How one Alberta family is passing down hunting tradition through the generations

In one of Sarah Marthaller's earliest memories, she is curled up beneath a pine tree to stay out of the wind on a mountain before sunrise with her parents on a hunting trip.

The southern Alberta woman inherited the legacy of hunting from her parents, Joe and Doreen Jacobson, who also taught the skills to her husband, Chris Marthaller. 

Now the Marthallers are sharing the legacy with their daughters: Hanah, 16, Jessica, 14, Julia, 12, and Samantha, 8.

They're not alone. Women and families are hunting in higher numbers in Alberta than in any other province in Canada, according to the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association (AHEIA).

"When we're out in the field, and my girls are catching birds or they're shooting birds or they got their deer, it's super powerful for them, and an empowering moment for a mom, that they have the confidence to do that," Sarah Marthaller said.

"I know they will be able to feed their families if they have to."

The family also raises pheasants for hunting. Their farm is about 25 kilometres southeast of Nanton, near the hamlet of Parkland.

Photographer Christina Ryan joined them last October for the yearly Little Bow Pheasant Hunt and took all the images in this photo essay.

When it comes time to help out raising pheasants for the family business, Mosquito Creek Kennels & Game Birds, it's all hands on deck. With hunting parties booked through to March, the girls help out in everything from breeding, training and running hunting dogs, to competitive shooting.

Here, Marthaller and daughter Jessica, 14, carry bird crates into the catch pen. After the family gently drives the male pheasants into a corner, they will start catching the 21-week-old birds for the yearly Little Bow Pheasant Hunt happening later that morning. 

The Marthallers' company was retained to supply 124 pheasants. It will take Sarah and Chris — with help from their daughters Julia, Hanah, Jessica and Samantha (just out of frame) — a little more than an hour to catch and cage the birds for the hunting event.

As the pheasants take flight, Samantha ducks behind her mom as Hanah works to keep the birds contained. They say the trick is to move slowly so the birds aren't startled. If one loses its nerve, they will all take to the air, creating a hazard for the catchers as well as the birds. A male pheasant in flight can knock down a human, and their beaks and claws are razor sharp.

Chris and Hanah catch birds for the hunt. A friendly competitive streak runs between the Marthallers as they see who can catch the most game birds in the shortest amount of time.

Hunting wild hens is illegal, but the family has a game bird shooting licence that allows their farm hens to be hunted on private property. However, if the hens fly off the private property used for the hunt, they fall under jurisdiction of the Alberta Wildlife Act and can no longer be hunted.