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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ #1: Why don’t we have a 3-bird limit as in the Ontario hunting regulations?

Answer: There are several reasons why we don’t. First, the cost of the club membership would increase by roughly $100. Pheasant are not cheap – around $15/bird and we are trying to keep the hunt accessible. Another reason is that we have limited parking. A 2-bird limit allows hunters to enjoy a couple of hours in the field, hopefully get their limit and leave, making room for others to enjoy their hunt later in the day. Finally – we are 100% run by a small core of volunteers, mainly but not exclusively the club directors, and there is the additional work involved in releasing an additional 50% of birds each time. Our current model works well with a 2-bird limit. If you want more – the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area is not too far away, and there the provincial limit applies.

FAQ #2: Why don’t you have more release days so that hunters who have less schedule flexibility (for example, Saturday is their only day off) can have a more successful hunt?

Answer: More release days means another black-out time when hunting doesn’t occur (like Thursday afternoon) and an increase in the demand on volunteer time and expense (mainly fuel). Our volunteer base is not currently able to manage this extra time demand. 

FAQ #3: Why don’t you have guest passes available?

Answer: At this time, we simply do not have the volunteer resources needed to effectively accommodate guests of CPC members. We know it’s important to recruit the next generation of hunters, and we have since last year’s hunt, allowed hunter apprentices, following the exact same rules as the provincial hunting regulations. However, a guest program needs to be thought out carefully – besides the logistics related to ensuring they comply with our licence agreement with the GRCA (i.e., OFAH member), we also need to think about how we collect fees, as well as ensure that our club members can access parking, etc. It’s not straightforward, although on the surface, it seems it should be. Assuming our club continues past the pilot phase, this will continue to be an issue we want to resolve. The pheasant hunting program at the Tiny Marsh can accommodate guests and we will certainly learn as much as we can from them.

FAQ #4: Why don’t you enhance access by working on the trails?

Answer: Enhancing access, mainly by mowing or clearing more trails, especially in the early season when walking is most challenging, has been raised a number of times.  The license agreement we have with the GRCA simply doesn’t allow for this. GRCA wants to the greatest extent possible, to minimize disturbance to the land.  We can clear potential tripping hazards, for example if a small tree fell across one of the existing trails, but we can’t tear through the fields with our ATV in an effort to knock down tall grasses or get a mower in there.

FAQ #5: Why is the pheasant hunting season at Conestogo so short? Can it be extended into mid-December?

Answer: This was an issue that was raised early while we were negotiating our first licence agreement with the GRCA. The problem as it was explained to us, is that there is a snowmobile club who has licenced their access to the trails in Area #3 (our pheasant hunting area) starting near the end of November, and the CPC licence agreement is such that our end date for pheasant must be such that hunting does not overlap with the snowmobiling club starting date. This isn’t a negotiable point with the GRCA. And yes, we know significant snow doesn’t arrive in a meaningful way until much later in the year (thanks climate change!), and the GRCA knows it as well. As mentioned in FAQ #1, if you want more – the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area is not too far away, and there the provincial hunting season applies.