Taber Pheasant Festival gearing up for another round

Posted on 14 October 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Cole Parkinson
Alberta Newspaper Group

Come mid-October, hunters will once again descend on the Municipal District of Taber for the annual Pheasant Festival. Running from Oct. 17-24, the annual festival will see plenty on tap for hunters in the region and for those who travel.

The event will see over 5,100 pheasants released across 40 areas in the M.D. with hunts officially beginning on Oct. 19 and running until Oct. 24. All hunters will need a WIN card, a wildlife certificate, a valid game bird license, and a valid pheasant license.

The novice shoot is back again and will offer first-time and inexperienced hunters a safe and guided course to pheasant hunting. Spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and go on Oct. 17 and 18.

On top of the hunting, there is plenty going on throughout the eight-day event. The Town of Taber hunter’s lunch goes on Oct. 19. Hunters are welcome to stop by for a fee-based packaged lunch that includes a choice of a roast beef or ham sandwich with a cookie, fresh fruit, granola bar, a juice box, and a bottled water. The lunch runs from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Taber Community Centre. The fan favourite Game to Gourmet culinary tasting returns on Oct. 19. Talented Alberta chefs will be in-house to prepare a variety of pheasant dishes for all to enjoy. Priced at $30, the event starts at 6:30 p.m. at Heritage Inn with food service at 7 p.m. Minors are invited to attend but will need to leave by 8 p.m. to follow liquor licensing restrictions. Tickets can be purchased at https://secure.ab-conservation.com/tpfgeneral.

On Oct. 21, the Taber Community Centre will host the Hound & Harvest market. This all-ages market will feature plenty of local talent, rural roots, rugged tradition, and everyone’s favourite hunting companion: the bird dog. The market will run from 6-9 p.m.

Also on Oct. 21, hunters are invited to the Cattlemen’s Chophouse for whisky and pheasant tasting. With local distillers attending and Brad Fenson (wild game chef and outdoorsman) serving up pheasant appetizers, this is a must-attend. The event is free and starts at 7 p.m.

At the end of the festival, all hunters are invited back to the community centre for the celebration banquet and fundraiser. The final event allows hunters to connect and also show appreciation for landowners and sponsors who make the pheasant festival possible each year. The banquet will see plenty of raffles and a live auction from the Raymond 4H Pheasant Raise and Release project. The price to attend is $75, with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The event will be catered by LA Chefs.

If you are interested in hunting next year, registration opens the first two weeks of June. It is not first come, first served, as all entries have an equal chance in the draw. Hunters can select up to three preferred hunting times with a limit of one per day. Draw results are then posted at noon on the third Wednesday of June, and hunters must confirm their drawn times to secure their spots. For more information about the pheasant festival, visit https://www.ab-conservation.com/events/taber-pheasant-festival/about/