off about the trucks release sites. we went there, and it was all you could do to get those things to fly. we whacked a pair each, but it didnt seem very sporting.

a few years later, i went to a favorite place and immediately saw 8 roosters sitting on the edge of cover. as i left the truck and headed over toward them, they stepped into the briars. i thought i might have a hard time getting them out. i was wrong. i walked right up to them, and i could not make them fly. i even picked one up. i chased them and tried to kick them, but theu just would not take to the air. there was no doubt in my mind they were fresh off the truck. i left without killing any, but im sure the foxes and yotes ate well that night.

a few years later i was the guy in the truck. we had to disclose the locations of dropoff, but not until afterwards. once i had a truck follow us and blast away as soon as we let em loose, butt mostly, they had a little time to get out there. they are usually pretty dumb. i have let them off the truck, then walked over and picked them up to put them in the air and get them to fly. they usually didnt go far. to be honest, the hens in the spring seem more interested in getting freedom than roosters do in fall.

it sucks to see this program stopping and im sure without action, i doubt pheasant hunting in alberta will exist in a decade. there is not enough habitat to support self sustaining populations, and the climate here is just too harsh. no doubt a few small pockets of birds will hang on for a while, but when the usual areas become devoid of birds, hunters will track down the remaining remnants and that will be that. hopefully a fix can be found to avoid that.

[sullijr]

I "hunt" the Rochon Sands release site and have for the past 14 years and will miss the great walk on a great piece of land.This was once a Bucks for Wildlife release site and one of 3 in the northern part of the province along with Derwent and Daysland.The land was purchased with a portion of the hunting licence fees and belonged to the people of Alberta in trust to be used for hunting or nature walks without needing permission for access.
There has been revenue to the province from these lands eg the Rochon Sands site is being cropped for grain, alphalfa and hay,There is 1 well (oil or gas)also on this site.I would like to ask the gov't why can't a small portion of this revenue be used to finance the release program?A few years ago a report was released about the money spent on upland bird hunting in Alberta and it was in the millions of dollars a year.This gov't is getting pretty arrogant about spending public funds and not being held accountable.It would really open a few eyes if none of us bought a licence this year and only hunted gophers for 1 year.the millions of dollars we spend would dent the economy noticeably...jack

[Pudelpointer]

i have let them off the truck, then walked over and picked them up to put them in the air and get them to fly. they usually didnt go far. to be honest, the hens in the spring seem more interested in getting freedom than roosters do in fall.


Up until about 3 years ago, that was pretty much a common observation. However, I have noticed a significant improvement in the quality of roosters coming from the CPC.

The birds released at the Taber Pheasant Festival were pretty cagey (by released bird standards) from the limited experience we had with them. Lots of hunters had a heck of a time finding birds, even when they knew where the birds were released. Didn't seem like those birds hesitated about getting airborn once the dogs were on them.

[ishootbambi]

theyre all different pudel. some of them did scram right quick, and others needed a lot of encouragement. didnt mean to make it sound as though every one behaved that way. :)

one of the coolest things i ever saw doing that was a fat rooster sitting on a creekbank watching us release hens a few springs ago. we let them loose and he bombed at one girl, knocking her right out of the air. he then pounced on her and started the wild thing right in front of us within 30 yards....and crowing like a lunatic the entire time. it was a pretty neat sight, but i felt a little pervy as he was looking at us while getting his groove on.

[elkhunter11]

oh- the last i checked phesants were not native , here purely raised in captivity to release , shoot and put on the table .

Do you not realize that we actually have wild pheasants in Alberta? Not all of the pheasants that are found in Alberta are released birds.:snapoutofit:

[ishootbambi]

Do you not realize that we actually have wild pheasants in Alberta? Not all of the pheasants that are found in Alberta are released birds.:snapoutofit:

i think what the guy was saying is that pheasants were never native to alberta. you can trace all of them to releases at one point.

hmmm...this all of a sudden reminds me of feral horses....

[elkhunter11]

i think what the guy was saying is that pheasants were never native to alberta. you can trace all of them to releases at one point.

His statement below implies that all pheasant that you find in Alberta are hatchery raised.

oh- the last i checked phesants were not native , here purely raised in captivity to release , shoot and put on the table .

hmmm...this all of a sudden reminds me of feral horses....

Now that is a good comparison, horses were originally brought to North America, but they have reproduced in the wild for many years, just like the pheasant.

[Pudelpointer]

Now that is a good comparison, horses were originally brought to North America, but they have reproduced in the wild for many years, just like the pheasant.

You guys! Enough feral horse talk!

Just in case..... IBTL.

[ishootbambi]

You guys! Enough feral horse talk!

Just in case..... IBTL.

i dunno....i bet you could find a lot of support for a 2 a day 6 in posession limit.....:sEm_oops2:

[Pudelpointer]

i dunno....i bet you could find a lot of support for a 2 a day 6 in posession limit.....:sEm_oops2:

Mortadella sausage and horse meat is part of the cultural menu in my MIL's home country.

[scarey]

This got a little off topic...:snapoutofit: It is a shame here when you look at programs down south where non profit groups like 4-H and game clubs are paid a fee to raise birds for release. Great idea! Using volunteers and user groups to support the sport. There are 3 threads on this topic so it must be of interest. :thinking-006:

[nrsmatth]

If they are going to cut the numbers of released birds, stop releasing birds at the locations where the people sit waiting for the truck to drop them off and then kill them all as soon as they are released. It was sickening to read about that on the forum, we shouldn't be spending money to make it so easy for those lazy people.

I think you might be referring to my post about this back in November. I couldn't agree more. It was absolutely ridiculous. Either that, or put in the no hunting after 2pm in the unofficial release sites as well.

[Pikebreath]

Without the release program, there would still some pockets of wild birds in Alberta,,,, but I suspect we would see a noticable decline in the numbers of wild birds as in the past the release program likely keeps the wild population somewhat restocked.

Personally I would rather see the "public" money spent on pheasant releases be used for habitat enhancemant and procurement for native species like sharptails, ducks and geese.

If there is a demand for pheasant hunting in Alberta than let the private and NGO entities fund it.

Yes, it can be argued that pheasant releases are very similar to put and take trout fisheries, but there is one subtle difference. In many areas of the province, the put and take trout ponds are the only fishing opportunity available. However, through out our province there is some opportunity anywhere you go to hunt some of kind of native or wild bird.

[bruceba]

I put in nearly 500klm on the truck Wednesday between Lethbridge, Delbonita, Cardston and Fort Macloed. Just about all gravel and I was surprized to see all the Roosters that I did. It was in area's not known for many Pheasants and I saw 25 -30 roosters that day and not 1 hen.

[cover]

Without the release program, there would still some pockets of wild birds in Alberta,,,, but I suspect we would see a noticable decline in the numbers of wild birds as in the past the release program likely keeps the wild population somewhat restocked.

Personally I would rather see the "public" money spent on pheasant releases be used for habitat enhancemant and procurement for native species like sharptails, ducks and geese.

If there is a demand for pheasant hunting in Alberta than let the private and NGO entities fund it.

Yes, it can be argued that pheasant releases are very similar to put and take trout fisheries, but there is one subtle difference. In many areas of the province, the put and take trout ponds are the only fishing opportunity available. However, through out our province there is some opportunity anywhere you go to hunt some of kind of native or wild bird.


However because the pheasant release program is discontinued the pressure on wild pheasants , huns and grouse would no doubt increase . How long before any upland hunting is no longer sustainable ? In talking with aquaintences in Idaho a similar scenario is happening there. Good pheasant hunting is the domain of the preserve because there is little quality habitat left. As a result the Chukar are getting hammered because that is really the only upland hunting on public BLM lands. This governments goal is obviously paid hunting as demonstrated by their actions pertaining to transfer of ungulates into agriculture from SRD ect.

[Sledhead71]

I put in nearly 500klm on the truck Wednesday between Lethbridge, Delbonita, Cardston and Fort Macloed. Just about all gravel and I was surprized to see all the Roosters that I did. It was in area's not known for many Pheasants and I saw 25 -30 roosters that day and not 1 hen.

It's not uncommon to miss the hens, this time of the year they blend very well into the landscape, where the roosters light up like a neon sign :)

Healthy rooster population would more than likely mean the ladies are there as well... Nice to know the tail draggers are doing well in other parts..

[scarey]

I have been investigating hunting birds south of the border and I am impressed. First their Government is extreemly accessable and helpful with emails, phone calls and extensive online info with maps and regional harvest info. Look at the South Dakota F&W website, it amazed me on the raft of information and links it has. I even had a direct conversation with the senior biologist for South Dakota. He lists his direct phone line. Second is the numerous programs in different states that promote habitat, land access, enlist stakeholders to help release birds ( and not released with the gauntlet beside them). I think a lot of them have their poop in a group.

Hunting birds with my dogs and friends (probably in that order, lol) is my passion and its a shame our province does not see the value for all stakeholders

I guess i will be spending most of my fall budget south and see how it is.

[cover]

I have been investigating hunting birds south of the border and I am impressed. First their Government is extreemly accessable and helpful with emails, phone calls and extensive online info with maps and regional harvest info. Look at the South Dakota F&W website, it amazed me on the raft of information and links it has. I even had a direct conversation with the senior biologist for South Dakota. He lists his direct phone line. Second is the numerous programs in different states that promote habitat, land access, enlist stakeholders to help release birds ( and not released with the gauntlet beside them). I think a lot of them have their poop in a group.

Hunting birds with my dogs and friends (probably in that order, lol) is my passion and its a shame our province does not see the value for all stakeholders

I guess i will be spending most of my fall budget south and see how it is.

There is a reason they take it seriously in South Dakota because there is serious money generated to the economy.... 150 million serious reasons

[scarey]

Absolutely! With harvests of up to a million birds in the past. their programs benefit not just bird hunters but all hunters and user groups. There are some outstanding videos on you tube with flushes of 100's of pheasants. cool.

[cover]

I would like to know what is going on with UBA , ACA , AFGA , PF, DU, Hunting for Tommorow, Alberta Hunter Education ( did I miss any ? ) in regards to a rescue of the release program . It will be up to local Fish and Game Associations if there is going to be any birds released this fall . How many birds can the Lethbridge F & G for example afford to purchase and release ?

[Pudelpointer]

I would like to know what is going on with UBA , ACA , AFGA , PF, DU, Hunting for Tommorow, Alberta Hunter Education ( did I miss any ? ) in regards to a rescue of the release program . It will be up to local Fish and Game Associations if there is going to be any birds released this fall . How many birds can the Lethbridge F & G for example afford to purchase and release ?

Depends on the price of birds. Last year I proposed we run a raffle for a good shotgun or similar, and put all the proceeds towards purchasing birds in the spring (there was a fall release last year). Never had the time to get it organized. Last spring we purchased 100 hens with money from our general account. Without raising some money specifically for it, we would likely be limited to the same kind of numbers.

If I don't hear of anything positive happening in the next few weeks, I will try and push forward with it this year.

On that note, say we have a prize that is worth $2-3000; what is everyone's opinion on ticket prices? Should we do limited # of tickets and sell them at $20? Or, should we do $5 tickets and unlimited sales?

[joshcat]

20 Dollar tickets and unlimited, each ticket buys a bird and im in for 5

[Pudelpointer]

20 Dollar tickets and unlimited, each ticket buys a bird and im in for 5


Good point! It wouldn't work out exactly like that, but it would close enough.

[Albertacoyotecaller]

There is a reason they take it seriously in South Dakota because there is serious money generated to the economy.... 150 million serious reasons

Absolutely correct. These states as well as many others that promotenvarious hunting ventures understand that this is another form of revenue for their state. I have yet to see one province in this country understand this concept.

As with anything else in our governments, more poor leadership.

Greg

[nrsmatth]

I am a big supporter of the release program and want to see it continue.

However, does anyone else find it interesting that it is the same guys that complain about the BC guys coming to town on opening day that use tourism as a support argument for the release.

You can't complain on one hand about tourism, and then promote it on the other.