Brent Webster has been hunting since he was a young boy at the tender age of eight, where he started by shooting gofers near his hometown of Indus, Alta.
Now, the 45-year-old has moved on to bigger game, including mule deer, which Webster points out are plentiful around Barrhead.
And with rifle-hunting season ramping up this month, Webster has more of a reason to enjoy a sport that is engrained into the culture of Barrhead and the neighbhouring region.
“I love it. Just being with your buddies and being outdoors is great,” he said.
Webster was one of several customers trickling into Kodiak Lake Hunting and Fishing, a store on Barrhead’s Main Street that specializes in hunting equipment.
Storeowner Kevin Daase said this is the busiest time of the year for hunting, now that hunters can use their shotgun opposed to only a bow and arrow.
The region around Barrhead houses an array of game, Daase said, including moose, white tailed deer and mule deer, making it a great place to hunt.
Daase, 34, is naturally an avid hunter and has been hunting for over 20 years. While he enjoys hunting game, he said being out in the country alone without a soul in sight is the highlight of the sport.
“Just going to places where our cell phone doesn’t have any reception is great,” Daase said.
Charles Bain, a fish and wildlife officer, said this is the busiest time of the year when it comes to enforcing the rules relating to hunting, including answering calls relating to over fishing, poaching and trespassing.
“In this area we have a problem with trespassing, people hunting on land where they don’t have permission,” Bain said, adding it’s a problem that can be curbed if land owners get vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers of trespassers.
Hunters should first get permission from landowners whenever they’re hunting on private land, Bain said.
“And many land owners appreciate that because we have a really good community here and if you respect them they’ll respect you,” said Bain.
Hunting is a tradition here, Bain said, with some residents being third generation hunters.
“It’s kind of like a heritage thing, something that families have been doing a long time and it’s a part of the culture here,” he said. “It’s a tradition as grandfathers have gone out with fathers, fathers with sons and we like to keep it going.”
In order to begin your hunt, however, Bain said you need to get a tag from the Fish and Wildlife office in town.
There are different tags for different animals, and in most cases you can get one for each animal, Bain said.
For those who are new to hunting, Bain recommends they start out with white-tailed deer, which are plentiful in the region.
They should also get in touch with Alberta Fish and Wildlife here in Barrhead in the provincial building for any questions they may have, Bain said.
You can contact Alberta Fish and Wildlife at 780 674 8231.
