Peace river jet boat elk hunt

[Hynes96]

hey looking for some info on jet boat elk hunting on the peace river. What are the water levels like mid sept and should I go north or south on the peace ?
Anything will help !
Thanks fellas

[ffw12]

Its a zoo on the river. Hunt islands. The damn controls water levels . The water levels are usually good.

[KegRiver]

Your on your own with the Elk. I know nothing about them.

The river on the other hand I do know a bit about.
My best advice is travel at your own risk.

Navigating that river is not for amateurs.

You want to use a jet boat and you don't know which way you want to go.
That tells me you have no clue what you are facing and no clue about boating.

Not trying to be mean here. I'm trying to save you a lot of grief.

That river is the lowest I've seen in in sixty years I've lived next to it.

It's a huge river, the third largest in Alberta. The Slave is bigger and the northern portion of the Athabasca is close to the same size.
But there is a lot of shallow water on that river, especially this year.

Since the dam was put in the river has been constantly changing.
There are sand bars and shallow areas where you would expect deep water and they change from year to year.

If you get hung up on one you will be hundreds of yards from shore and very possibly surrounded by deep fast flowing water but not close enough for that deep water to be of any help to you.

Even seasoned river pilots get into serious trouble on that river.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Your on your own with the Elk. I know nothing about them.



Navigating that river is not for amateurs.

You want to use a jet boat and you don't know which way you want to go.
That tells me you have no clue what you are facing and no clue about boating.



Even seasoned river pilots get into serious trouble on that river.

Wow...bit harsh maybe Keg?
You MUST be psychic to derive that somebody is a rank amateur jet boat pilot without a clue,based on a simple question about elk hunting?
.....or did you just take an extra dose of cranky pills this morn?
Probly shoulda just quit after typing your first sentence and left it at that,lol.

[chad66]

Originally Posted by Hynes96

hey looking for some info on jet boat elk hunting on the peace river. What are the water levels like mid sept and should I go north or south on the peace ?
Anything will help !
Thanks fellas

North or south...from where do you wish to start at?

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Your on your own with the Elk. I know nothing about them.

The river on the other hand I do know a bit about.
My best advice is travel at your own risk.

Navigating that river is not for amateurs.
You want to use a jet boat and you don't know which way you want to go.
That tells me you have no clue what you are facing and no clue about boating.

Not trying to be mean here. I'm trying to save you a lot of grief.

That river is the lowest I've seen in in sixty years I've lived next to it.

It's a huge river, the third largest in Alberta. The Slave is bigger and the northern portion of the Athabasca is close to the same size.
But there is a lot of shallow water on that river, especially this year.

Since the dam was put in the river has been constantly changing.
There are sand bars and shallow areas where you would expect deep water and they change from year to year.
If you get hung up on one you will be hundreds of yards from shore and very possibly surrounded by deep fast flowing water but not close enough for that deep water to be of any help to you.

Even seasoned river pilots get into serious trouble on that river.

I concur with Keg. The river is very low this year and can be extremely difficult to navigate especially if there is some waves or chop. I jet-boated downstream on the Peace River last week. I started about 20 km south of Carcajou and went downstream "North" all the way to Fort Vermilion. My guess is that it was about 140 km. trip. I touched bottom twice and narrowly avoided stranding my boat on more than one occasion. On the bright side we saw a 3x3 bull elk, a cow and calf moose and a few black bears. Good luck

Chad

[Redfrog]

Grinr. I know Keg, and I've spent serious time on the river with a jet boat hunting. I would listen carefully to what he has to say. a person will save themselves a lot of grief, regardless of how experienced with jets they are.

To the OP I would find a different way to hunt elk in that area.

The river is tricky on a year with normal water levels. It can be a real workout trying to get your jetboat back in the water. Don't ask me how I know. But after the second time, I was much smarter.

[grinr]

Haha,well truth is I "usually" enjoy Keg's posts,and respect his experience,but he seems a lil extra cranky today.
I mean,the guy asked for info about elk and water levels,not a condescending water safety lecture under the assumption that he's totally clueless,as some would presume that anybody that lives south of Valleyview must be.
The guy "could be" a world champion jet boat racing instructor for all he knows.

[Redfrog]

"The guy "could be" a world champion jet boat racing instructor for all he knows. "

LOL and he'd still be way out if front of the curve if he took Keg's advice.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by grinr

Wow...bit harsh maybe Keg?
You MUST be psychic to derive that somebody is a rank amateur jet boat pilot without a clue,based on a simple question about elk hunting?
.....or did you just take an extra dose of cranky pills this morn?
Probly shoulda just quit after typing your first sentence and left it at that,lol.

Which is better, to leave the impression that anyone can do it or tell the truth.

He has no idea which way he wants to go, according to him.

He's proposing to use the one of the worst possible boats for the conditions.

He HAS planned the trip without first finding out where the Elk are, what the river is like, what the water levels are this year. Yes, now he's asking, when it's too late to change plans. What's that tell you, that he's a pro ?

He didn't ask a simple question. He asked a very complicated and in fact impossible question to answer.

He made no mention of which WMU he is licensed for, he didn't indicate any preferences as to where he might launch yet he asks which way he should go.

He gave no indication as to his river experience, his jet boat experience, the condition of his boat, the weight of his boat, just which way to head.

I don't know about you but I'd rather offend someone then get them killed.

[DLP]

ok I'll bite but more info required:

More details on the boat please.
How many people and gear weight?
Day trips or multi day trip?
Are you floating or run and gun so to speak? (I do not mean shooting while under power more like power to a spot and hunt the hills.)
Where are you planning on beginning your hunt. The river is very different in certain area's?

I will be hunting on the river this year and like others have said...the river is the lowest it has been in a long time. I am concerned about a few spots but again like others have said I know were they are and should be able to avoid them. Plan for the worst.

The river looks very wide but I will tell you from experience the are lots of places you don't want to just float over with the boat or you will find yourself with 300 yards of gravel bar on either side of you.

If you plan on sleeping on shore for the evening be very aware that the water will drop 3-4ft during the night and you will wake up to your boat squarely on the dirt in the morning.

I can help you out and remember this..."pin it to win it!"

[grinr]

Ha,no worries Keg,could be I'm a wee bit pizzt at the world today myself,being as I got screwed over at work one time too many yesterday and quit my job of 2+ years with some choice words for the boss on my way out.....thennnnnn....I decided some relaxing hunting therapy was in order and made a 400km round trip drive to find one of 2 trailcams stolen!
More pizt about the cam then the job really,being as I was planning to quit in 2 weeks anyhow,just wasn't really planning to burn that bridge so definitively on the way out I guess.....meh.....wutever.....I blame the NDP for the work situation ,and pretty certain they likely had something to do with stealing my cam also.

[Hynes96]

Haha that's some good stuff
Keg, Don't have a trip planned yet just looking for some info to start planning or see if it's even doable. I am an a amateur jet boater and I have no problem admitting it, I have about 50hrs experience on the athabasca and Clearwater rivers. This is why I am just looking for a little info before we make plans. Should have been a little more spacefic when I ask, if I were to launch in peace river (the town) would it be better to go north or south....

Anyway....
The boat is a 2175 kingfisher torrent v8 5.7l roughly 4700lbs + three hunters and gear for a four day hunt.
We plan on camping along the river with a canvas tent. As for the hunting, not much for floating I'd rather find out where they are hanging and get in the bush on foot. Not really sure where we wanna start which is why I started this thread was kinda leaning towards starting/launching in the town of peace river if it's possible. Wide open to ideas/suggestions
Thanks again for any info

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by grinr

I blame the NDP for the work situation ,and pretty certain they likely had something to do with stealing my cam also.

Now THAT is funny!!
Cat

[Opa]

Originally Posted by grinr

Wow...bit harsh maybe Keg?
You MUST be psychic to derive that somebody is a rank amateur jet boat pilot without a clue,based on a simple question about elk hunting?
.....or did you just take an extra dose of cranky pills this morn?
Probly shoulda just quit after typing your first sentence and left it at that,lol.

Not at all harsh!!! Keg grew up on the Peace near Carcajou. When I lived in High Level we hunted the river with a jet boat, and what Keg has put in writing is gospel. The Peace is not a river you want to mess with under any circumstances, particularly if you have no familiarity with it. Unless you have some experience on the Peace you ARE a RANK AMATEUR. Take it for what it is worth - perhaps your life!!!!

[chad66]

Originally Posted by Opa

Not at all harsh!!! Keg grew up on the Peace near Carcajou. When I lived in High Level we hunted the river with a jet boat, and what Keg has put in writing is gospel. The Peace is not a river you want to mess with under any circumstances, particularly if you have no familiarity with it. Unless you have some experience on the Peace you ARE a RANK AMATEUR. Take it for what it is worth - perhaps your life!!!!

The Peace is an easy River to underestimate.From my experience it is complacency that gets people in trouble.

Chad

[robfraser]

Do your self a favor and listen to Keg River.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by grinr

Ha,no worries Keg,could be I'm a wee bit pizzt at the world today myself,being as I got screwed over at work one time too many yesterday and quit my job of 2+ years with some choice words for the boss on my way out.....thennnnnn....I decided some relaxing hunting therapy was in order and made a 400km round trip drive to find one of 2 trailcams stolen!
More pizt about the cam then the job really,being as I was planning to quit in 2 weeks anyhow,just wasn't really planning to burn that bridge so definitively on the way out I guess.....meh.....wutever.....I blame the NDP for the work situation ,and pretty certain they likely had something to do with stealing my cam also.

No worry's dude. I've been there myself not so long ago, only I didn't quit.
I got sent home, permanently. Not fired, sent home permanently and then the boss claimed I quite. Our fine Conservative government bought that story.

But in the end I may yet have the last laugh. If I can get my product into enough stores I'll do far better then I ever did plowing snow.

If you know how to get a product into one or more of the big sporting goods stores we may be able to help each other.

[Talking moose]

What's your product?

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Hynes96

Haha that's some good stuff
Keg, Don't have a trip planned yet just looking for some info to start planning or see if it's even doable. I am an a amateur jet boater and I have no problem admitting it, I have about 50hrs experience on the athabasca and Clearwater rivers. This is why I am just looking for a little info before we make plans. Should have been a little more spacefic when I ask, if I were to launch in peace river (the town) would it be better to go north or south....

Anyway....
The boat is a 2175 kingfisher torrent v8 5.7l roughly 4700lbs + three hunters and gear for a four day hunt.
We plan on camping along the river with a canvas tent. As for the hunting, not much for floating I'd rather find out where they are hanging and get in the bush on foot. Not really sure where we wanna start which is why I started this thread was kinda leaning towards starting/launching in the town of peace river if it's possible. Wide open to ideas/suggestions
Thanks again for any info

I'm not familiar with the river upstream of Peace River but it is always better to head upstream, and go as slow as you can while maintaining plane.

The current will help you back out if you get into trouble. Plus, if need be you can always drift back to civilization.

Stick to the middle of the straight stretches and the outside of the corners.
Be extra careful around the islands. What looks like a channel might be a back channel.
Watch how you wave rolls out behind you. If it starts to break close behind you, get the heck out of there. That's shallow water.

The top ends of the islands often have huge submerged rocks you can't see for quiet a ways out from shore. Be careful. And watch that water level, if they open the dam (power demand goes up) you could see the water rise ten feet in a few hours.

Sorry I can't help you with the Elk. I simply have no idea where they might be if they are even up that far. I expect they are though.

One last thing. If you could swap out that jet for a open 16 foot aluminum boat or two, that would be a very good idea.
A outboard jet is fine but a prop might work better. If the water comes up fast you will see a lot of debris that can plug any jet in short order.

I recommend aluminum because it's light and fiberglass and rocks do not play well together.
The idea is, if you get stuck it's a huge help if you can move the boat by hand. Just be aware that the bottom can drop twenty feet in two feet at times.

Best of luck with your hunt.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Opa

Not at all harsh!!! Keg grew up on the Peace near Carcajou.

Actually I grew up in what is now called Carcajou. Old Carcajou is on the East side of the river. We lived on the west side, right across from the mouth of the Wolverine. My kid brother still owns the land we grew up on.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

What's your product?

This is my product

http://www.thinklocalmarket.com/vPro...D=877&catID=25

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

This is my product

http://www.thinklocalmarket.com/vPro...D=877&catID=25

Ease of use should appeal to plenty of people.

[wolfriver]

I'll take 10
Pm me

[DLP]

Well I can relate to the size and type of boat you are planning to use. I run up and down the peace with a 21' ThunderJet with a 5.7L mated to a Hamilton pump.

Flows on the peace river greater that 1000m3/s are nice. You really can go anywhere you want. Flows from 500m3/s to 800m3/s are a little more exciting. Back channels are mostly closed at the ends. Flow from 300m3/s-500m3/s are what I am anticipating in September..at these rates there will be areas on the river that you simply will not be able to pass. Picking your channels will be key.

Forget about running at night. I currently run ~50,000 lumens of light off the front of the boat coupled with GPS tracking to ensure I run the same channels I did during the day. Unless you have a boat load of time on this river I wouldn't plan on moving at night.

~40% of your morning hunts will be a no go....September brings in heavy fog in the valley until well after first light. See above regarding boating at night. 4 day hunt is not really enough time to do much hunting. IMO 10 days are the minimum.

Your boat will allow you to carry 1 moose or elk in the open bow with 4 guys and gear no problem. 3 of you are going home without an animal or your making multiple trips back to the trucks. Plan only being able to carry 1 animal unless you guys pack like your going to sheep camp.

Bring a good river boat anchor that been tested. I learned this the hard way...a boat your size will require at least a 40lb proper river boat anchor and marker ball. Any anchor you can buy at Canadian tire will not work!

Double the amount of fuel you think your going to use. My TJ holds 330 litres in the main tank and we pack another 100 litres in jerry cans. I usually will get 220-300 river km's for the amount of fuel stated above. As a general rule boat upstream in the morning.

Practice steering the boat to shore with oars...if you haven't mastered this yet do it.

Spinning a boat off a gravel bar is the only way to get yourself off without a winch.

Remember that the lowest flows on this river are between 18:00 and 05:00. If you are badly stuck on a gravel bar or shore just wait a few hours and most likely the river will rise for you.

I have over 50 days of hunting on this river and learn something every year. You bought a river boat for a reason so get out there and use it. Just play it safe and know your machine. The boat is what gets you home at the end of the trip and as the pilot you are responsible to ensure the boat is mechanically solid. Spare parts/Oil/Coolant/hoses/belts you know what the boat needs.

Like Keg and others have said you should consider yourself experienced before attempting a trip like this. The river itself is rather tame as far as flow but what make this trip risky is you have 3 others to consider. PM on the dates you are planning on going and if it works out I will give you my phone number should something go wrong.

Dan

[KegRiver]

I just had a talk with a fellow named Dave over at Alberta environment.

Dave's in charge of monitoring the local rivers, including the Peace River.

He tells me his instruments are showing a flow rate in the town of Peace River of 780 cubic meters per second.

I asked him what the average flow rate for this time of year might be and he told me that historically the flow rate is normally between 1,000 and 1,800 for this week.

They maintain a web page that gives all this information, if you can figure it out. I tried but I don't have excel installed on my computer and apparently you need that, so I wasn't able to figure it out.

The information is all here, if you can figure it out.

http://www.environment.alberta.ca/ap...n=1&DataType=1

http://www.environment.alberta.ca/ap...tionID=RPEAPEA

[KegRiver]

DLP must be talking about the Dunvegan area.
The charts show a flow of 328 cubic meters per second for the Dunvegan area today.

I think I've figured this out.

If you go to figure instead of chart it is a lot easier to understand.

Seems the normal level at Dunvegan at this time of year should be close to 800 cms

http://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/DisplayData.aspx?Type=Figure&BasinID=1&DataType=1& StationID=RPEADUN


I found this graph very interesting.
It shows quiet graphically how fast and how far the water levels can very.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

This is my product

http://www.thinklocalmarket.com/vPro...D=877&catID=25

Cool product KR,best o'luck with it.
Being as I had a camera stolen this week,I really like how your mount eliminates the telltale horizontal strap wrapped around the tree which is a dead giveaway and easy(easier?) for thieves to spot from 360•
Just looking at the cpl cams I have at home now,my StealthCam doesn't have the threaded mount,but my Primos does,can't say for my WGI,I'll have to ask the thief when I find him!

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by grinr

Cool product KR,best o'luck with it.
Being as I had a camera stolen this week,I really like how your mount eliminates the telltale horizontal strap wrapped around the tree which is a dead giveaway and easy(easier?) for thieves to spot from 360•
Just looking at the cpl cams I have at home now,my StealthCam doesn't have the threaded mount,but my Primos does,can't say for my WGI,I'll have to ask the thief when I find him!

You are right about the straps, it was part of why I set out to find something better.

But I can't say much more, it wouldn't be fair to those who pay to advertise here.
I can say I fully intend to advertise here but being unemployed that simply isn't possible at this time.

I know that some trail cameras do not use the 1/4 x 20 thread so that type of mount will not work for all cameras.
Unfortunately there isn't a clear option for those cameras since each seems to have it's own setup. At least the 1/4 x 20 setup is standard on most cameras, including DSLR, most trail cameras, some surveillance cameras, and I understand it is used on nest box cameras and wildlife research cameras.

I may be able to provide a adapter or something but for now I am too busy with trying to get my product out there.
Without a steady income there is only so much I can do.

[JRuel]

Originally Posted by Hynes96

Haha that's some good stuff
Keg, Don't have a trip planned yet just looking for some info to start planning or see if it's even doable. I am an a amateur jet boater and I have no problem admitting it, I have about 50hrs experience on the athabasca and Clearwater rivers. This is why I am just looking for a little info before we make plans. Should have been a little more spacefic when I ask, if I were to launch in peace river (the town) would it be better to go north or south....

Anyway....
The boat is a 2175 kingfisher torrent v8 5.7l roughly 4700lbs + three hunters and gear for a four day hunt.
We plan on camping along the river with a canvas tent. As for the hunting, not much for floating I'd rather find out where they are hanging and get in the bush on foot. Not really sure where we wanna start which is why I started this thread was kinda leaning towards starting/launching in the town of peace river if it's possible. Wide open to ideas/suggestions
Thanks again for any info

I live here and have a cabin north of town on an island. I spend about 200 hours a year on the river between racing, hunting, and just exploring. After 4 years I'm just now ALMOST NOT getting stuck. It happens.

I'm nervous about hunting this year. And I know the skinny spots. I'm ALMOST convinced that running the smoky will be easier. It tends to channel more, whereas the peace is so wide it can be deceiving.

I would be more than happy to spend a day with you when you come up. As far as where thebelk are, if you find out let me know! We saw a couple last year but it's only my second year hunting.

The rivers (everywhere I ran this year pre running for the races) are lowest I've seen them.

Bring some sturdy fence posts with you. They're life savers. You can set them under the boat and then use more to push with.

Or, if you have one, a parachute or chainsaw winch and good anchor, along with some good rubber boots. Please don't bring chest waders. They are a death trap.

I use my worn out dunlops from work.

Good luck! If I can help let me know!

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by JRuel

I live here and have a cabin north of town on an island. I spend about 200 hours a year on the river between racing, hunting, and just exploring. After 4 years I'm just now ALMOST NOT getting stuck. It happens.

I'm nervous about hunting this year. And I know the skinny spots. I'm ALMOST convinced that running the smoky will be easier. It tends to channel more, whereas the peace is so wide it can be deceiving.

I would be more than happy to spend a day with you when you come up. As far as where thebelk are, if you find out let me know! We saw a couple last year but it's only my second year hunting.

The rivers (everywhere I ran this year pre running for the races) are lowest I've seen them.

Bring some sturdy fence posts with you. They're life savers. You can set them under the boat and then use more to push with.

Or, if you have one, a parachute or chainsaw winch and good anchor, along with some good rubber boots. Please don't bring chest waders. They are a death trap.

I use my worn out dunlops from work.

Good luck! If I can help let me know!

There's an offer I would accept if it were me.

I know the river from Tompkins to Notikewin Park but I know that your family knows more about the river south then I will ever know.