Go Back   Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum > Main Category > Hunting Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-11-2017, 07:09 PM
Sportsman Sportsman is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 338
Default Peace River, Dunvegan to Bear Canyon

Has anyone run this stretch of the river in a jet boat? I am wondering what to expect in terms of water levels, rapids at the end of September. I am thinking about doing a moose/ elk hunt along the river next year.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-11-2017, 07:34 PM
kw12 kw12 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 461
Default

We are doing one as well this fall. My buddy with a jetboat has done it before and says in past years there has been no problems. Plan on boating and then hiking inland and setting up camp. Should be a good time! Good luck on your adventure.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-11-2017, 07:47 PM
KegRiver's Avatar
KegRiver KegRiver is offline
Gone Hunting
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North of Peace River
Posts: 11,346
Default

There was a time when river boats, (Paddle Wheel Boats) ran the Peace all the way to Taylor BC.

The river has changed a lot since then.

You have to know the river or you could get into deep trouble.
Yesterday my neighbor spent half the day trying to get his jet boat off a sandbar in the middle of the river, on a stretch he had run many times.

If you know how to read a river and have experience navigating big rivers it can be done in relative safety.

But it's not a good river for novices and fall is not the best time to be running that river for the first time.
__________________
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.

George Bernard Shaw
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-11-2017, 08:30 PM
Sportsman Sportsman is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 338
Default River

Keg, is the river primarily sandy, rocky or both. I'm not an expert but not a novice either. I can read rivers but was just wondering on average bottom/ depth etc at that time of year. I don't want to be running in 6-12" of water for a week.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-11-2017, 10:13 PM
KegRiver's Avatar
KegRiver KegRiver is offline
Gone Hunting
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North of Peace River
Posts: 11,346
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportsman View Post
Keg, is the river primarily sandy, rocky or both. I'm not an expert but not a novice either. I can read rivers but was just wondering on average bottom/ depth etc at that time of year. I don't want to be running in 6-12" of water for a week.
I don't run the river that far south. Up here it depends on where in the channel you are.

Where there is good current there is all gravel. Where there is little to no current there is a lot of sand and silt. Several feet deep in places.

Around here the average depth is about six feet late in the summer.
Problem is there is a lot that is under a foot deep.

Average depth in the center of the main channels is usually around 12 feet in the bends and maybe 8 feet on the straights. But there are places where the deepest part of the river is only four feet deep.

I would expect that upsteam of Peace River town the river would be significantly shallower since there are several large feeder streams between there and here.
There is the Notikewin, the Whitemud, the Codotte, the Smoky and many smaller streams.

The problem with the Peace is that it's a big river and it's fools people.
There are sandbars where one would not expect to find sandbars. And they move. They may or may not be there next season.

The dam has made it much worse.
__________________
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.

George Bernard Shaw
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-12-2017, 08:55 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,230
Default

The Peace has been jet boated for about 30-40 years upriver from Dunvegan. It is over run with hunters waiting for bear or elk to jump into their boat at full throttle. River gets quite shallow west of Worsley, you will have lots of boats to help pull you off the sandbars.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-12-2017, 06:24 PM
bb356 bb356 is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Rycroft
Posts: 21,548
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportsman View Post
Has anyone run this stretch of the river in a jet boat? I am wondering what to expect in terms of water levels, rapids at the end of September. I am thinking about doing a moose/ elk hunt along the river next year.
You should have no problem ... best to get a a head's up from somebody's on the river report before you head out ... the Peace is controlled by the Bennit Dam .
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-14-2017, 09:16 AM
Dean2's Avatar
Dean2 Dean2 is online now
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Near Edmonton
Posts: 14,974
Default

We have run the river with prop driven outboards for years. If you pay attention and aren't drinking and boating you should have no problem at all in a jet boat.

We power up river and float down. You see far more floating than you will under power. If you can arrange it.put in at Clayhurst and float down to Dunvegan or bear canyon or Peace River to come out. You can have a nice float and camp each night. That float wioll tell you a whole bunch and take about 5 days, Clay tto Peace River. Saves a ton of gas as you only use the motor to power back up to look at something. That first float will give you a real good idea of where you want to spend a week hunting.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:59 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.