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| Waterfowl Hunting in Alberta Canada |
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Waterfowl hunting in Canada is really something special-and Alberta is just the icing on the cake. This territory is a duck and goose hunting paradise, and it's huge agricultural fields, potholes, and wetlands make up some of the best waterfowl hunting habitat in North America. Serious waterfowlers who are willing to travel a little bit can find free hunting access, reasonable rates for lodging, and great shooting.
Fields of wheat, peas, and barley provide plenty of food to support the abundant waterfowl population-so just add water. Waterfowl hunting in Canada is awesome, and millions of puddle ducks and divers will be found in each and every puddle, creek, river, and lake in this part of the nation. Canadian duck hunting guides in this region sometimes refer to teal as "less than desirable" and pride themselves on bringing fat mallards, widgeon, and bull sprigs into the decoys-much to the delight of visiting waterfowl hunters who have heard the timeless accounts of just how great duck hunting in Canada can be.
Duck and Goose Hunting in Alberta
Limits are liberal, and most respectable wingshots can expect to limit every day of their trip. Every part of Alberta offers excellent Canada goose and duck hunting-and by that me just mean goose hunting in Canada, for all kinds of geese: Greater Canadas, Lessers, Specks, and Snows.
The flyway on the Boreal Zone is chock full of waterfowl migrating south for the winter. The migration is at its peak by mid-September, and the duck and goose hunting stays good in this part of the province until late October, and even later if the weather is unseasonably warm, as it has been in recent years.
The Foothills zone offers great late-season waterfowl hunting. The prairies (especially with good rainfall) offer some of the most classic prairie pothole duck hunting opportunities in the world-the type of shooting that has made duck and goose hunting in Alberta synonymous with success.
The Parkland zone probably holds more ducks and geese than any other location in Alberta, and is undoubtedly the part of the province that has made duck and goose hunting in Canada legendary. We recommend that you discuss the zone(s) that you will be hunting thoroughly with your outfitter, as well as check the rainfall in the are over the recent weeks and The Beaverhill Lake area is very well known as one of the most important staging areas for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl. Duck and goose hunting in Alberta just would not be the same without this important ecosystem that provides a roosting area for the huge numbers of ducks and geese that saturate the area.
Whether you are planning Canada goose hunting, or a Canada duck hunt for mallards or pintails, this is an area that you will want to scout diligently, observing the birds flight patterns, which extend in every direction, to and from the surrounding crop fields.
Duck and Goose hunting in Canada-the key to success
Be mobile. Bring portable blinds, and have plenty of decoys. Most of your best field shoots are going to be from Final Approach blinds, in stubble fields, over lots of decoys-whereas the majority of your best duck hunts will be on potholes (if you are lucky enough to find them).
Dress for Success
Weather conditions in Alberta can be very volatile in the fall months, so in order to be comfortable, you will want to bring a wide selection of layered clothing, and foul weather gear, and a pair of good chest waders, along with the rest of the equipment that you will need to be successful: a reliable vehicle, a trailer (you can never have too many decoys), a good Retriever, and a good map (if you are not hiring the services of a guide).
Best of luck, and if you find a waterfowl hunting guide in Canada that you believe is of world-class competence, please submit a report to our eMagazine, The Hunters Travel Report. |
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