Canadian Badlands Pheasant Festival-Stettler

DBP · #1 07-28-2014, 09:31 AM

It's official!

The 2014 Canadian Badlands Pheasant Festival- Stettler will be held October 15 - 19th 2014.

With 30 sites, 3000 Pheasants, and over 500 hunters, the first annual Pheasant Festival is sure to be a success! The week will consist of morning and afternoon hunts as well as a variety of interactive learning sessions for the public to partake.

Registrations will open August 5th at 9:00am.

To register and for more information please visit www.stettlerboardoftrade.com or www.canadianbadlands.com and follow the links. Also as more information as it becomes available please visit us on Facebook @ 'Canadian Badlands Pheasant Festival- Stettler'. We will also be answering any questions you may have on here or you can pm myself or densa44.

Following the Friday hunt we will be having a banquet with entertainment and silent auction items.

On our registration page we have a spot where you can adopt/sponsor hens that will be released along with the 300 we've already purchased.

Thanks!

Mark · #2 07-28-2014, 01:45 PM

Very interesting, keep us posted!

densa44 · #3 07-29-2014, 07:55 AM

Check the Stettler Board of trade web site for all the up to the minute information. They will be handling the $$$ and this is a non profit enterprise.

For those of us concerned about the support from the Alberta government, they sent 3 or 4 representatives from 2 different departments and the MLA was there, so a very propitious beginning.

I hope every one who wants an excellent opportunity to do some advanced dog work, like honouring and steady to flush shot and splash, can make it. You 4 footed best friend will love it.

The banquet on Friday night, is being organized by the cowboys so it should be a humdinger!

aulrich · #4 07-29-2014, 08:31 AM

Oddly I have a meeting at about reservation opening time, funny how that turned out.

kayaker · #5 07-29-2014, 08:37 AM

Will one be able to meet up and hunt with guys who have dogs?

Thanks

Wood Duck Wizard · #6 07-29-2014, 09:25 AM

PM sent.
Wondering how to purchase banquet tickets and when site will be available to set up to register.
I am not a Facebooker so I fear i will miss the boat...

DBP · #7 07-29-2014, 02:06 PM

kayaker, as of right now we aren't paring anyone up, but I'm sure if you put it on here someone will get in touch with you. If not keep in touch with me and I'll see what I can do for ya.

Wood Duck Wizard, registration opens on August 5 at 9:00am. To register visit either www.canadianbadlands.com and follow the links or visit www.stettlerboardoftrade.com and follow the links. Banquet tickets can be purchased on the registration page. Facebook is just a place to stay up to date with details of the festival and for some of the other events going on.

Icon · #8 07-29-2014, 04:49 PM

I take it that this event will eventually be posted on Canadian Badlands... I can not find it mentioned even.

densa44 · #9 07-29-2014, 05:00 PM

When we started this project, I brought the "Taber Rules" and they had a government funded finite budget. This festival does not, if we have more hunters and more land it doesn't make sense to turn people away. This is a "home made" tourist attraction and we want you all to come. We don't want to get cross threaded with our land owners who would like to have the hens released on their land after the festival.

As far as getting organized with doggy people. I'll give some helpful hints, BE SAFE, and #2 BE SAFE, that's about it. You need a break action shotgun, so the dog owner knows it is safe, blaze orange vest, shirt hat, what ever makes you look better. I wear a slimming orange vest.

Be nice to the land owner, if you don't want your early birds (ones shot on Wednesday) maybe give them to the landowner.

Other that that, there are lots of dogs coming, one guy in our group is flying in from LA, he has a UT prize 1 pudelpointer. He has never seen country like ours, it will be a blast!

I digress, If you want to come and have no dog, I suggest start a thread for all people who want a non dog partner, there should be lots. For example I know a gsp group that has 18 dogs!

Y'all come ya hear!!!

angery jonn · #10 07-29-2014, 05:01 PM

I'm pumped, hopefully I can get in on this one! Will it be teams of four like Tabor?

densa44 · #11 07-30-2014, 07:38 AM

Yes and no, you can have 4 but as many of you have no friends you and your dogs can pay the same and hunt by yourself. You can buy extra birds if we have them too.

Taber has a different model than Stettler does, Stettler has potentially much more very good land available, and the birds have bands so there is no limit. The committee will put out 16 birds per 1/4 per day (each team 1/2 day, each team allowed 8 birds). The Board of trade web site is up and running, so check in often as we'll post more info as we get it. Thanks for the PMs and all the support.

Doodle30 · #12 07-30-2014, 12:12 PM

Hey All

Wife tells me all the time that I don;t look hard enough for stuff but I don't see the info for this event on the site.

Am I missing it?

bosshog · #13 07-30-2014, 01:17 PM

Doodle,

here is the direct link - http://www.stettlerboardoftrade.com/...7&PageId=11277

Densa44 or DBP - Do yuo have details on the registration process? Will it be electronic similar to Taber?

Thanks to all who have organized this event. I am sure it will be a great time.

densa44 · #14 07-30-2014, 02:45 PM

It is supposed to be all electronic and we (the hunters) are renting it for I think $.20 per registration. It will take the registrations we need to pay the bills.

I'm hoping that it all works as advertised and that we never turn anyone away.

Thanks for all the support.

Can some one with more technical ability than I have (just about all of you) figure out a way to put hunters without dogs in touch with the guys that have lots?

Thanks.

densa44 · #15 08-05-2014, 07:16 AM

Don't worry we'll fix it, register anyway and we will accommodate you. The Beta software (what is up now) doesn't let you pick days or time, morning or pm. Don't worry.

We know how to spell conservation, in case you noticed.

angery jonn · #16 08-05-2014, 08:29 AM

Hi Densa, it allowed me to register early, but I can not find a link to the rules. Do you know where they are on the page?

DBP · #17 08-05-2014, 08:36 AM

angery john, for some reason the rules aren't up yet

Icon · #18 08-05-2014, 08:45 AM

Hmmmm, When it was said that this was patterned off the Taber Pheasant Festival, I didn't anticipate that it would cost a group of 4 hunter $150/day to participate. Might have been nice to know that fact before taking some time off of work to make sure I had enough time to register on line and not be left out. $150 might not seem like much money to some of you, but to others it is, especially when it was not planned for.

Now, I certainly am not one of those guys that expects everything for nothing and I understand that events like this cost money. But when I have participated in the Taber Pheasant Festival, I understood the costs were handled by Taber/Surrounding Area trade boards as a mechanism to draw interest to their area for tourism and trade. We hunters come to the area and spend our money in the hotels, gas stations, restaurants and other businesses.

I think a bit of disclosure about the cost of the Stettler Festival should have been more prominent! I also think that it looks like Stettler wants to have all the benefits of having a large number of out of town hunters in their businesses, but they are not willing to actually invest in this event to draw them in. Am I missing something?

angery jonn · #19 08-05-2014, 09:05 AM

Thanks

Pixel Shooter · #20 08-05-2014, 09:14 AM

registered. painless process except small glitch on what dates. having said that, great warm up for Taber

Very much look forward to the event

Wood Duck Wizard · #21 08-05-2014, 09:24 AM

Got signed up as well.
Hope to get a date that works out..
Great that other areas are looking at this concept...

Springerman · #22 08-05-2014, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icon

Hmmmm, When it was said that this was patterned off the Taber Pheasant Festival, I didn't anticipate that it would cost a group of 4 hunter $150/day to participate. Might have been nice to know that fact before taking some time off of work to make sure I had enough time to register on line and not be left out. $150 might not seem like much money to some of you, but to others it is, especially when it was not planned for.

Now, I certainly am not one of those guys that expects everything for nothing and I understand that events like this cost money. But when I have participated in the Taber Pheasant Festival, I understood the costs were handled by Taber/Surrounding Area trade boards as a mechanism to draw interest to their area for tourism and trade. We hunters come to the area and spend our money in the hotels, gas stations, restaurants and other businesses.

I think a bit of disclosure about the cost of the Stettler Festival should have been more prominent! I also think that it looks like Stettler wants to have all the benefits of having a large number of out of town hunters in their businesses, but they are not willing to actually invest in this event to draw them in. Am I missing something?

Icon, I don't think you read all of the thread as it was quite explicit that there was a $150 a day administration fee for up to 4 hunters in a team. This isn't government supported event. Springerman

angery jonn · #23 08-05-2014, 09:47 AM

Plus they are releasing a butt load of hens after the event. Someone has to pay for it. As far as I am concerned, it should be us!

chauncy · #24 08-05-2014, 10:16 AM

I just registered a team of 4 . I'm in Red Deer may need a couple of guys to fill the team pm if interested. I'll know later this week how many spots available on my team.

angery jonn · #25 08-05-2014, 12:35 PM

do you know how many people registered yet?

Wood Duck Wizard · #26 08-05-2014, 01:53 PM

Any idea of how dates will be allotted

Remi2014 · #27 08-05-2014, 04:04 PM

At this time we are not sure how many registration spots were sold or if we are sold out. We are waiting to hear back from the web host.
Rules and regulations have not been adopted by the committee but will be available at www.stettlerboardoftrade.com as well as in Verification Packages when ready.
For this year, dates will be allotted depending on number of hunts purchased. Two and three day hunts will be sure to have their hunts in consecutive dates. If there are any dates that you cannot hunt I would suggest contacting the Stettler Board of Trade 403-742-3181. They will work to accommodate but there is no guarantee you will receive the date requested.

Remi2014 · #28 08-05-2014, 04:18 PM

Icon,
We understand your concerns. Springerman did a great job of explaining. Taber has alternative ways of covering some of their costs including the pheasants. Stettler will be using a Ground Bird Hunting License and private land to ensure participants are the only hunters on the land and, like Taber, will be releasing pheasants each day for the hunt. The cost associated with Stettler covers the costs of the pheasants.

Icon · #29 08-05-2014, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Springerman

Icon, I don't think you read all of the thread as it was quite explicit that there was a $150 a day administration fee for up to 4 hunters in a team. This isn't government supported event. Springerman

Which thread? This one? I've read it a couple of times and no mention. The badlands site? No mention there. The Stettler board of trade? No, not until today when you register.

I'm trying not to be a jerk about it, I'm just fairly disappointed.

To those of you that are registered and attending, I truly hope you all have a great time and that this event is well received.

To those that are organizing, I commend you on your conservation efforts!

densa44 · #30 08-06-2014, 07:45 AM

O.K. I'll see if I can answer some of the questions.

The fees, Taber is a provincial government paid operation. Im my opinion this is not the sort of thing hunters should be asking the government to fund. You everyone one is welcome to their own opinion.

The registration process, this has been like "getting an elephant up an escalator" ( Springerman ) . The hunters will be given an opportunity to pick their times and dates.

The committee has much more land available than we require, this is a great asset IMO, we can spread the hunters out and the hens when it is over.

Sponsorships, there is a lot of interest in this element of the festival especially the hens. We are looking to see if we can over winter some or all indoors for a spring release. Nothing is perfect and this whole process has been no exception but the interest in hen survival is high on the list of priorities.

There is still information that the committee needs, and soon, who registered, how many have registered, where from and what dates do they want, we await news from the programmers.

If you want to run one of these in your own community, and I hope you do, one bit of advice I'll give you is to try to get more hunters on the planning committee. Things we see as self evident are opaque to non hunters.