Alta Pheasant Release Sites

[Chopper333]

I am looking into the pheasant release sites in Alberta and am wondering if anyone has gone to one and what their experiences were. I am looking to get a young hunter into upland birds and my pheasant hunt as a kid at my uncle's old property in Alta was the reason I got into hunting. Any info on upland birds would be helpful. I am thinking Alberta is the closest that I could make a simple trip out of and keep the costs low.

Thanks in advance.

Chopper

[huntingfamily]

I go to one of the pheasant release sites once in a while in northern Alberta. I like it mainly because it's good to get the dogs into birds every time.
It's never that busy and if there are a few vehicles there it's easy enough to find places where nobody is.
I see a few guys without dogs but they're not often having much luck. I wouldn't go there if I didn't have a good dog with me to find and retrieve birds.

[ACB]

I myself have hunted mostly private land for wild birds and some released birds ( like at a Hudderite colony along the Milk River Ridge). But have hunted a few release sites as well, and seen guys out there trying to hunt pheasants without a dog, you don't hear them shooting very much. I can't imagine hunting pheasants without a dog, a good dog that is willing to go into heavy cover and doesn't mind getting the odd puncture wounds from hothorn thickets, because if that dog doesn't go in there, the bird isn't coming out and you're not going to be able to go in there, besides you wouldn't know the bird was there in the first place. That is what the most fun about pheasant hunting is, watching the dogs and seeing how they react when they know a bird is there.

[Bustercluck]

I ran into a guy I work with the other day and asked him how the release sites are. He said they release 20-30 males every 3-4 days. He lives in Red Deere and assuming he hunts close to there. He hunts with a gsp and got a few birds in one day.

My brother has been down to a couple of these sites with his dog who isn’t well trained and got nothing every time.

There’s plenty of upland birds everywhere though. You shouldn’t have to go too far from wherever you live to find upland birds.

[M1SF1T]

I used to hunt the site in Bassano with my Brittany. We were always the only ones there and we were into all the birds we wanted.

Used to just walk irrigation ditches and train tracks outside of Calgary and get into huns and pheasant too. Can't beat having a good dog with you.

[britman101]

Unfortunately in Canada CP rail controls land around the railway tracks. If you get caught the fine is $ 600.

[M1SF1T]

Maybe, but I doubt it. People walk near rail lines all the time.

Heck, avtivists were blockading them regularly up until covid started, I wonder if any of them got a $600 fine?

[britman101]

Unfortunately it is true. Last week some teenagers, and a 63 year old senior walking her dog got the ticket in the Airdrie area. It is also enforceable.