Pelee Island Cleanup Hunt Two

A quick update regarding Pelee Island Cleanup Hunt Two.

Pros:
Almost no hunters on the island.
All the fields are available.
No pressure on the Ferry you can change your sailing anytime; there is a lot of availability

Cons:
It's freezing. Yesterday was around zero and hailing. The fields turned into mud.
I think the pheasants took the ferry off the island. Yesterday we hunted pretty hard and only saw one pheasant in the distance.
Today has been a bit better. Raining and windy and the dogs have had to go into the marsh to find the birds. But they have been flushing them out of range. Seems like the birds are holding up in the middle.

The clean up hunt is more of a realistic wild bird hunt. Birds have had an opportunity to climatize to the habitant, and have been educated to the pressure of being hunted. You now need to work for your birds. The "main" hunts are more of the pheasant preserve hunt , and the for the cost you can actually travel to a game farm and have the birds released without the pressure of other hunters, and the frustration of the ferry.. It is all in tradition, some need to have the enjoyment of multiple birds, shooting and being able to say they got their limit. Others are happy to see good dog work, get that one or two birds and the memory of days in the field without another hunter in site.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by acolic

had to go into the marsh to find the birds

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ssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! ;)

Fair feedback.


Funny, two hours before I get on the ferry, dog flushes two and I shot two.

We worked pretty hard for those two.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDH

The clean up hunt is more of a realistic wild bird hunt. Birds have had an opportunity to climatize to the habitant, and have been educated to the pressure of being hunted. You now need to work for your birds. The "main" hunts are more of the pheasant preserve hunt , and the for the cost you can actually travel to a game farm and have the birds released without the pressure of other hunters, and the frustration of the ferry.. It is all in tradition, some need to have the enjoyment of multiple birds, shooting and being able to say they got their limit. Others are happy to see good dog work, get that one or two birds and the memory of days in the field without another hunter in site.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDH

The clean up hunt is more of a realistic wild bird hunt. Birds have had an opportunity to climatize to the habitant, and have been educated to the pressure of being hunted. You now need to work for your birds. The "main" hunts are more of the pheasant preserve hunt , and the for the cost you can actually travel to a game farm and have the birds released without the pressure of other hunters, and the frustration of the ferry.. It is all in tradition, some need to have the enjoyment of multiple birds, shooting and being able to say they got their limit. Others are happy to see good dog work, get that one or two birds and the memory of days in the field without another hunter in site.

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I'm mostly a wild bird hunter, but I find Pelee very different from a game farm (OK... Day 1 of a main hunt can be like a game farm, but on a much larger and exciting scale). For us the novelty of the ferry trip is part of the tradition, as is dinner at the Westview Tavern. Days 2 and 3 get progressively harder, as birds get fewer and wiser. Throw in some high winds (not uncommon on Pelee) or rain, and it can become downright difficult, making getting a limit far from a sure thing. I equate Days 2 & 3 on Pelee to be more akin to places like Tiny Marsh or Hullet Marsh, where the birds are released a day or 2 before you get there, and you have to work to find them. And instead of a hundred acres to hunt, you have 9,000 acres. Its kinda like the difference between hunting deer close to home and going back to your house every night by yourself versus getting away to deer camp for a few days with your best friends.

P.S. Day 1 of a regular hunt can be overwhelming for a dog, especially a young or inexperienced one. The term "bird drunk" comes to mind. After that, its a great opportunity to develop a dog through all the bird contacts, especially handling running birds, without having to worry about going out of bounds.

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Originally Posted by ninepointer

... P.S. Day 1 of a regular hunt can be overwhelming for a dog, especially a young or inexperienced one. The term "bird drunk" comes to mind. After that, its a great opportunity to develop a dog through all the bird contacts, especially handling running birds, without having to worry about going out of bounds.

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LOL. That is first time I've heard the term "bird drunk". That happened to my mature lab in South Dakota last year. It was not until day 3 that she fully sobered up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iHuntz

LOL. That is first time I've heard the term "bird drunk". That happened to my mature lab in South Dakota last year. It was not until day 3 that she fully sobered up.

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I first heard the term in reference to when a dog gets into a large flight of woodcock.

I haven’t been out west, but I can imagine your experience. It’s kinda funny at first, then you realize your dog needs a time out and a little think 🤣