The first hunt starts tomorrow. Have there been any reports on the progress of the harvest or how many hunters have signed up for each of the first three hunts? I am signed up for the third hunt and looking forward to it. Cheers.
2018 Pelee Island
- Thread starter VictoryXC
- Start date
I hunted Pelee Pheasant hunts for more years than I care to admit. Your questions are completely irrelevant to the success of your hunt. 700 licenses were always available for each hunt and 7000 birds where always released for each hunt. If they only sell say 600 licences 7000 pheasants are still released as there already planned for and they can't keep them over the winter.
In my experience the third hunt was the best to attend as the bean crops were always off the fields and there was more stray birds about from the previous two hunts that were not shot. The most important thing you require is a good dog, I can not stress this fact enough you must have a good dog. You may think that with 7000 ++ pheasants running around a small island it should be a barn yard chicken shoot but nothing is further from the truth. If you do not have a decent dog your not going to get anywhere near the birds you paid for. The only issue with the third hunt can be the weather can be a little nasty with high winds which affects the ferry.
I always hunted with labs and 3 of my labs spent a large part of there lives hunting pheasants on Pelee. Many years we did two hunts. The first morning is the big event in an attempt to get the most birds you can by noon Thursday. So you will be up very early sitting in your truck at your preferred spot absolutely no later than 6am preferably well before. The hunt starts at 0800 sharp. Try to get a long ditch line that you know from Wed eve scout hold birds. Stay the hell out the bush areas opening morning, there dangerous places to be, as you stand and excellent chance of getting shot or sprayed with it. There are birds, hunters and dogs going in all directions it is pandemonium at it's worst. Browns Line would be a good example of where not to be opening morning.
Your best to hunt in pairs with one or two dogs depending on what you have. You can then have a decent hunt in smaller often overlooked little areas. After many years we rarely needed to hunt the second day. On many a year we had all our 20 birds by noon Thursday. One year we had all 20 birds and back at the truck in 57 min. We were forced to wait until after lunch to clean birds and drink scotch. It takes one bottle of good single malt scotch for two fellas to clean 20 pheasants, at least that's the ratio we discovered.
Have an enjoyable safe trip.
In my experience the third hunt was the best to attend as the bean crops were always off the fields and there was more stray birds about from the previous two hunts that were not shot. The most important thing you require is a good dog, I can not stress this fact enough you must have a good dog. You may think that with 7000 ++ pheasants running around a small island it should be a barn yard chicken shoot but nothing is further from the truth. If you do not have a decent dog your not going to get anywhere near the birds you paid for. The only issue with the third hunt can be the weather can be a little nasty with high winds which affects the ferry.
I always hunted with labs and 3 of my labs spent a large part of there lives hunting pheasants on Pelee. Many years we did two hunts. The first morning is the big event in an attempt to get the most birds you can by noon Thursday. So you will be up very early sitting in your truck at your preferred spot absolutely no later than 6am preferably well before. The hunt starts at 0800 sharp. Try to get a long ditch line that you know from Wed eve scout hold birds. Stay the hell out the bush areas opening morning, there dangerous places to be, as you stand and excellent chance of getting shot or sprayed with it. There are birds, hunters and dogs going in all directions it is pandemonium at it's worst. Browns Line would be a good example of where not to be opening morning.
Your best to hunt in pairs with one or two dogs depending on what you have. You can then have a decent hunt in smaller often overlooked little areas. After many years we rarely needed to hunt the second day. On many a year we had all our 20 birds by noon Thursday. One year we had all 20 birds and back at the truck in 57 min. We were forced to wait until after lunch to clean birds and drink scotch. It takes one bottle of good single malt scotch for two fellas to clean 20 pheasants, at least that's the ratio we discovered.
Have an enjoyable safe trip.
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I think this will be about my sixth trip to Pelee so I was asking from a general interest perspective as well as the fact that they changed the 2018 hunts from two days to three days. Let's hope that Pelee is well supported so the hunts continue.
Last year three of us did the third hunt without a dog as my friend's dog passed away not long before. We hunted the first day and about two hours on the second day and we still managed to get close to our limit. Not nearly as fun or enjoyable without a dog, but doable.
Hunting is not permitted in standing crops so it is always nice when the farmers have had a chance to get a good jump on the harvest before the hunts begin. It also prevents the birds from hunkering down out in the middle of a field that has not been harvested.
According to the Township of Pelee, the average number of hunters is now a little over 300 per hunt and they release approximately 4,000 birds per hunt.
Last year three of us did the third hunt without a dog as my friend's dog passed away not long before. We hunted the first day and about two hours on the second day and we still managed to get close to our limit. Not nearly as fun or enjoyable without a dog, but doable.
Hunting is not permitted in standing crops so it is always nice when the farmers have had a chance to get a good jump on the harvest before the hunts begin. It also prevents the birds from hunkering down out in the middle of a field that has not been harvested.
According to the Township of Pelee, the average number of hunters is now a little over 300 per hunt and they release approximately 4,000 birds per hunt.
Very interesting to hear your experiences. Things have obviously changed since my days there. Only 300 hunters per hunt. Wow that sure is a long way off 700 / 7000 ratio. The revenue to the township of Pelee and the residents from the hunts was very significant. Over the years I knew a couple councillors and several locals so I was up on what was going on. They must have extended the hunt to 3 days to help get a bit more revenue. A shame to see the hunt suffering. I memory serves those Pelee hunts date back to 1939. We stayed for many years at the Pelee Hotel before it was sold and virtually closed for the hunts. For our remaining years we stayed at the bakeshop on the north west corner of the island. Very surprised to hear you did so well with no dog, you fellas must have good noses to roust the birds out of the heavy cover...!! I was very fortunate to have owned some very good labs over the years. They loved to hunt pheasants, it was their holiday all I had to do was drive them down and shoot birds. I got several dirty looks from dogs at times when I missed. What is the cost per licence now.?? When we first started going you took the old small ferry ( Pelee Islander) off the north end at Scudder, when things got real busy there was a real small open decked ferry called the Upper Canada they at times put into service, that little ferry gave you an interesting ride in rough seas. After many years the ferry service got taken over by the provincial government and the big newer ferry was put into service at the new terminal off the west side.
Living up by the Manitoba border now plus health issues makes attending the hunts impossible for me now. Have many years of excellent memories though.
Living up by the Manitoba border now plus health issues makes attending the hunts impossible for me now. Have many years of excellent memories though.
