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Old 06-28-2018, 08:16 PM
bitterrootfly bitterrootfly is offline
 
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Exclamation The State of Alberta’s “Wildlife Management”

I moved to AB five years ago when I was 13, and have been hunting and fishing it every waking minute since. I came from a non-hunting family and have been self taught and lucky enough to harvest several great bucks and been on some incredible adventures in the field hunting sheep and elk as well. All this time I hear from “old-timers” about the state of our hunting and fishing and how it has deteriorated over the years, so I start this thread to not only acknowledge some of the problems, but to encourage the discussion about solutions. Some problems I think we face as a province are mostly in relation to: pressure, a large population of recreation users not just hunters, conflicting interests in the OHV and conservation communities, being at the northern range of many animals and ungulates makes me think weather plays a bigger role here, an abysmally terrible respect and attempt to improve habitat on land and in the streams and finally poor relationships between landowners and hunters/fisherman as well as the failure for the government to bring landowners on board in conservation initiatives oh and native “sustenance” BS...

I’m not trying to offend any group, (although I have to admit if you are offended then it’s not just my generation being fragile we have to worry about) I honestly want to use this thread as a tool to discuss what we face from a conservation perspective and what we as outdoorsmen and women can do to help.
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:11 PM
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Some folks have had is good, real good. They look at what we have today and just complain. All good things come to an end... not really. Now you gotta work for it. Its is what you make of it.
Until EVERYONE is mangaged and treated the same and equal no postive change is coming.
Hunt hard, “hunt” yr round, hunt each species at the optimum time. Learn your areas throughly, but also never stop exploring and hunting for new hotspots. Network with like minded people. There are decent GOS, in between waiting for draws. Make it your lifestyle, you will be too busy to worry about what you didnt get drawn for. Work with what you got. The world is changing, the population is growing. Make the best of what you have got today and go hunting.
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:15 PM
airbornedeerhunter airbornedeerhunter is offline
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Lets see some of those "great bucks".
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:29 PM
bitterrootfly bitterrootfly is offline
 
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Default “Great Bucks”

My idea of great bucks may well be different then yours but for two bucks I worked and hunted hard for both are real trophies to me. (I don’t know how to upload multiple photos so here is a photo of the larger of the two).
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:39 PM
RandyBoBandy RandyBoBandy is offline
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Originally Posted by bitterrootfly View Post
My idea of great bucks may well be different then yours but for two bucks I worked and hunted hard for both are real trophies to me. (I don’t know how to upload multiple photos so here is a photo of the larger of the two).
Sweet picture Expect a bumpy ride from the "esteemed" members in here
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Old 06-28-2018, 10:10 PM
airbornedeerhunter airbornedeerhunter is offline
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Nice deer kid.
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Old 06-28-2018, 10:27 PM
Fowl91 Fowl91 is offline
 
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I like the attitude. Trying to be part of the solution is never the wrong path. We have it pretty good here, but we need to improve our situation still.
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:14 AM
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3blade 3blade is offline
 
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The big ones are the things that directly kill wildlife: poachers (lack of enforcement and judicial punishment), predators (politicians and bunny huggers preventing effective management), and “them” (canuckistan).

The critters are tough and yeah they may take a beating some winters, but without the above three killing them in those bad years, they would bounce back just fine.

What can we do about it? Talk to your MLA. Not emails, actual conversations about enforcement and predator control.

Shoot black bears, wolves and coyotes as often as legally possible.

And mostly, dont talk about good hunting spots. Never fails, whenever someone knows of a good moose spot, someone else knows someone with a card. Don’t be the one that starts that conversation
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitterrootfly View Post
My idea of great bucks may well be different then yours but for two bucks I worked and hunted hard for both are real trophies to me. (I don’t know how to upload multiple photos so here is a photo of the larger of the two).
Nice deer and great photo!
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:19 AM
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I will say it again that we as outdoors people need to govern ourselves even if the law states higher posession limits etc and we need to act on all criminal acts towards our great outdoors as in call it in, capture it on game cameras etc...don't be reactive be proactive....seems to me a whole lot of people are reactive and complain but do little to nothing along the way to make it better.
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitterrootfly View Post
My idea of great bucks may well be different then yours but for two bucks I worked and hunted hard for both are real trophies to me. (I don’t know how to upload multiple photos so here is a photo of the larger of the two).
The question is that did you enjoy the journey? If you answer yes then you are on the right path to becoming a great outdoors person. So many get caught up and complain, pick apart a good outing if not at the end they take an animal.

That there is a true trophy, smile says it all.
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:29 AM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is online now
 
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Saskatchewan?
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:47 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is online now
 
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We have several user groups , and getting those groups to work together is pretty much impossible. APOS is only concerned with selling hunts, the treaty hunters want all of the game for themselves, the landowners want more say for the game they provide the habitat for, and the largest group by far, the resident hunters, want to manage the game for all hunters. So how do we get the groups that want to manage the game for their use, with no concern for the the other user groups, to work together for the benefit of all? Until those groups are all working together, the future of hunting in Alberta is not very positive.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:12 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Good topic and approach by young hunter showing lots of positives. Just as elk has said we all will need to share less resource. We have way less wilderness now than when I started hunting many moons ago thus less room for game.
Only positive we have canola, oat and alfalfa fields feeding our game now but landowners loosing money. Good manners and care of farmers property would help with access.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:35 AM
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Imo having lots of wild game on you land is indicative of good land stewardship of the land. Unfortunately there is a lose to the farmer but its a small price to pay for consuming all that habitat. Managements job is to keep a good balance of that. Unfortunately slob hunters and poachers have damaged the hunter/farmer/rancher relationship and even farmers with game problems are often against allowing people on there land. Much effort is needed to repair these relationships and improve the imagine of law abiding hunters. Like mentioned before, we need to police ourselves and we need enforcement to get rid of the bad fruit that is spoiling the batch. This is easier said than done. A good start would be to remember that you need to look at yourself in the mirror everyday.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:43 AM
jcrayford jcrayford is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airbornedeerhunter View Post
Lets see some of those "great bucks".
Not sure if this link will work, but let's give it a try: November22MuleBuck by JCrayford, on Flickr

My wife always laughs at the look on the deer, but I was in a little bit of shock and should've cleaned him up a little for the photo....

29.5" arrow hanging in his antlers

J.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:58 AM
Pikebreath Pikebreath is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11 View Post
We have several user groups , and getting those groups to work together is pretty much impossible. APOS is only concerned with selling hunts, the treaty hunters want all of the game for themselves, the landowners want more say for the game they provide the habitat for, and the largest group by far, the resident hunters, want to manage the game for all hunters. So how do we get the groups that want to manage the game for their use, with no concern for the the other user groups, to work together for the benefit of all? Until those groups are all working together, the future of hunting in Alberta is not very positive.
I agree with you, but would like to add ,,, a large contingent of resident hunters are more concerned about managing game for the resident hunter as first priority over all the other user groups.

Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on which camp you sit in,,, but to put the resident recreational hunter first in priority requires significant changes to current laws and policy on allocation of the our wild game resources.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:59 AM
Nikanit Nikanit is offline
 
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I left my home province of Alberta when I was 19 years old and spent 25 years on the west coast. I came back home 11 years ago to Red Deer(I was born here) and now when I go out hunting, sure...the game is here but all the animals have gone nocturnal because of hunting pressure. I never remembered it being so bad. I have watched ice fishing in Gull go steadily downhill, and one can't go anywhere around here to catch a decent walleye. Lakes full of blue algae because of farm runoff, streams choked because the trees are removed from the banks...etc. It makes me super depressed. Here it's my wedding annie coming up, and there's no where to go within a day here. It's either too crowded, or the fishing is too dead. It's really depressing to go out fishing only to catch young fish. It's pretty depressing to go out hunting and see shot up signs, garbage, and hunters trying to threaten me to move because "this is my spot because I come here all the time" (crown land btw)

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Old 06-29-2018, 11:32 AM
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lead chucker lead chucker is offline
 
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I would sure like to see ALL of the money generated by hunting and fishing go back into the conservation of our wildlife ( 2016 $ 18 million sold in hunting licenses alone) were does that all go?
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Old 06-29-2018, 12:00 PM
Nikanit Nikanit is offline
 
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I would sure like to see ALL of the money generated by hunting and fishing go back into the conservation of our wildlife ( 2016 $ 18 million sold in hunting licenses alone) were does that all go?
Someone else's pocket man. Sure not towards where it should go.
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:49 PM
roughneckin roughneckin is offline
 
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I would sure like to see ALL of the money generated by hunting and fishing go back into the conservation of our wildlife ( 2016 $ 18 million sold in hunting licenses alone) were does that all go?
Actually in 2016-2017 there was 29 million put into Fish and Wildlife’s budget and in the last 2 years it has increased to 45 and predicted to go to 54 this year so the money is making it there just maybe not where we would like to see it. That’s just the fish and wildlife branch too it doesn’t include water, land and such so maybe we need to just increase the licences.
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Old 06-29-2018, 10:37 PM
dmcbride dmcbride is offline
 
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I would sure like to see ALL of the money generated by hunting and fishing go back into the conservation of our wildlife ( 2016 $ 18 million sold in hunting licenses alone) were does that all go?
They say 47% of that $18 million goes here,http://www.ab-conservation.com

Source,http://www.albertaregulations.ca/hun...amemanage.html
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Old 06-30-2018, 12:04 AM
jtestorini jtestorini is offline
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Originally Posted by lead chucker View Post
I would sure like to see ALL of the money generated by hunting and fishing go back into the conservation of our wildlife ( 2016 $ 18 million sold in hunting licenses alone) were does that all go?
Most of the money does go back, as it funds the Alberta Conservation Association. But don't forget, the government does need to fund operations including biologists, fish cops and diseases.
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Old 06-30-2018, 08:51 AM
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Without making comments on what was and what will become of our hunting I'm attaching a link to a good read on the evolution of Canadian Wildlife laws.
Reading this will give a person a little better understanding of the game management of this province and the other provinces thru the times.

https://dspace.ucalgary.ca/bitstream...E35?sequence=1
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Old 07-03-2018, 08:35 PM
sdb8440 sdb8440 is offline
 
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One part of your post resonates with me...the size of retainable fish. All the regs say "x number of fish over X length ", which is hairbrained...those ARE THE BREEDERS. taking a small fish for a meal is whatever. The big ones lay the most eggs, so when someone keeps a whopper of a fish s allowed, how many future fish are we eliminating?
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Old 07-04-2018, 03:24 AM
Dave barry Dave barry is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcrayford View Post
Not sure if this link will work, but let's give it a try: November22MuleBuck by JCrayford, on Flickr

My wife always laughs at the look on the deer, but I was in a little bit of shock and should've cleaned him up a little for the photo....

29.5" arrow hanging in his antlers

J.
Good Job
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Old 07-04-2018, 07:47 PM
bitterrootfly bitterrootfly is offline
 
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One part of your post resonates with me...the size of retainable fish. All the regs say "x number of fish over X length ", which is hairbrained...those ARE THE BREEDERS. taking a small fish for a meal is whatever. The big ones lay the most eggs, so when someone keeps a whopper of a fish s allowed, how many future fish are we eliminating?
I couldn’t agree more!!
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Old 07-04-2018, 08:47 PM
colt45 colt45 is online now
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdb8440 View Post
One part of your post resonates with me...the size of retainable fish. All the regs say "x number of fish over X length ", which is hairbrained...those ARE THE BREEDERS. taking a small fish for a meal is whatever. The big ones lay the most eggs, so when someone keeps a whopper of a fish s allowed, how many future fish are we eliminating?
Yup if for the last 10 years, we we're only allowed to keep a couple of Small ones, there would be a lot more fish in the lakes,
Keeping only the big breeder one is absolutely the wrong way to do it!
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Old 07-09-2018, 07:02 AM
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Alberta used to manage predators (wolf bounties, no limits on coyotes, cougars, black bears, and a season on gbears). The ungulates flourished during this period. Now we don't, and the lack of game in the foothills is evident.
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