Possibly moving to Red Deer area from BC need help with hunting regulations

[Camp Cook]

My wife, son and I are looking to possibly move from the Abbotsford - Fraser Valley area of BC to either the interior of BC or into the Red Deer to Ponoka area of Alberta.

My wife's immediate family live in the Lacombe area as well as our 14 year old son after he graduates would go to Burman University in Lacombe just like my wife and her family and our older son did.

My question is what is available to hunt in this area being from BC that has very liberal open hunting seasons I'm a little concerned that there is not much hunting opportunities there.

Can yo guys help me to understand the hunting seasons there

Thanks

[fishnguy]

Most recent hunting regulations: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/995b...tions-2021.pdf

[sns2]

Open season on whitetail deer. Draw for moose and mulies. Great waterfowl hunting. Some pretty decent fishing in lakes fairly close by.

[pikeslayer22]

Also open seasons for bighorn and Elk with in a 2 to 3 hour drive.

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by sns2

Open season on whitetail deer. Draw for moose and mulies. Great waterfowl hunting. Some pretty decent fishing in lakes fairly close by.

This is the kind of information I am looking for

I tried going thru the regulations posted above wow got a head ache reading them.

What are the draw odds for moose and mule deer?

[marky_mark]

they are priority based
so near where your living, 0 for a few years

[bluetick]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

This is the kind of information I am looking for

I tried going thru the regulations posted above wow got a head ache reading them.

What are the draw odds for moose and mule deer?

Well Get in line for approximately 6 to 10 years given the present system and 12 to 20 coming in the future .

Alberta draw system is a sham and a disgrace .

[JDK71]

west of Red Deer my moose was 9 years and mule deer 6years

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by JDK71

west of Red Deer my moose was 9 years and mule deer 6years

So basically hunting sucks if you are into moose and mule deer hunting but whitetail hunting is good what about antelope I have never hunted them only ever seen them a couple of times?

Like I first posted we currently live in the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford/Chilliwack area my eldest son and I shot 4 blacktail deer bucks last fall all within 20 - 30 minutes drive from my house.

Maybe I need to stay in BC but wow there are some super nice acreages with shops out there for a guy to semi-retire on there and my wife and son would love to be near her family especially her parents.

I own and operate a small landscaping business here is there enough landscaping work in these areas for a new guy to come in I'd not be looking to do much just enough for my wife and I to keep a cash flow going while she looks for a new teaching job?

[ghostguy6]

Dont forget we have to contend with CWD here in Alberta. In the area you are looking at it is currently mandatory to submit mule deer heads only but I would estimate whitetail will be on the list soon. Expect to be waiting 2- 3 months before you can eat your deer meat if you are worried about CWD. There is also the possibility you wont be eating your deer if you shoot one.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

This is the kind of information I am looking for

I tried going thru the regulations posted above wow got a head ache reading them.

What are the draw odds for moose and mule deer?

Originally from BC myself so I can give you a realistic break down

Whitetail hunting is far beyond anything you will find in BC. Way better quality and number of bucks

There is respectable opportunities for elk but have not utilized them myself

Good waterfowl and permission is much easier to get than the lower mainland. Hunting is better on average too

Being from the lower mainland you are used to traveling farther to go hunting then most Albertans would consider so this will open options for playing the odds with moose draws. Like has been mentioned it’s all by priority so apply for x number of years and you will be drawn. For moose there is areas that are around 4 years priority that I have personally looked at but it varies. Mule deer varies too buck draws are tougher say 5years or more but doe draws are low odds in many areas

Also there is undersubscribed tags that you can purchase after the draw. In Alberta if not all tags are drawn the go up for grabs first come first serve. Usually there is mule deer doe tags, cow elk, and cow moose available for purchase

If you bow hunt(not crossbow) there is way more opportunities too

Honestly in my opinion the quality of hunting is better in Alberta than BC as the management is more conservative compared to BC. Way less point restrictions and better game numbers. BC will try to create opportunities that are pretty weak like spike fork moose season where Alberta will not

If most of your hunting in BC was PG south you won’t miss much if anything. The far north in BC is something special though

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

So basically hunting sucks if you are into moose and mule deer hunting but whitetail hunting is good what about antelope I have never hunted them only ever seen them a couple of times?

No antelope in Central Alberta. Don't know what the hunting regs are for them, but you'll be a few hours drive south before you even start seeing them.

[marky_mark]

Antelope will take a decade or more to pull a tag

[marky_mark]

Probably better off staying in bc and hunting stone sheep for next to nothing

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

Probably better off staying in bc and hunting stone sheep for next to nothing

He has around a 20hr drive from Abbotsford to hunt stones.

Most of the hunting within 5hr drive of where he lives will not compare to average Alberta hunting

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

What are the draw odds for moose and mule deer?

This page will tell you how many hunters successfully drew their tags, and the priority they had, by species and WMU:

https://www.albertarelm.com/cust.drawsummary.page

If you are a bowhunter, there are more over-the-counter opportunities.

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

This page will tell you how many hunters successfully drew their tags, and the priority they had, by species and WMU:

https://www.albertarelm.com/cust.drawsummary.page

If you are a bowhunter, there are more over-the-counter opportunities.

Great info guys thank you

I do hunt with a bow but lately have put the bow aside and mostly hunt with super short 14" barreled T/C Contender carbines

These two bucks were shot with my 338JDJ #2 possibly the only one like it in Canada

First was shot with a 180gr Accubond @ 2500fps the second was shot with 200gr SST's @ 2350fps two days apart crazy hardly saw any bucks all fall then the rut hit they were everywhere but if you understand whitetail hunting blacktail are harder to hunt.

These are about as good as they get in my small area

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

Great info guys thank you

I do hunt with a bow but lately have put the bow aside and mostly hunt with super short 14" barreled T/C Contender carbines

These two bucks were shot with my 338JDJ #2 possibly the only one like it in Canada

First was shot with a 180gr Accubond @ 2500fps the second was shot with 200gr SST's @ 2350fps two days apart crazy hardly saw any bucks all fall then the rut hit they were everywhere but if you understand whitetail hunting blacktail are harder to hunt.

These are about as good as they get in my small area

Definitely respectable blacktail and I understand the homework that is needed to consistently take blacktail in the lower mainland. I know it took some out of the box thinking effort scouting to find the good spots I had

You may find yourself picking up your bow in Alberta considering a lot of areas provide a 2 month bow season and there is both moose and mule deer archery opportunities. The mule deer hunting is not going to be what you experienced in BC. Think badlands, prairie, and farmland not timber bucks. The average mule deer buck is also much larger

The one thing about the red deer area is lack of crown land. The larger tracks of crown land are found more around hwy 22 west. There is a reason I live near hwy 22

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Definitely respectable blacktail and I understand the homework that is needed to consistently take blacktail in the lower mainland. I know it took some out of the box thinking effort scouting to find the good spots I had

You may find yourself picking up your bow in Alberta considering a lot of areas provide a 2 month bow season and there is both moose and mule deer archery opportunities. The mule deer hunting is not going to be what you experienced in BC. Think badlands, prairie, and farmland not timber bucks. The average mule deer buck is also much larger

The one thing about the red deer area is lack of crown land. The larger tracks of crown land are found more around hwy 22 west. There is a reason I live near hwy 22

I'm on MLS.ca right now looking around Wetaskwin - Ponoka area for acreage property

Now to figure out where Hwy 22 is

[rottie]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

I'm on MLS.ca right now looking around Wetaskwin - Ponoka area for acreage property

Now to figure out where Hwy 22 is

Find Rocky Mountain House on a map, Hwy 22 is just west of there and runs north / south. Great hunting in that area

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by rottie

Find Rocky Mountain House on a map, Hwy 22 is just west of there and runs north / south. Great hunting in that area

I found it

Unfortunately if I do come out to Alberta I will be living near Hwy 2 I'm 62 still need to work some and my wife wants a full time elementary teachers job.

While we are talking hunting what are the regs for coyote hunting I'd like to score a place that I can blast them off my back porch and are there still tons of gophers that need to be culled?

and my wife just told me there maybe an issue with porcupines and our dogs are there many porcupines out there?

[MK2750]

I would look around the Morningside area

[Camp Cook]

I have a soon to be 15 year old son if we get out there he would like to do some gopher shooting.

He has a 14" barreled single shot T/C Contender carbine and a 22" barreled Marlin 917SF bolt action rifle both in 17HMR and a 19" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 204 Ruger at his disposal.

He's wondering how the gopher shooting is out there now.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Camp Cook

I have a soon to be 15 year old son if we get out there he would like to do some gopher shooting.

He has a 14" barreled single shot T/C Contender carbine and a 22" barreled Marlin 917SF bolt action rifle both in 17HMR and a 19" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 204 Ruger at his disposal.

He's wondering how the gopher shooting is out there now.

Need to wait till spring

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Need to wait till spring

Yeah we know = he won't be there until the summer at the earliest

[DirtShooter]

We used to shoot a ton of gophers near Roundhill (not far from Camrose)

[yoteblaster]

I farm east of Lacombe. Gopher shooting here is a thing of the past. Almost all the pasture has been broke and in crop now. 6-8 years ago 800 plus gophers between two of us was a regular occurrence. Could hardly touch the barrels of our 10-22s. Those were the days. There still are some pastures around but they are usually spoken for. Lots of moose though

[Camp Cook]

Have another question

Are there gun clubs around this area = I own a couple handguns

[yoteblaster]

Ponoka has a gun club that I know of. Not a member but have been there

[Camp Cook]

Originally Posted by yoteblaster

Ponoka has a gun club that I know of. Not a member but have been there

That would work if they are taking members I'm look them up.

We are a bit behind schedule now for getting our house up for sale had some issues in one bedroom that had to be attacked from under the house turns out the issues go all around that side of the house going to cost appr $30,000 to get it all fixed up before we can put the house up for sale.

Crew is supposed to start Monday morning we are packing up furniture to get it out of the way for the repairs tonight and tomorrow.