Prairie Outdoors: Spring is Here, They Say
Snowmobile Season
Some early spring snowfalls in the central and northern regions are keeping snowmobile owners on the trails and carving paths through snowbanks, ditches and hillsides. With plus temperatures expected for the next 10 days, there are only a few days left to rev ’em up and head out. For those of you in the south, its muddy fields and brawn grass so the season is over.
We help connect hunters with the great outdoors in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to enjoy the world class hunting, fishing and camping. If you are looking for a hunting adventure, we help you find the hunting outfitter, guided hunting trip, fishing lodge, or campground that matches your outdoor quest. Check out our Outfitters, Guides and Lodges pages. Many hunting outfitters are still operating despite the closed border to USA tourists/hunters so now it the time if you have ever wondered what the guided hunting experience is like. We can tell you from personal experience, it is something you can image don’t really understand just how good hunting can be, until you have hunted with the professionals.
Planning for Spring Hunting Seasons
Spring hunting seasons are quickly approaching and the avid hunters are getting their gear ready. Spring snow goose season will soon be here. I just spotted about 20 Snows lounging beside some sheet water, along with about 40 Canadas, just North of Swift Current on April 2nd. Often the goose season opens when we are still a number of weeks away from the arrival of the first geese. The northern migration is largely determined by the availability of open water and food (agricultural fields) suitable for flocks that can number in the 10’s of thousands. On March 7th I spotted the first pair of Canada Geese over Saskatoon. With a forecast to snap back to a week of cold weather and snow fall, they may bounce back down southward. The snow geese are typically a month later that the arrival dates of the first Canada Geese.
Spring Black Bear season approaches so hunters and outfitters are starting to gather up tree stands, bait barrels and testing quads in preparation for the bears exit from their hibernation dens.
April Brings Out the Shotguns
It’s Spring. It’s Snow Goose Season. With 20 birds a day hunting limits on Snow Geese, including Ross’s Geese, the spring snow goose hunt can be a great time to heat up the shotgun barrel and put some geese on the ground. Some of the early season streams are open for trout fishing on the eastern slopes and foothills. Grab that fly rod, waders, and your wind gear. Now is a great time to get your lines tight before the spring run off raises the water level and flow volume. There’s plenty of good water to fish now and Alberta has also opened up a number of lakes again for fishing.
Get Ready for Spring Fishing
Spring fishing season is just around the corner in most parts of the Prairie provinces. The ice fishing gear has been tucked away while a few ice shacks stranded in the deep snow from winter will find a home at the bottom of a lake. It’s the start of spring fishing (open in some locations) and camping season for the hearty ones willing to brave the mud and weather. I am busy preparing myself for a spring and summer long fly fishing project. What plans are you making for the most active outdoors season in Canada?
In early March, it seemed we were in for an early Spring. But that’s an improbably assumption to make in Saskatchewan. The second half of March returned to winter even well past the official start of Spring. The unofficial start of Spring to me is when we have two consecutive days/nights when the temperature remains above freezing. That is when the real snow/ice melt kicks in and when it actually feels like spring, not just a mythical day on the calendar. According to the weather app on my phone, that looks like April 11th and 12th. With almost a meter of ice on the lakes, it’s going to take more than a couple days, but I’m hopeful that we will be able to launch the boat for opening day of fishing season on May 5th.
If you are looking for the regulations and dates for fishing in Saskatchewan, check the 2025 Anglers Guide.
We help connect hunters and anglers with the great outdoors in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to enjoy the world class hunting, fishing and campgrounds. If you are looking for a hunting adventure, we help you find the hunting outfitter, guided hunting trip, fishing lodge, or campground that matches your outdoor quest. Check out our Outfitters, Guides and Lodges pages.
All three provinces now have an online campground site reservation system.
- For Alberta, use reserve.albertaparks.ca. Beginning Feb 19th.
- For Saskatchewan, use saskparks.tourismsaskatchewan.com. Beginning April 7th.
- For Manitoba, use prspub.gov.mb.ca. Begins April 3rd for most campgrounds.
Happy Camping!
PrairieOutdoors.com is your online outdoor hunting directory for hunting, fishing, and camping information for Western Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan & Manitoba) including listings of hunting outfitters, guides, fishing tournaments, fishing lodges, resorts, and campgrounds.
In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba we have over 200,000 lakes and hundreds of rivers, featuring some of the finest fresh water game fishing possible. The wild life is plentiful and world renowned for trophy quality hunting and fishing. Many hunting and fishing world records have come from this area including the Hanson Buck and the Broder Buck. We have wild mountain streams in Alberta featuring Brown trout and Rainbow trout that will rip the backing out of your reel. Bring your heavy line and get ready to set the hook for Northern Pike that will spin your boat around. The flocks of Canada Geese and Snow Geese will fill the sky in numbers only counted in hundreds of thousands. The southern prairies feature excellent pheasant hunting along the creek beds and abundant numbers of “Prairie Chicken” (sharp-tail grouse) and “Huns” (Hungarian Partridge). With a good dog and a quick 12 gauge you can get your limit. Trophy walleye can be pulled from lakes year round and the ice fishing is an unbelievable adventure. Imagine pulling a 30 inch walleye or a 48 inch pike through 3 feet of ice. If bear hunting is your sport, the forest are well stocked with the wary creatures.
If you have the patience, you have a great chance to pick a black bear in one of the many color phases ranging from pure black, to chocolate brown, to cinnamon and even the rare blonde bear. World record whitetail, elk, moose and mule deer are wandering the forests and plains where the big game are plentiful and big bodied.
Within this directory you will find information about:
- Hunting
- Bow Hunting
- Fishing
- Fly-fishing
- Outfitters
- Guides
- Lodges
- Resorts
- Camping
- Hunting Supply stores
- Fishing Tackle stores
The geographic area we cover includes:
- Western Canada
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
Fish Species include:
- Northern Pike Fishing
- Walleye Fishing
- Rainbow Trout Fishing
- Lake Trout
- Brown Trout
- Brook Trout
- Perch
- Sturgeon
- Whitefish
- Arctic Grayling
- Whitetail Deer Hunting
- Mule Deer Hunting, including the World record mule deer,
the Broder Buck - Moose
- Elk
- Black Bear Hunting
- Antelope
- Goose Hunting
- Duck Hunting
- Partridge
- Grouse
- Pheasant
Enjoy PrairieOutdoors.com for the worlds finest in outdoors recreation and adventure. There is always more to explore in Alberta Fishing, Alberta Hunting, Alberta Camping, Manitoba Hunting, Manitoba Camping, Manitoba Fishing, Saskatchewan Fishing, Saskatchewan Camping, Saskatchewan Hunting.