Hunting near Red Deer Alberta

L

loooongshotz

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
Where the moose grow biggest
Good day fellow hunters.
In contemplation of moving to Red Deer, asking some assistance, advice, guidance etc. of where to hunt and/or shoot recreationally within an hour drive of Red Deer.
IE Crown land as we call here it here in BC.
Just to be absolutely clear; not looking for "your" spot (no name Valley or zipper mouth lakes)
PM me if that is your comfort level.
Thanks all.

Cheers
 
Red Deer has a nice mix of opportunity within a hour or slightly more. It is not where I would move to if I wanted the best hunting in Alberta however I live in Sylvan Lake which is 15 minutes west and IMO it is the perfect compromise.

I hunt waterfowl, pheasant, grouse and White-tails and always find all I want. There is Moose, Elk and Mule Deer opportunities as well.

There is lots of access to lease land. The government of Alberta has a website with a recreation access guide. Simply open the map and click on the green shaded land that interests you. The name and contact info for the leaseholder will be shown. Most are really good about allowing hunting access after the cows are off the land. Some are idiots but there is so much lease land it is easier to move along than lose any sleep over it. Lease land is not for recreational shooting.

Further west there is lots of "crown" land where no contact is required. Not what it use to be within a day hunt drive but lots of opportunity with a little leg work. There is a ton of road hunting (not that there is anything wrong with that) and it can be successful. I prefer to study up on maps and Google Earth. There is thousands of acres with world class opportunities. I seldom see a foot print more than a couple of 100 yards off the road. You can do some recreational shooting but keep in mind that the west country gets really busy in the warmer months. Lots of off road campers, fishers, quad drivers, bikers and hikers. There are more cutline campers than at the camp grounds.

Also check out the Discovery Guide available online or at most outdoor stores including CT. It lists all the DU land and ACA land. There are some restrictions in some areas but many are open to hunting. Some of these lands are surprising good. Some are busy but lots are seldom accessed. Again, no target practice etc.

Private land can be very difficult to access, especially to the west. Be prepared to knock on a lot of doors with little results. Unfortunately a few bad apples have closed a lot of doors. Thieves have forced many land owners to put a locked gate on their drive ways so even getting a hold of a farmer is challenging. Farmers are much more likely to allow waterfowl and bow hunters than strangers with rifles.

I-Hunter is an excellent tool to help track down land owners and identify recreational/lease land.

There is also some decent ranges within an hour and a few really decent sporting goods stores.
 
I am 90 minutes North, and there is excellent waterfowl hunting, and some decent upland hunting, and good deer hunting. There are also some moose and elk around, but you want to head west for the best opportunity. Much of the land is private, and access gets easier to obtain, the farther you get from the larger cities.
 
I live 30 minutes east of Red Deer and within an hour of RD in any direction you will find good opportunities for what you mentioned, within 1.5 hrs from RD you will find most excellent opportunities for your wants.
 
Used to hunt deer on farmland north of eckville and west of Rimbey. Thats close to red deer. All privately owned land. Hunted geese east of RD, other side of stettler. An hour west puts you in rockey mountain house, and crown land really starts west of that. White tails, some mulies, moose, elk, cougars, bears, wolves, coyotes. Lots of game. - dan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom