We’re a hardworking team with years of diverse professional experiences spanning a wide range of disciplines. Our passion for helping our clients is what unites us. We can't wait to work with you.
Bob Byers – Celebrating 40 years of running Boss Guiding, 2024 will be a milestone for Bob. As we look back over the years and a multitude of hunters that have enjoyed what we provide, Bob takes satisfaction knowing that, in one way or another, all of our clients take home memories of wonderful bird hunts and great camaraderie, having enjoyed the hospitality offered by Boss Guiding. Put us on your list of places to visit, you will be glad you did!
Norma Byers is an important “cog in the wheel” at Boss Guiding. Not only does she do the bookkeeping for the business but she makes sure that we have staff in place to do the cooking, cleaning, and driving. She is the “glue” that keeps the whole operation working smoothly. Norma is on of the first people you meet when you arrive and lots of times the last person to say goodbye. An integral part of your hunting day, she will see that you arrive and depart on time, get fed on a regular schedule and have all the amenities you need so you can enjoy what you came to do – Hunt Birds!
Jason has moved into his new home on the lot next to us. A very experienced bird hunter, Jason has been with Boss Guiding since its inception and an integral part of the crew since 2002. For over 25 years he has been involved in the field operations of Boss Guiding. He is a passionate deer hunter and multi-talented in all areas of Boss Guiding. Jason is Bob & Norma’s support staff.
Greg is a very special, multi-talented individual who does everything. Looking after client needs before and after the hunt, setting up blinds, decoys and calling geese and ducks into shooting range are all part of Greg’s day. When you sit down on steak night, Greg may have Bar-B-Qued the steak you eat! There are very few things at Boss Guiding that Greg is not involved in. 2024 will be Greg’s 12th year of working for Boss Guiding. Easy going and industrious, we are fortunate to have Greg on our staff of wonderful people.
Al, our local “Minister of Tourism”, celebrated 20 years of hauling hunters to and from Calgary International Airport this past year. Al’s white hair and impressive mustache have been perfectly coiffed so that none of you will miss him in the arrival lounge. Once Al has picked you up to bring you to Nighthaven Lodge you will find out that there are few questions he can’t answer and fewer topics that he does not have an opinion on. Al is friendly, knowledgeable and a huge ambassador for our local community.
Dan lives in Nazko, British Columbia in the heart of Bear Country. Our “blind guy”, spends his days at Boss Guiding making sure our willow Blinds are the best they can be. Dan works part time at this stage of his life and enjoys returning each year to help mentor the young guides and enjoy the camaraderie of the hunting camp.
Wyatt Graduated from High School in June 2023. No stranger to hunting both big game and birds, Wyatt would like to be a welder. He has had a great introduction to bird hunting as he did his work experience with his Dad and Grampa at Boss Guiding. We are hopeful that he will learn a trade and stay involved in Boss Guiding for years to come. Another excellent addition to our future guide staff!
Bentley is our “Alberta connection to Louisiana”! He is our camp host, a great speck caller and all-round nice guy! Bentley’s profile picture reminds me of an old recruiting poster “I want you!” Bentley works hard organizing hunters to come to Boss Guiding in Alberta Canada. He usually spends a full two weeks at the lodge greeting and helping with the groups he brings. He is passionate when he says “y’all got a bird problem up here”. This year he is stepping back a bit and we miss his involvement tremendously. We consider Bentley as staff and wish him all the best down the road.
Martha has become the mainstay to our cooking staff and Norma is her biggest fan. She will greet you with a huge smile, prepare your meals and clean up after a long day has been spent in the kitchen. Martha has become a permanent figure at Boss Guiding. If you want to make her day greet her in Spanish!
Hunter is a guide in training and Bob’s apprentice in the taxidermy shop. Already a very competent taxidermist with a great imagination, Hunter is passionate about hunting and is already a competent bird guide in training. Pleasant and personable, Hunter will spot your shoot, guide your hunt and clean your birds. He is an excellent addition to our staff.
Clay has been with us for three years. He is a competent, conscientious guide and helps out in all aspects of the operation. His biggest goal in life is to hunt a 70” bull moose. During the off-season Clay is a “lineman”. He is a hard worker and the “can do” guy on our staff.
Many thanks to our drivers, cleaners and yard maintenance staff. They are the hard-working people behind the scenes that make your stay comfortable, enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing. They make our job easier by doing the daily tasks we don’t have the time to do. The end result is a well managed operation that will enhance your stay at Nighthaven Lodge.
Still have questions? We've got answers. Email us or give us a call.
Boss Guiding operates out of Nighthaven Lodge in South Central Alberta. We are located two kilometers west of the town of Stettler on a dead end country road. We are about two and one half hours NE of Calgary (ALL our clientele fly in and out of the Calgary International Airport), two hours SE of Edmonton and an hour straight east of Red Deer. Stettler is a small town of five thousand people and we have many of the amenities of the larger centers. You will have cell phone service and Wi-Fi access at our lodge. You will also have satellite TV on which you can access the weather channel, college football games and a variety of national and international News channels.
Your will stay at Nighthaven Lodge for the duration of your trip. Built in 1995, Nighthaven is the home of Bob & Norma Byers and Boss Guiding. Designed by Bob, it is the perfect blend of "home" and waterfowl hunting lodge. Further developed in 2016, it has facilities to house up to eight visiting hunters with all the amenities of being in your own home. A "mini" kitchen provides guests with everything they need to make their own continental breakfast, snacks and refreshments throughout the day and bar facilities for those who choose to have a "sundowner" after a long day in the field. An attractive great room, complete with fireplace and TV, is a great place to "warm up in" and watch your favorite college football game.
Stettler is surrounded by what is best described as prairie parkland. Cultivated fields go on for miles. Groves of aspen poplar dot the landscape and a multitude of prairie potholes cover the area. The prairie pothole region covers large areas of the mid continental plains in both Canada and the US.The prairie pothole region spans Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It also extends into North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Montana. The number of potholes fluctuates from two million to eight million depending upon seasonal moisture levels. These are some of the best waterfowl breeding grounds on the planet. The picture below was taken from above Nighthaven Lodge in 2013 after a huge spring rain. The picture should answer any questions you have about the prairie pothole region and the area we hunt!
The biggest challenge for Boss Guiding out of Nighthaven Lodge is getting hunters to come and experience what we have to offer. It is sometimes easier to explain with pictures rather than words so we put together the following video. It was shot in 2014 and will give you an idea of how we set up for an afternoon duck hunt over water:
You will hunt out of the Boss "Willow" Blind! Being a guide and outfitter for over 30 some years has given me the opportunity to see a fantastic number of improvements in the equipment used to hunt waterfowl. I have some firsthand experience in watching the development of today's most popular blinds. In the mid 90's, the original design of the "Final Approach" line of lay down blinds was field tested at Nighthaven Lodge. They were a great idea and went on to be the "bread and butter" blind for a lot of hunters and outfitters.
For the next ten years we used the lay down blinds with great success. However, the nature of our business is that we have to adjust to what works in the field and what is best for our clients. For as good as the lay down blinds were, there was still a downside. No wind made them awkward to shoot out of and our clientele was not getting any younger. As a result we found ourselves hunting out of our original willow blinds about half the time.
For the past five years at Nighthaven Lodge we have been booked solid. Waterfowl populations have rebounded and our success rates have been excellent. You wonder why I would bother writing all of this. It is because of one single fact - During the 2016 waterfowl season, our lay down blinds never came off the shelf. For over 80 hunts we exclusively used our willow blinds. Again in 2017 willow blinds only!
Another interesting fact. Most of the willow blinds we use in our operation have been around for 20 to 25 years. Each year we clean them up, fix any imperfections and use them again. They are serviceable over a long period of time with little upkeep. Every year I experiment with new materials, new sizes, some have worked and some have not. In essence, our willow blind is very close to what it was 34 years ago when I built the traveling swamp.
While this was happening I kept track of all kinds of other blinds being produced and have read countless comments in chat rooms and in websites regarding "willow blinds". The general perception of willow blinds is that they don't work. Question: Why should a blind made of all natural materials from in and around the field you are hunting in not work?
Our/your willow blinds should be like the canvas a painter paints on. They need to be constructed to hold willows, cattails, saw grass, stubble, poplars - any natural material you think will work in the situation you hunt in. Willow blinds, (natural blinds), work well in any situation where one can take advantage of the surrounding vegetation.
One final piece of advice in using a willow blind. The key to any blind you use is to make it look like a natural part of the landscape. Blinds that have a "boxy" shape, whether low profile or stand up will not work to their full potential. I you can create a "bushy" effect by putting willows around the outside of your blind. We use a "Boss Step Stake" for the final set up and it makes a huge difference in the way birds react to our blinds.
Our willow blinds go out of the trailer twice a day, every day for the entire season. We use them for groups as large as eight and our daily success speaks for itself. If you are interested as an outfitter or recreational hunter in a great design for a willow blind, contact Bob. You will be glad you did!
We target ducks and geese. We have a very healthy population of ducks. Mallards, Pintails and widgeon are shot most often and teal and gadwalls may make up your daily limit of eight. A three day possession limit of twenty four gives you the opportunity for plenty of shooting. Burgeoning populations of geese, most recently, exploding populations of white fronts and snow geese that have moved into the area in the past five years make up our target goose population. Limits on Grey geese are eight per day. We are restricted to five white fronts. A three day possession limit of twenty four will help you fill your cooler for the way home.
To give you some idea what a three day hunt would look like we had one of our regular groups put together a slide show of their three day trip on back to back years. Take a look at the slide shows and many thanks to Roger for supplying the pictures.
Nighthaven lodge is available for weekend quilting or scrap booking retreats.
A large games room, complete with pool table, is perfect for doubling as a cutting table or organizing table for those of you who are into crafts. In the "Off" season, November thru August, Nighthaven Lodge is available to interested groups for activities that require accommodation for small groups and facilities for special activities. Contact Bob or Norma for open dates.
Nighthaven Lodge can accommodate groups of up to eight hunters during each three day trip. Most of our clientele are family, friends and business associates. Our repeat business is in the neighborhood of 95% annually and booking for the next season usually takes place at the end of your hunt. A verbal confirmation that you will be returning is good until February first when your deposit is due for the next years hunt. New clients will be placed after the February first deadline
Sending a Christmas Card to all of our past clients containing our "Best wishes for the season" doubles as our invitation for you to return to our lodge at anytime in the future. It is a story that has developed over the years and is one of the trademarks to our success. It allows us to display our appreciation for the wonderful clientele we have met over the years. Our Christmas Card to you is now on line and to quote a famous person, "you will know before you leave if you are not getting a Christmas Card". All our best to you and yours as we exit 2017 and embark on the New Year!