|
"YOU WON'T WASTE ANY
DAYLIGHT!"
The
prairie region of Saskatchewan and Alberta is blessed with a plethora
of upland game birds and migratory waterfowl. The area is well known
for its native sharptails and there are healthy populations of
Hungarian partridge and ring-necked pheasants that were introduced in
the early 1900s. The rich agricultural fields attract thousands of
migrating ducks and geese that stop to fuel up on their way south. The
region is used extensively by white-fronted geese that show up early
in the season and hang around till mid October. Snows and Ross' are
also very abundant and provide some great diversity. The smaller
cacklers show up in early October and the big Canada geese that are
raised locally are always a bonus.
Alberta
has open seasons for both upland birds and waterfowl, while
Saskatchewan now offers hunts for upland with
waterfowl open to everyone. Saskatchewan also offers a sandhill crane
season under their migratory waterfowl seasons and the birds coming
out of the north decoy extremely well. The diversity of the two
provinces and overlapping seasons lend itself to well to the bird
hunter looking at hunting both provinces.
Dave
Molloy, of Western Guiding Services, Box 191, Empress, AB, TOJ IEO
phone or fax (403) 565-3775 has been in operation since 1982 and
has set up his outfitting business to take advantage of the hunting
seasons in Saskatchewan and Alberta. His camp is located in
southeastern Alberta, just inside of the border that divides the two
provinces.
Dave
offers hunts in both provinces through one hunting package. Morning
shoots are normally conducted in Saskatchewan for geese, ducks or
cranes before heading back to camp for a big breakfast. A quick change
of cloths will have you back in the field on the Alberta and
Saskatchewan side to hunt
some of the upland game birds that thrive in the area. Early afternoon
you head back for lunch and head out for an afternoon goose hunt in
Alberta when possible with large flights of ducks showing up just before dark. Dave
comments that he doesn't like to waste any daylight and with the
mornings starting at 4:00 a.m. in the early part of the season hunters
usually sleep well at night.
The
hunts are offered in a three-day package that usually includes six
field shoots and three trips for upland birds. You hunt right to
the end of the third day, not stopping at noon to rush you off to the
airport. Accommodations are provided in the hunting lodge with six
separate bedrooms, two with double beds and four with singles. Because
there is only a maximum of six hunters in at any time, everyone has
their own room and share the two showers downstairs and a full
bathroom upstairs. There is a large dining area where the cook
prepares home-style meals to keep you fueled up for the long days in
the field. There is also a "Tall Tales Room" with a hosted
bar and plenty of taxidermy mounts of big game and birds. Dave is an
avid hunter and can tell his share of tales from places around the
world. There is also a billiard table and television with satellite
dish.
They do
have a winehair to work as hard as the hunters. There are kennel facilities on
sight for those hunters wanting to bring along their own hunting dogs.
There is a real diversity for the dogs with the wide-open
stubble fields that harbor coveys of partridge to the brushy draws
that hide the wily sharptails. The migratory hunting alone will give
your dog more work than he has seen in a three day stint.
Dave
uses a unique spread of decoys that includes what he refers to as
"stuffers". They are actual mounted birds done in
life-like poses and with 24 white-fronts and eight snows you can decoy
more of the shy birds that may have seen some hunting pressure. The
stuffers are set on there own and a big spread of full-bodied shells
are set up down field. According to Dave, most of the incoming birds
will try to land with or close to the stuffers. A variety of blinds
are used to hide hunters depending on the type of field that is being
hunted. Fast grass blinds are a favorite in barley and wheat stubble
and lay-down blinds are used where there is marginal cover. Dave also
uses the roomy bale blinds and finds them to work very well on the
ducks.
There
are several packages offered but three basic packages range from $1,800 to $2,650.
The options may include licenses for both provinces, shells for upland
and waterfowl, bird cleaning and packaging, accommodations, meals and
transportation to and from the Calgary International Airport. Dave
Molloy is a founding member of the Alberta
Wildfowl Outfitters Association which means he is licensed, bonded,
insured and follows a code of ethics for hosting and guiding clients.
The
upland hunting can require a fair amount of walking, so pack a
comfortable pair of boots. Most of the waterfowl shoots are conducted
in the agricultural fields that can be accessed by vehicle. This
outfit will appeal to a wide range of clients that like to hunt hard
for a variety of birds. Dave has a lot of repeat customers and if
Arctic geese are a favorite of yours, this is the camp to visit.
The weather in Alberta can be quite variable, so make sure that you
pack some rain cloths and your long underwear. The brown and gray
camouflage patterns work well in the agricultural fields. Dave keeps a
good supply of ammunition for all the species that he hunts, so you
don't have to worry about loading down your luggage. The country
atmosphere and friendly people make a trip to the prairie a great
experience.
 |
 |
|
click on above migration
map to see a full page view! |
|
Links |
|
 |
|
Click Here To
E-mail Us Now
And just for your records, our e-mail address is:
gorfsss9@telusplanet.net |
|
