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03-07-2018, 05:55 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,516
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Southern Alberta. Antelope and pheasants?
Hello to all you guys from southern Alberta. How has this winter been on the antelope and pheasant populations? Just wondering.
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03-07-2018, 07:31 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: N. E. of High River
Posts: 4,985
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trigger7mm
Hello to all you guys from southern Alberta. How has this winter been on the antelope and pheasant populations? Just wondering.
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I would be a bit worried about the antelope and pheasants but from what I see the Huns are holding their own. I see them dug in all over the place and some appear to be feeding.
I think that the antelope are smart enough to dig through the snow but I do not think most pheasants can find food without a food bin.
Outside of Okotoks the other day I saw a mule deer on her hind legs trying to get to some willow browse.
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03-07-2018, 07:35 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,286
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Pheasants close to cattle operations should be alright. Those in marginal habitat (there were lots after the last few mild winters) will be having a tough time.
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“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Thomas Sowell
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03-07-2018, 08:05 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Brooks
Posts: 2,242
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pikergolf
Pheasants close to cattle operations should be alright. Those in marginal habitat (there were lots after the last few mild winters) will be having a tough time.
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x2
Seeing quite a few birds around the cattle feeding areas (domestic and commercial) but the antelope are going to be taking a beating. That last chinook that came through created enough ice on the surface that they will be playing hell trying to get through the crust to any feed below. We didnt get hit as hard as some in this area, but still about a foot of snow on the level.
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"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears!"
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03-07-2018, 10:21 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Medicine Hat
Posts: 4,205
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The antelope and birds are doing fine we have very little snow and the winds blew all the snow into the coulees so the hill tops etc. are bare...the geese are pairing up and the gophers are out and it will be +15 by Monday...
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Trades I would interested in:
- Sightron rifle scopes, 4.5x14x42mm or 4x16x42mm
especially! with the HHR reticle. (no duplex pls.)
- older 6x fixed scopes with fine X or target dot.
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03-08-2018, 06:48 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WMU 108
Posts: 6,286
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Pheasants in our area have been hit hard by heavy snows , I see lots of road killed deads that have come out on highways to eat spilled grain on road edges . We have fed birds in 2 selffeeders all winter and lots of customers there , eagles and owls show up for lunch but nothing I can do about that .
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03-08-2018, 10:05 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 932
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GHO just feast on pheasants all day long!
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03-08-2018, 05:39 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,516
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Southern alberta antelope
Sorry for being a meathead, but what does GHO stand for?
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03-08-2018, 05:40 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,286
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trigger7mm
Sorry for being a meathead, but what does GHO stand for?
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I would imagine Great Horned Owl, very hard on pheasants, especially released birds.
__________________
“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Thomas Sowell
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03-08-2018, 06:05 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,516
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Southern alberta
Quote:
Originally Posted by pikergolf
I would imagine Great Horned Owl, very hard on pheasants, especially released birds.
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Thanks Piker, that sure make sense. We had one clean out a batch of kittens once. Every morning we were one cat short, then one morning I look out, and there he is with a kitten on the quonset roof.
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03-08-2018, 07:07 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Brooks
Posts: 2,242
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owls
Quote:
Originally Posted by pikergolf
I would imagine Great Horned Owl, very hard on pheasants, especially released birds.
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Have had three over the course of the winter(so far) move in on my pen of birds at the farm. They average around three birds a week out of my breeding stock. Worse thing is, they usually can only get the head through the netting, and then the rest of the bird falls to the ground. They seem to develop a taste for it.
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"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears!"
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03-09-2018, 02:20 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 413
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Pheasants
We had a horrible winter in the sixties and the pheasants were getting clobbered by the hawks and owls. Those were the golden years of pheasant hunting (in my memory, anyways) and for a brief period the raptors were allowed to be shot.
Many years later some dude showed up at my taxidermist with a snow owl shot in that time frame. It was dried out and the Fish and Wildlife told the taxidermist it was legal. So the guy rehydrated it somehow and the mount came out great.
On the same topic, I was talking to a waterfowl guide from South Dakota who had more pheasants on his farm than I could even comprehend. He told me that the predators were not allowed. He probably just yelled loud at them.
I checked out a spot with wild pheasants only yesterday in Southern Alberta and saw a fair number. It is chinooking right now so I hope that they are over the worst..
Be safe, everyone ..
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03-15-2018, 09:59 PM
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: The Forgotten Corner
Posts: 778
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Roosters in town seem to be around in normal numbers. I'd have to assume the goats will take a hit however.
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