Fish and Wildlife
Special deer hunt gets high marks
Does hunting deer in the middle of winter in northwestern Alberta sound enjoyable to you?
Even fervent hunters might have some doubts, given the prospect of deep snow, frigid temperatures and long distances to travel to the hunting area.
Hunters who participated in the Bear Canyon “quota” hunt in northwestern Alberta this winter, however, were surprisingly enthusiastic about the experience. (Quota hunts are hunts permitted outside of normal hunting seasons as part of a wildlife management strategy.)
An overwhelming 87 per cent of participating hunters enjoyed the experience, according to a recent survey, even though many had to travel long distances. Ninety per cent said they would participate in a quota hunt again.
The hunt for antlerless white-tailed or mule deer took place February 4 - March 4 in a mainly agricultural area known as Bear Canyon, about 90 km northwest of Fairview. The west edge of the hunt was about 1.6 km from Alberta’s border with British Columbia. Bear Canyon Anterless Deer Quota Hunt Area.
Alberta set up the hunt to help reduce large populations of deer, in response to concerns by local agricultural producers. Several producers had reported that deer were eating stored hay and livestock feed on their land, as well as cause other damage. Seven consecutive mild winters have greatly increased deer populations in the area. As well, drought reduced hay production last year, and hunting activity was relatively light in late 2006. 
Alberta issued 150 licences for the hunt at $9 each plus GST, with licences restricted to Alberta residents. Each hunter was allowed to harvest four deer.
Hunters snapped up the licences at a rapid pace. Licences went on sale throughout the province at midnight on February 1. By 8 a.m., 49 per cent had been sold. The remainder sold out by 9:18 a.m. Hunters living in cities took advantage of access to vendors open 24 hours. Thirty per cent of the purchasers were from northwestern Alberta, though none were from the Bear Canyon area.
Hunters reported harvesting 245 deer, including 217 mule deer and 28 white-tailed deer.
Although participating hunters enjoyed the experience, only 66 per cent of the 141 hunters surveyed actually hunted. Half of those who did not hunt said they could not arrange time off from work or family commitments. An additional 36 per cent cited bad weather and distance or lack of knowledge about the area as reasons for not hunting.
A major concern in presenting hunts in mid-to-late winter is that the body condition of deer can be poor. Hunters were asked to classify each deer according to whether it had some external body fat, had no external body fat and was still in good condition with good muscle mass, or was skinny, with poor muscle mass. Most of the animals harvested in the Bear Canyon hunt were in relatively good condition (84 per cent).
A survey was also conducted of landowners who allowed their names and phone numbers to be distributed to hunters. Six of the 11 landowners reported that immediate pressure on their stacks decreased. Seven of the 11 believed the hunt achieved results, and would participate again in a quota hunt.
For more details on the survey, please go to the following summary of results.
