For The Hunters Out There

[murray]

 

 

Pheasant release sites

 

Disclaimer: Marker locations are approximate. For absolutely accurate locations, please review a county map.

Site Name

Area

Releases Between

Bigelow Reservoir (Buck for Wildlife Project) Red Deer/Stettler Sept 15-Nov 15

Buffalo Lake (Buck for Widlife Project) Red Deer/Stettler Sept 15-Nov 15

Daysland Edmonton Sept 15-Nov 15

Hopewell High River Sept 15-Nov 15

South Plain Lake Edmonton Sept 15-Nov 15u

Showing 1 to 5 of 5 entrie

[Tungsten]

Gonna start feeding the coyotes a little earlier I see.

[SilverDoctor]

Gosh I was just thinking that its been about 15 years since I chased Pheasants. In my youth it was a major event as fly tying materials where scarce and they're yummy.

[snuffy]

There were a lot (!!) of them around Medicine Hat this spring.

[rloyd]

Anyone up for a hunt?

[monger]

I just showed my pointer this info and she says let's go get some chickens/ditch parrots! They're good practice for the real birds

 

Murray I think SilverDoctor wants all your hides

[DougC]

I hunted a release site for the first time on opening day last year. Trust me, there aren't any coyotes getting fed off these pheasants! Most of them were dead before they even realized they were out of the cage. We even had a guy shoot one over the top of our Jeep as we were driving out of the parking lot in disgust.

 

We drove to another site about an hour away and watched the truck release the pheasants right on the highway between two pieces of private property half a kilometre from the supposed release site. I'm not sure if they dropped them in the wrong spot by accident, or if they did it on purpose when they saw the dozen guys with shotguns waiting in the parking lot.

 

I may try for pheasants again this year but it will definately not be on opening day or even remotely close to it. Seeing the slaughter in the parking lot kind of turned me off the release sites for the rest of the season an we never went back again. I'm hoping the experience isn't like that all season long.

[BrianR]

I don't mean to change your pheasant topic.But on the hunting theme.I was down at Police lk.on thrus.There were 5 huge bull elk,on the north end hill.What a site,silouetted in the skyline.They stood there for 15-20 mins,then moseyied into some bushes.No girls around.Anyone of them would had made a herd bull

[northfork]

I hunted a release site for the first time on opening day last year. Trust me, there aren't any coyotes getting fed off these pheasants! Most of them were dead before they even realized they were out of the cage. We even had a guy shoot one over the top of our Jeep as we were driving out of the parking lot in disgust.

 

We drove to another site about an hour away and watched the truck release the pheasants right on the highway between two pieces of private property half a kilometre from the supposed release site. I'm not sure if they dropped them in the wrong spot by accident, or if they did it on purpose when they saw the dozen guys with shotguns waiting in the parking lot.

 

I may try for pheasants again this year but it will definately not be on opening day or even remotely close to it. Seeing the slaughter in the parking lot kind of turned me off the release sites for the rest of the season an we never went back again. I'm hoping the experience isn't like that all season long.

 

And this should serve as a great example for you to seek permission on private land well away from release sites. When I used to live down south I found that getting permission for bird hunting, both upland and waterfowl, was not too tough to obtain. I am no pheasant expert but so many new hunters think they need to be at or near a release site, and such is not the case. Most of my best pheasant hunting spots were far from release sites. If you know what the recipe is to make good pheasant habitat find it, obtain permission, and work it. One of the things I do miss about living down south is those nice crisp late october and early november mornings working a coulee or hillside.

[monger]

Ah release sites, bring hockey helmet with visor and a kevlar vest. Took my young daughter for a tour one day to work the dog. As we are walking around, the truck showed up and drove out in the field. When he released the birds some guys jumped up out of a ditch close to where he parked and started blasting them. Pre-planned hide and wait for the truck. True sportsman they were !

[BigFoamy]

I haven't hunted in 27 years. It was a huge part of my life growing up. Pheasants where it for us (my dad and I). Im not even sure what you guys are talking about, release sites? Sounds really whacked! I remember Brooks had and released pheasants but, we stayed far away from there. We where driving through brooks one day and my dad nearly got shot! We just never went there for the purpose of hunting.

 

We hunted, spent a lot of time driving and talking to farmers. We went where it looked birdie, got permission from farmers, parked our truck, released our dog and pushed bush! We didn't go where we new there where birds, we hunted them, we just figured it. Obviously you would see them now and then. It was never easy, we got our our 2 each every weekend and I loved every minute of it! I started to smoke dope and party in high school and haven't hunted since. Looking back I feel awful about that. I really wish I wouldn't have stopped hunting. A lot has happened since then, Im not even sure If I can legally own a gun anymore (keeps your hands off of other people, even if they are trying to hurt you, just run as fast as you can)

 

I can't believe people would show up at a release site and shoot birds out of a box. Sorry if that offends anyone, it offends me that people would do that. Thats not hunting, period!! grown ups right? responsible adults with hunting licenses!!??!!?? I have a hard time with that.

 

Same dna as those fish poachers!! WTF are you thinking? Should be zero tolerance, in situations like this. IMO!!

[BigFoamy]

Ah release sites, bring hockey helmet with visor and a kevlar vest. Took my young daughter for a tour one day to work the dog. As we are walking around, the truck showed up and drove out in the field. When he released the birds some guys jumped up out of a ditch close to where he parked and started blasting them. Pre-planned hide and wait for the truck. True sportsman they were !

so wacked!

 

I just showed my pointer this info and she says let's go get some chickens/ditch parrots! They're good practice for the real birds

 

Murray I think SilverDoctor wants all your hides

I love your dog, my buddy Jay had 2 of em! I had a Chesapeke Bay Retriever that got poisoned and a Springer Spaniel. The Chessy was a great pet, awesome dog but, that Springer lived in the bush, best hunting dog ever, no quit in that dog!!

[BigFoamy]

There were a lot (!!) of them around Medicine Hat this spring.

like your profile pic.

[DougC]

I think the sites are a good idea. Permission on private land is not anywhere near as easy to get as it once was and the release sites give a lot more people the ability to access pheasants. If it wasn't for release sites I for one would never even have the opportunity to try pheasant hunting.

 

I think instead of not publishing the release dates they should make them clear as day and also have no hunting allowed at those sites within 24 or 48 hours. Once the birds have a chance to get into cover they're actually pretty clever and can stand a sporting chance. Being able to hunt them straight out of a release truck is no more sporting than paying a farmer to open his chicken coop and blasting away at them as they walk out the door.

[northfork]

DougC,I have to disagree with you about getting permission, especially for birds. I have only moved back to my roots in Central AB in the last two years. Some key things for getting access, as bigfoamy also touched on - find "birdy" spots. There are three key elements that make good pheasant habitat - food, cover, and the biggest mystery, water. Firstly find cover. Secondly find food (canola/legume crops are generally more sought after by upland birds than cereals). Thirdly a water source close by. This can be from something as simple as a slough to a small creek flowing through the bottom of a coulee. Have you tried asking people for permission? The worst they will say is no. If you get yourself in a pocket that is unpressured (there are more than you think) you will not have an issue. The further you get from the city the better off you will be. Obviously you are going to get shut down along the bow or sheep or highwood close to the city, or on some prestigious pieces on the milk river ridge... Fill up yer truck, grab a county map and a coffee and go for a drive... I can point you in the right direction for an area to start looking within an hour of Calgary.

 

 

24 to 48 hours is hardly enough time for birds to "acclimatize" to the first area of cover on a release site. As bigfoamy and monger have said, it's hardly even "real" hunting at a release site. Uneducated birds with a ton of pressure. Yes people shoot at them right out of the box. Unbelievable and not sporting at all. I have literally watched "hunters" at a release site have to literally physically kick a bird off the ground to get him to fly up, and then be shot from 10 feet with #3s. But this is more sporting than ground pounding, I am told???