Pelee Island is ready to welcome hundreds of hunters today and tomorrow for the annual pheasant hunt.
Pelee CAO and Clerk Katrina DiGiovanni says the event has been taking place on the island since the 1950's and usually draws around 300 hunters per day from as far away as Mexico.
She says they get a lot of new and return hunters.
"We're just hoping to continue to attract hunters from the region and try to encourage younger hunters to come and participate and we also offer a 10% percent discount to anyone who brings an apprentice hunter. So if you're bringing that apprentice you get a discount on your license."
She says the hunt has become a family tradition for many.
"We have a lot of American hunters that have been coming for anywhere from 15 to 25 years. They've come over for generations with their families. We actually have some greenhouse owners that come and bring farmers and workers from outside of the country as well."
The hunt is heavily supervised to ensure everyone is safe.
We do have the OPP with us," assures DiGiovanni. "They come in the day before the hunt and they stay through Saturday. So they're here monitoring for any safety concerns, any firearm concerns and then we have four MNR officers here that are monitoring for correct licensing and hunting procedures."
Two more hunts are planned for October 26 and 27 and November 2nd and 3rd.
For more information visit their website.
- With files from Rob Hindi