1300 pounds of kernels
Remember, hunting is all we have done since a young age. Losing the camp was not in my vocabulary!! So I had to scramble. I did and it was not easy. In Fall 1999 we had a half full camp. Better than nothing is the way I looked at it.
As the years went on we refined our Fall hunts to be successful hunt's. To this day I really enjoy Fall bear hunts. I have become friends with most clients since 1974 and am still in contact with them till present day. One of them is Screwball who first hunted with us in 1983.
Beings that my new and old clients entrusted their money with me as a contract to offer a bear hunt with them, I will fulfill the contract. Contract was signed when I cashed their deposit check or put their credit card through. So here is my plan: I will love to have them hunt their original date of Spring 2020. Doesn't look like this will happen. The next plan has already been pushed forward.... I have an alternate date for this Fall. I also have a plan if the Fall does not pan out. Hunters will get a hunt but we are mostly booked for 2021. Have many dates available for 2022.
I am proof that outfitters can make it through a rough patch. I don't give up and I will be around for another 20 years or longer. I am like Apauls, I always look for a bright spot in the future and always go for it. Sometimes outcome isn't what's expected but kept me going.
Now, one BIG BRIGHT SPOT in the future is that we still have a Spring hunt for the Future. We all do. A bright spot that Ontario did not have after losing the Spring in 99'. Good luck to "ALL" outfitters and ask for clients to have patience with their outfitters as they go through a rough spot they might be in.
Its not my first Rodeo when it comes to losing a hunt, but it was survivable!!
My thought's are with those suffering through Covid19... either by catching the virus or by suffering through a rough spot in income and their livelyhoods. Especially those who have lost loved ones. Chris Lavoie
HAPPY EASTER!!
Sent you a PM Groundhunter
I have no doubt with your experience, knowledge and efforts your fall bear hunters will not be disappointed! GL.
Looking forward to our hunt this year or next!
These hunters were booked for June 6th this year. They picked the week of September 13th for a combo Bear / Wolf hunt as their alternate date.
Moderator at the time would tell me reread and correct before I pressed send. He was losing patience with me. But gave me many chances. I got kicked off Bowsite.com in June 2009. I tried everything to get back on as I really missed the forum. So I snuck back on Bowsite.com under the guise of Spikebuck. But I think he knew and let it slide. So, when warned .... you better listen!!
Been a sponsor of Bowsite since, best move ever!!!
If a bear walked or crossed the road a few hours before we drove it, Clyde would strike. Once Clyde struck a track we would use Springer to see if the track was any good. If we liked what she was telling us, we would take the hounds in the back and let them loose on the bear.
Some bears would tree, some would run for miles, and bay up. Big bears had a tendancy to walk along and fight the bears as he went. Never stopping except to swat at a dog or 2.
Some of the places the bear finally bayed or treed were not easy to get to. Once we caught up to a tree'd bear, we would tie up the dogs and decide weather to let him go or take him. Had to tie up the dogs when you shot the bear or else the dogs would stand right underneath the falling bear and land on the dogs.
Many times the bear would be dispatched in some of the most rugged spots so we would skin and quarter the bear at the kill site. Hound hunting was an awesome way to hunt bears.
First afternoon, the rifle slipped off his shoulder. Had to watch a bear. Bear mingled around the bait but did not approach the hunter. Second night a skunk wandered in to the bait. We would put the bait on the hunters lap as we set the hunter each afternoon. The skunk went up to the hunters wheel chair and climbed up on one of the foot rests and scented around for the bait scent. Eventually the skunk went back to the bait.
Third night a bear wandered in and things were perfect for the hunter so he took the shot. Bear ran about 30 yards and expired.... Was very cool!!
Ended up tagging a moose near this spot in the Fall. Could be him, maybe not. Lots of big Bulls around in those days.
Opening day we went early. Settled in. As day broke did a call. Nothing. Called about 20 minutes later and heard a grunt. Here is the Bull I tagged as it approached into the clear cut. Easy to get out.
Took this moose off the edge of a pond on my Upper Falls Property.
My brother Richard on the right.
I settled down on a rock up against a small pine. Gave it a few minutes before I gave a call. Started with a Bull call, then a cow call shortly after. 20 minutes went by with no action. Gave another sequence of calls. After only about 1 minute I heard a grunt. A bull. So I responded back. After a little bit of scraping of the alders I saw him walk to the edge of the swamp.
I waited to get a broadside shot. Took it and he dropped. Gave a few minutes and ran down the rock to the bottom. Gutted, then ran and got my chainsaw at the cabin which was 5 minutes away.
Went back to the gutted bull with the chainsaw. Now I prepared for this as I replaced the chain oil with vegetable oil. I quartered the bull into four pieces in a matter of 10 minutes. Shot, gutted and quartered the bull in 2 hours. All by myself.
Went in to the Bull the next day with my inlaw and helper and got him out.
Thanks Dave... doing fine, cant wait for Fall Bear!!
Picture of quartering is of another moose. A different hunt.
If there is a dry season and Blue Berries dry up, then the Mountain Ash is prime. Always food for the bears. Creates a LARGE bear population throughout Ontario!!
I will bait up a few sites in the next couple of days and set camera's on them.
Back out again today for another site. Will spend about 1 week on Leo Lake Rd... then to another new area.
It was a white wolf back tracking the Moose. He was following the Moose track wrong, I was tracking the moose the right way. Walked nearly right to me when I took the shot. Died right there where he was standing.
The plate that the floor joists sat on are rotted right out. Had to crawl underneath and jack up the floor yesterday. Got new, treated lumber in place of rot and now just like new... sort of.
Saxon, Joe and I will catch up on a lot of work needed on cabins this Spring. We have 6 cabins at main camp and lodge. 1 cabin at Mutrie Outpost that's needing work and paint. 2 cabins at Quibell. The wood shed and storage shed need new roofs as the the smaller cabin.
I will be able to keep my guides busy through this China Virus. Rather be Bear Baiting but cabin work is badly needed also!!
China Virus is allowing us to do needed work on all our cabins. Camps going to look a lot newer this Fall!! Really looking forward to the Fall season.
After a bit of refining my recipe, this is what I now have used for 3.5 decades.
All 1300 pounds of popped kernels will all be mixed by man power... no, a cement mixer does not work for mixing these ingredients, crushes the popcorn.
First we take a 20 gallon plastic garbage can and fill it with popcorn. Take 2 cups of used fryer grease. Stir with a stick till totally mixed. Take 2 ounces of liquid smoke and mix. Then pour a generous amount of Strawberry or Cherry Jello powder along with a handful of brown sugar on the corn. Then thoroughly mix again. Then the mixture is done. We take a whole week to mix the 1300 pounds of popped kernels. We mix all the popcorn before we start the baiting season. Time consuming.
The Jello keeps the corn from shrivelling in the rain. Liquid smoke and strawberry Jello gives the popcorn recipe the sweet smell.
Now, popcorn goes right through the bear. Satisfies his sweet tooth but isn't enough to keep multiple bears at a bait set as the first couple of bears eat it all. So you must use other filler baits such as donuts, grains or candy to feed the many bears at the barrels. So bears will gobble up the popcorn as soon as the bear can, but he will wander if no other filler bait is available to the bear in the barrel.
We had taken First Nations Foster Kids into our home for over 10 years. This kid in particular was raised in camp and helped out with the many chores. Him and his brother was with us for many years. Enjoyed doing shows with us. Enjoyed the hunters and baiting the Bears.
I plan according to soil types. Blue Berries grow in sandy or rocky soils. Clay soils is best to hunt in Spring as the soil is great for clover and poplar trees. In areas with clay soil I will start baiting before berries come ripe to keep bears in the area. Baiting April to September, like I do, always keeps a large population bears in my BMA's. I also attract bears to my baits for miles around!!
Ontario's Premiere has extended the State of Emergency till July 1rst.
ALL Outfitters from NW Ontario are holding a huge Rally / Protest here in Vermilion Bay on Saturday June 13th. There will be media from across Canada at the Rally / Protest. Local politicians across Northern Ontario have been invited and expected to be here.
Will be held at Fort Vermilion on HWY #17 as you pass through V.Bay. We are not to talk about opening of the Border. All focus by Ford has been on Toronto. Not once about the rest of Ontario. Its thought that residents from Ontario would be put off that we would want the Border open to bring Tourists from Stateside to infect them all. So, no talk of the border.
It's a well thought out Rally / Protest that many professional's are helping to organize. It will be huge!!!
A doctor in Thunder Bay has accidentally and possibly infected up to a hundred people in the Regional Hospital.
I hope Lottie has been able to get to the river recently. Those walleyes should be stacked up in there now. Say Hi, to Joe and Saxon. See in you August, I hope.
*** Border restrictions are going to be extended to July 31, 2020. Not officially announced yet though. But Global News and Routers says so.
Pretty well all Outfitters across Northern Ontario are going to try to be at a Protest / Rally on Saturday, June 13th. Manitobans are invited as our issues are yours also. News media from across Canada will be there. Outfitters are fed up with the lack of answers on the Border reopening.
Protest will be over the lack of answers on the future of many Outfitters. We want answers as to what the Border plan is, going into the future. Many in Ontario might not survive!!
Protest will be held at Fort Vermilion on the North Side of HWY #17 as you pass through Vermilion Bay. I'll keep everyone updated on issues pertaining to the border.
Plan C ??
There is word that Americans who own land in Canada will be allowed across the border in the near future.
If he keeps the border closed for the long run.... we want assistance. Today he answered " Everything is on the table". Our group had a meeting with our MP.
Many fishing camps are "HUGE". Most spent their budgets before March to prepare for opening. Hope all works out for them and the rest of us!! Need other provinces to do the same....
I have plan C ready to go!! Plan C 2022 Spring. Have very few spots available for Spring 2021 as (US Hunters) front line workers took up most avail in 2021. We will get it all figured out.
*** Must purchase a Small Game License and a Timberwolf Seal / Tag. Tag a Timberwolf, then you can purchase a second Seal / Tag. Bear / Deer tags are not needed anymore for wolf hunting with bow or rifle...
Price will be $1595.00. Plus Tax. Includes Grouse also.
Email at [email protected] or call 1-807-221-9793.... this is a brand new, never before offered hunt.
Main population in Canada wont be vaccinated till after March. Canada has to rely on other Countries for the doses. BUT, Americans should be well on their way for Spring... have many older hunters (Geysers) coming up this spring.
I rolled over the 2020 Whitetail hunters over to Fall 2021.
2020 we reinsulated the walls and finished weather proofing it with Tyvec. Put a new roof on cabin. New Chalet siding. Couple of new windows and patio door. New deck and brand new furnace to heat cabin. New Facia and soffit. Looks like new now. Oh, and painted the cabin.
Along with the announcement came a few needed changes to enhance the Ontario Bear Outfitters ability to plan for the future of bear hunting in Ontario. Here are a few new changes for 2021: 1...Bear baits do NOT have to be 200 Meters off the roadway anymore. New distance is 30 Metres. 2... Non Resident's who own land of 40 acres or more in Ontario, will no longer be able to Bear hunt without going through an outfitter. Must acquire Form #33's from any outfitter to be able to hunt bears now. Must hunt within the Outfitters BMA. The Bear form #33's that did go to Non Resident land owners in the past, will now be given out to Bear Outfitters to enhance their Bear hunting opportunities. #3... Bear Outfitters will be getting the same amount of Form #33's as he has in the year 2019.
There will be no increase of Bear Form #33's given to Outfitters because of Covid 19. Will get same numbers as last year 2019...
