Stettler Pheasant festival

[nonfiction]

Stettler Pheasant Festival is Oct 15th - 18th has any one been before and is anyone going?

[Springerman]

Yes I went last year , we had a good time . It was well run last year , everyone in Stettler was very hospitable.
We have signed up again for this year.

[NewAlbertan]

Well done festival and worth it

[Hydro1]

No, never been before.
Might be attending, hoping my ankle and knee heals up soon.

[densa44]

I hope a good time will be had by all. I hope the rain stops soon, we still have crops that are green.

Just a word to the fellows with no dog, see if you can hook up with a new friend. The dog will like the work and so will you. This is a very good place to find such a friend.

I have 13 dogs right now but have my hands full as fast as it goes in one end it comes out the other!

The ones being picked up go on Oct 9 and those that fly are going Oct. 24 from YEG.

[densa44]

O.K. hunters, we have over 40 1/4's available. Thus more people can hunt on the weekend if that is what they want. Lots of campgrounds, friendly people and best of all lots of birds on nice cover.

If you want to shoot more than 2 birds a day you can buy more (ask your dog) but you can't buy them the day of the hunt. We don't have that many volunteers.

If you want a pizza lunch for $10.00 you can take in a dog training seminar at the same time. You have to bring your dog.

If you would like to learn a classy way to prepare pheasants for the table there is a professional chef teaching a course. They will be using government inspected birds (not the ones you have just shot).

2000 birds, I can hardly wait.

[Knownonscents]

Not sure where the festival is exactly but

Rochon sands is a nice quiet place to stay right about now.

Also erskine isn't to far for some simple groceries or a great breakfast!!!

They make great bread there FYI.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by densa44

If you want to shoot more than 2 birds a day you can buy more (ask your dog) but you can't buy them the day of the hunt. We don't have that many volunteers.

2??? Those are pricey birds if they are only releasing 2! Am I not understanding the rules...

ARG

[densa44]

Many of the hunters have bought additional birds my point was that you need to decide in advance. There should be sufficient camping space available in Stettler and as has been said if your "land" is south of town Big Valley is an option.

[NewAlbertan]

8 birds per half day/area.
Extra birds for sale, book in advance.

And adopt a hen!
This festival is to support a sustainable bird population.
Glad to hear of birds surviving and breeding and good habitat.
Special thanks for all the landowners, volunteers and supportive hunters!

[xterratitan]

Were do you sign up?

[NewAlbertan]

Originally Posted by xterratitan

Were do you sign up?

https://www.canadianbadlands.org/cbl/hunt/

Don't forget to dine at banquet and adopt a hen!

Enjoy and good luck!

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by densa44

Many of the hunters have bought additional birds my point was that you need to decide in advance. There should be sufficient camping space available in Stettler and as has been said if your "land" is south of town Big Valley is an option.

Do people already know the "land" they will be hunting on? I had assumed you would not find that out until you registered in the morning the day of your hunt.

And while I'm pestering you with questions, do the full day hunts happen at the same location AM and PM? If it is the same location, do they release all the birds in the morning?

ARG

[NewAlbertan]

Not sure about how birds are released for full day hunts

[DBP]

Originally Posted by Au revoir, Gopher

Do people already know the "land" they will be hunting on? I had assumed you would not find that out until you registered in the morning the day of your hunt.

And while I'm pestering you with questions, do the full day hunts happen at the same location AM and PM? If it is the same location, do they release all the birds in the morning?

ARG

No one will know what piece of land they are hunting on till they register either the day before or the day of their hunt.

On a full day hunt you will have the choice of either one or two releases.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

i'm here.... tent is set up. i'm stoked!

ARG

[wwbirds]

Friend of mine has a spot tomorrow afternoon for us to shoot
Rob

[Pixel Shooter]

Buddy just called to let me know we are in for Friday and bought extra birds. Happy bday to me. Look forward to it Friday. Then off to chase snows

[densa44]

Dogs great, birds too, shooters, not so hot! 2 out right misses, then one was fertilizer (full choke 12 ga. at close range) and then one shot kills, dead in the air.

Lots of ducks that we road hunted in the pm.

Dogs are loving it.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

We had a great day! The dog flushed 11of the 16 released (full day hunt) and the shooters (brother-in-law and myself) got 9 of them. We had a great quarter to hunt on, lots of good terrain for the birds to hide. But, I think they forgot to explain to the pheasant that they were supposed to stay in the quarter .

ARG

[elkhunter11]

By next year I will have my own dog, and I hope to make it to this event, and more. Hopefully these events keep growing in number.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by Au revoir, Gopher

We had a great day! The dog flushed 11of the 16 released (full day hunt) and the shooters (brother-in-law and myself) got 9 of them. We had a great quarter to hunt on, lots of good terrain for the birds to hide. But, I think they forgot to explain to the pheasant that they were supposed to stay in the quarter .

ARG

Now thats a funny observation. Does not take long for birds released on 1 qtr. for hunting purposes, to fly off into surrounding qtrs. Landowners near a release site must love having all these tasty birds coming onto thier property for thier own private hunt.
Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun at this Pheasant fesival.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by waterninja

Now thats a funny observation. Does not take long for birds released on 1 qtr. for hunting purposes, to fly off into surrounding qtrs. Landowners near a release site must love having all these tasty birds coming onto thier property for thier own private hunt.
Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun at this Pheasant fesival.

Pheasant can run a long ways, and they can run faster than many people realize . The difference between a good dog, and a not so good dog can also make a huge difference. We often find birds in places that other dogs have just hunted

[wwbirds]

Great conversations with the marshalls, bird release truck and many other hunters from anywhere from Strathmore to Peace country.
Bird truck only drove 100 or so yards into our property to release first 4 birds and moved again after 2-3 flew onto the next quarter. We picked up the 6 birds in just over an hour with two shooters and 2 dogs.
Have a Saturday afternoon spot with 4 shooters and 4 dogs with more birds.
Great training day for the pups except now they think every clump of brush has a rooster in it.
Mako decided after an hour or so of hard work that the black loon chit pond might hold additional birds so he swam/walked to the middle and laid down to cool off. Half black half gold he spent the ride home in the crate in back instead of his normal royal exalted highness copilot position in the cab.

[densa44]

Elk we could have fixed you up. Our yard is full of trailers from our doggy friends and they have lots of dogs. It's good shooters we need like Gopher!

The banquet will be a hoot!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by densa44

Elk we could have fixed you up. Our yard is full of trailers from our doggy friends and they have lots of dogs. It's good shooters we need like Gopher!

The banquet will be a hoot!

I should be there next year with my own dog, and a new 28gauge SxS.

[wwbirds]

Since Canada Post mail facility has been storing my new 20 gauge at the Calgary sorting plant for the past 4 days (expedited shipping with a tracking number it has been there since the 13th at 1 AM) I used the 28 gauge as well with no problems on flushed birds over dogs. Both the lab and golden were trained to point and I dont think we had a shot over 20 yards.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by waterninja

Now thats a funny observation. Does not take long for birds released on 1 qtr. for hunting purposes, to fly off into surrounding qtrs. Landowners near a release site must love having all these tasty birds coming onto thier property for thier own private hunt.
Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun at this Pheasant fesival.

We were on site in the morning when the birds were released... we watched two of them took off for parts unknown. I was joking with my brother-in-law that they must have bought homing pheasants.

We talked to a couple land owners and they said they had a few birds feeding in their yards after last year festival.

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Pheasant can run a long ways, and they can run faster than many people realize .

I'm amazed how low to the ground they can stay while running.

Originally Posted by wwbirds

Mako decided after an hour or so of hard work that the black loon chit pond might hold additional birds so he swam/walked to the middle and laid down to cool off. Half black half gold he spent the ride home in the crate in back instead of his normal royal exalted highness copilot position in the cab.

Brother-in-law's lab found a "bog of eternal stench" to cool off in as well. Fortunately there was some cleaner water for her to rinse in.

Originally Posted by densa44

It's good shooters we need like Gopher

Now there's something I don't often get accused of. I am liking my new O/U 20g.

ARG

[densa44]

O.K. guys you are all welcome back, there are about 1,000 roosters running around the county.

They are in the ditches, on the roads, and in the trees, and have at them.

PLEASE don't shoot the hens we released, we didn't have facilities to winter the hens so after the festival was over we released 300.

The place I picked to let the ones we were responsible for was great habitat, water, long permanent cover (an old home stead) lots of trees and dead fall, and not close to any roads.

I hope that some make it, so when the dog stops, be sure it is a cock before you shoot.

[waterninja]

Darn, Densa, I wish you could have sent some of those hens up here to the site near Edmonton. Wouldn't it be great if pheasants could make a comeback here in AB?