Waterfowl by Region

The Boreal and Peace Country

The Peace Country may be the very best goose-hunting destination on the continent. Thousands of local and migrating Canada geese stage in northwest Alberta’s Peace country throughout September and October. The Peace country is a large block of parkland habitat surrounded by forests of poplar and mixed coniferous trees. Running throughout the “Peace” is the mighty Peace River and several large lakes and wetlands provide additional staging habitat for migrating wildfowl. This is the first place where the geese are introduced to sportsmen and the birds are naive and rarely shy from a blind.

As with the geese, ducks (particularly mallards) stage in the Peace parklands by the thousands. The abundant mallards share the same food source as the geese and very often mallards are shot prior to and in between goose flights. The large wetlands and lakes of the Peace parklands the boreal forests also offer some of the best diver hunts in the West. There are lite rally countless water-bodies throughout the North that have never seen a duck boat.

Late September and early October is the ideal time to witness the migration of most duck species.

The Parkland

The Aspen Parkland is home to the highest densities of breeding mallards on the continent. Added to this are numerous flocks of locally raised Canada geese and tremendous numbers of migrating Canada, snow and white-fronted geese along with more than a dozen other species of ducks. Shooting all three species of geese and several species of ducks is not unusual on a typical hunt.

The migration is in full swing by the beginning of the season in early September and lasts until the end of October in most years.

Mallards will often fly into small wetlands near feeding fields where they can be intercepted. These hunts can be fast and furious, often with thousands of ducks recklessly winging into your decoys.

The Foothills and Mountains

Duck and goose hunting in this region is fairly localized and the majority of opportunities occur along the eastern boundary near to farming country. The region is best known for late season shooting especially in the south. Warm water springs throughout southwest Alberta provide the only open water refuge for tens of thousands of wintering mallards. Opportunities for ducks and geese exist from early September in the north through to late December in the south.

The Prairie

Southern Alberta is known worldwide for its quality waterfowling opportunities. Sharing the Pacific and Central Flyways, Southern Alberta is blessed with millions of migrating ducks and geese. The prairies have thousands of acres of staging water with very low hunting pressure. Field shooting of large Canada geese is particularly attractive to visiting sportsmen, with many shoots being complimented with wave after wave of mallards and pintails.

Big water shooting opportunities are plentiful for divers, dabblers or mixed bag hunts, with virtually no competition. The migration and seasons begin in early September and continue through to the end of the season in late December, although most shallow wetlands are frozen by the first of November.