theoutdoorsguy

January 31, 2012

Asian Carp barrier talks long time coming

Last June I Blogged about the Asian Carp and the MNR’s Rapid Response Plan – a strategy put together by that jurisdiction to deal with this horrible invasive species.

This is that post:

http://blogs.canoe.com/outdoorsguy/safety/asian-carp-mnr-rapid-response-plan/

Here we are 8-months later and talks in the US of a ‘permanent’ physical barrier being built, is finally back in the news. Unfortunately, though, the news south of the border is not great as a private consulting firm put the Asian Carp Barrier price-tag at over 3 Billion dollars!

USAtoday had this to say on the subject:

The cheapest solution would cost taxpayers more than $3 billion and would take at least a decade to complete.

The study, which cost $2 million and was funded by several foundations, says separating the two watersheds would create jobs and could end up being cheaper than spending money every year to fight invasive species.

The article went on to say:

The engineering study proposes one to five new barriers near Chicago, rerouting cargo and pleasure boats, and building huge tunnels to handle floodwaters that could no longer go into Lake Michigan.

Funding would need to come from Congress. More than $80 million has been spent fighting Asian carp in the past two years from federal Great Lakes funds; the fight against invasive sea lamprey costs $20 million per year.

Some scientists fear Asian carp could take over the Great Lakes if they were able to get into Lake Michigan in sufficient numbers.

A similar study by the Army Corps of Engineers is due in late 2015.

Still, whether Congress is willing to foot the multibillion-dollar bill for stopping invasive species is unknown.

“Physically separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds watersheds is the best long-term solution for preventing the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, and our report demonstrates that it can be done,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the commission.”

With a pretty good understanding of what would happen should these ugly fish make it into the Great Lakes, I don’t think I’m the only one who’s a tad nervous!

Outdoorsguy

This is a totally unrelated blast from the past hunting photo from November, 1990 ….Yukon Bob is pictured in the top left and yours truly is in there as well, cept I’m not sure which one (could be the Waylon Jennings look alike):

January 27, 2012

Vote Memories2DVD as Small Business of the Year

(Keebler accepting his 2011 Small Business award)

Ok folks, our friend Keebler (aka Brian Houle) has been nominated again for a Grammy Award, I mean Kanata Chamber of Commerce Business Award, sorry about that.

As you may recall, Keebler won the 2011 Small Business Award for his company Memories2DVD- a small business specializing in Video & Audio Transfers, Photo Slideshows & Photo Restorations.

Yes, Keebler is one of those specialized geeks you don’t meet everyday – by that, I mean one who’s an accomplished hunter and is as dedicated to conservation and wildlife as anyone I know! (And besides that, just look at the guy..he’s as cute as a button)

I invite all you hunters and fishermen out there to support a great local business owner and a personal friend. Brian did some incredible work for me a couple of years back. He somehow took a handful of old 5-minute 8mm film reels from a 1974 family trout fishing trip to Northern QC, and transformed them over to modern DVD.

Keebler’s work is impeccable and he deserves accolades again this year. My Outdoors Guy avatar is, incidentally, a screen shot from that video put together through Memories2DVD.

So if you frequent any of the Kanata Chamber businesses, this is how you can help:

The first step is to register your email http://pcba.kanatachamber.com/en/pcba/register.php

You receive an email confirmation. If not, be sure to check your spam or junk folder. If you do not receive the confirmation, please refresh your browser to try again.

Then you go to this link http://pcba.kanatachamber.com/en/pcba/loginVote.php to vote.

Keebler is listed under Small Business [Goulbourn] – Memories2dvd

Vote for our pal Keebler today…

Outdoorsguy

(This has been an unpaid and unsolicited announcement by Jeff Morrison)

January 23, 2012

Misfit deer duo an unlikely winter team

Unlike other winters in my area, it seems I have a couple of regular visitors to my backyard deer feeder this year.

Back in early December coyotes claimed a deer in my neighboring property; leaving a 6-month old orphan buck fawn to fend for itself.

This little guy was wandering around aimlessly in the backfields for a couple of weeks and I feared for the worse. There was another lone doe back there I captured on trail cam and I had hopes he might eventually team up with her.

(As many people know, a fawn on its own the first winter is quite vulnerable)

But it never happened – the loan doe actually seemed to shun him, from what I could tell, so a new ‘adopted mother’ idea was out of the question.

Then by the end of December there was another deer in the back that caught my eye. It was a 3.5 year old buck I know very well. He was actually the biggest 8-pointer I have in the back, and you may have seen in earlier posts from last summer and fall.

I call him Andrew.

Well, poor Andrew wasn’t looking very good at all. He had already dropped his antlers and was acting rather peculiar (they usually shed in mid-late Jan)

I could see from trailcam images that he always held one hind leg up while feeding, and then when I saw him in person it all became very clear.

(It is worth noting that by this time of year my deer have usually moved to the upper fields to yard. I have not fed deer regularly the last two winters)

Anyhow, Andrew had what appeared to be a broken ankle. It was right above his hoof and caused him grief when walking. He had a terrible limp and walked very gingerly on the bum leg. (Had his front leg been broken instead, he’d be much better off.)

It was not the healthy and bold buck I knew from the fall, he was now a wounded soldier.

Over the next week or so, both the fawn and gimpy Andrew appeared at my deer feeder with some regularity, until eventually they started hanging out together and the oddest thing began to happen…

From observing their behavior (usually through binoculars) into January, I could see that the fawn was started to serve as Andrew’s eyes and ears. The buck would bed down while the fawn stood guard. When it came time to feed, though, hierarchy took over and the buck would nudge the fawn out of the way from time to time.

Never-the-less, they continued to travel together fulltime from the bedding area back to my feeder, and around the fields about twice a day. (Andrew’s limp has improved slightly) They make the oddest team I’ve ever seen but it appears to be working.

The unlikely duo has so far been able to stay one step ahead of the coyotes too, which is incredible.

It is one ‘symbiotic relationship’ I have never before witnessed and there’s no telling how long it will last.

It does; however, demonstrate how resilient white-tailed deer can be; learning to adapt to situations presented to them. I know I will probably take heat from some readers for continuing to provide supplemental feed for deer during the winter, but that’s ok.

Outdoorsguy

Speaking of winter feeding, here’s a photo of a nice cow elk that feeds at Carol K’s place:

Here’s another pic of the same elk..Carol K says this cow has no problem hopping over that (Goat/sheep pen) fence the elk is standing beside.

January 11, 2012

Increased fur prices an encouraging sign

Although I have not actively trapped in many years, I was heavily involved in fur management back in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s. My first trapping excursion with my Dad was back in 1971 and I was hooked for life! He taught me about trapping at a young age and never forgot it!

I have been to the North Bay sale; learned about grading and what to look for in fur quality and primeness.

I have even studied trapping and fur harvest from a management perspective; to gain a better understanding of how and why we trap fur-bearers in the first place.

For these reasons and more…I have continued to follow trapping and the fur industry over the years.

Our nation, as we all know(or at least we should) was founded upon the fur trade and has since struggled to deal with public perception worldwide. It has been an ongoing battle.

Encouraging news from the trapping circles seem to indicate that fur prices are up this year and will continue to remain high. Some fur like fox has increased upwards of 60%! The sale of fur coats in Russia has also soared and other parts of Asia and Europe as well.

Are the good guys finally winning over public opinion??

Have the Antis finally given up, or perhaps people are starting to discover the merits of wearing fur as the warmest natural apparel you can find.

There are several factors which could explain the increase in fur prices and they are all good for the industry. Fur interest in Europe and Asia is growing; following on the heals of a bitterly cold winter over there last year.

There is, however, no indication that demand for fur within North America has increased, but for now trappers will, at least, benefit from increased interest over-seas.

Let’s take the price increase as a positive sign for the industry as a whole – we all should realize that a huge part of our natural heritage would be lost should the fur industry eventually go by way of the dodo bird.

P.S. Thanks to Trapper for the heads-up on fur prices!

Outdoorsguy

Here is the news from the first sale of the season in North Bay:
Fur Harvesters Auctions first sale of the season was one of the best opening auctions in our company`s history.
Over 20 Chinese of which many were first time to North Bay took a very active position throughout the day. All International markets were represented with over 50 active buyers competing, resulting in all time record prices for articles such as Arctic Wolves, Arctic Fox and Polar Bears. Beaver which averaged $19.50 last January and averaged $31.50 at today`s auction an increase of 60%.

No one can recall such a tremendous increase over such a short period of time. This will come as great news to all beaver trappers and is long overdue. Long hair items like Red Fox witnessed huge price hikes as well with several lots selling over $100, finishing the day with eastern fox averaging $53.43 an increase over 90% compared to last January. Otter continues to advance with China and Greece competing aggressively. Otter advanced over 80% over last January`s level with a final overall average coming in at $82. Muskrats continue to sell strong with a clearance of 100%.
Our Arctic wolf collection sold at an all time record high with many countless skins selling between $800 to over $900 with a closing average of $403. Arctic fox topping at $200 and averaging $71.92 broke an all time historical record.

Everyone at Fur Harvesters Auction wish to thank the great many buyers that attended and made this sale one of the most successful January auctions in our company`s history. Members of our team are currently promoting wild fur at the Beijing fur fair and the following week will see us in Istanbul fur fair, Turkey.
Our March sale is well positioned as it follows the two most important Fur Fairs in the world…Hong Kong, and Milan. We are optimistic that our offerings will surpass last season high production levels.
In closing we wish to thank all of you who put your trust and confidence in marketing your great product through North Bay
Respectfully,
Mark Downey – CEO, Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.
1867 Bond Street
North Bay, ON P1B 8K6
Canada
Tel. (705) 495-4688
Fax. (705) 495-3099
www.furharvesters.com

Below is a pic of Mrs Trapper with a good sized coyote they caught last week..tks to Trapper for the photo:

A pic of the same coyote after boarding. (NOT Waterboarding though..that would be cruel)

January 10, 2012

MNR New Automated System met with mixed feelings

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is really getting with the modern times in this new automated system of licensing.

But what about the old school methods? Does that mean you can no longer purchase a license at your local bait or tackle shop?

Apparently you can longer get a new fishing license at Petrie Island. My pal Yves Grandmaitre proprietor of Oziles Marina wanted me to let people know he no longer has fishing licences for sale.

I get the feeling from touching base with Mr Grandmaitre that he’s not the only one who cannot sell hunting or fishing licence out of their shop anymore.

I can guarantee this will put a lot of weekend fishermen in a sticky situation once ice-fishing gets rolling big time.

Here is the info I have on the new system:

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_091032.html

My hunting & fishing license renewal went smoothly over the phone, but I wonder who else is effected by this new automated system?

Outdoorsguy

December 30, 2011

Mature buck taken by Coyotes on Robs property

Our friend Rob St Denis discovered something rather upsetting on his property yesterday.

A big mature whitetail buck had been taken down by coyotes, with the majority of the animal being left for the birds.

“It’s a complete waste of meat” said St Denis of the deer he has seen in trailcam images recently.

“This guy has been passing through my property for the last few months and it would seem he hopped the fence at the wrong time and was killed by coyotes.” he added.

With the ‘wolf-like’ behaviour exhibited by these modern age killing machines, gone are the days when ‘yotes’ were a solitary beast stalking only field mice and rabbits.

St Denis saw clear evidence of a ‘team at work’: “There were 3 sets of distinct tracks in the snow leading away from the site; apparently what little they ate was their fill.”

Rob wants people to realize with these graphic images that even the strong and healthy in our woods are no match for these large predators.

“The big thing here is it shows clearly that coyotes have no problems taking large game (unlike what the environmentalists say that they only eat small game like rabbits and the like.”

One would think that a mature buck like this would be well-equipped to defend against even multiple attackers, but St Denis believes otherwise

“Doesn’t even seem like he gave much chase, the whole mess was within 20′ of where we found him.”

This shocking scene is the grim reality of what our deer, moose and even family pets have to face today.

Do you still believe these predators take only the old and weak? Better ask Rob St Denis about that!

Outdoorsguy

P.S. The image below shows a doe taken by coyotes this past summer from Rob’s property. The coyotes ate only what you see in the photo and never returned. Scavengers took care of the rest:

December 23, 2011

Food Banks Canada says NO to Ontario game meat

Word just came out this week that Ontario’s Food Banks are being encouranged to reject Game Meats!

WHAT????

Food Banks Canada took a stance with their “strong recommendation” to food banks specifically in Ontario, to reject meat not raised in captivity or killed in a licensed slaughterhouse.

“Deer and moose are the most organic meat you can get, and is consumed by millions of hunters every year,” said president of the Ottawa Valley branch of Safari Club International, Len Dickinson, during an interview this week.

“It seems totally ridiculous that Ontario’s food banks would rather see people go hungry than allow them to eat properly processed wild game.”

The executive director of Food Banks Canada claims the recommendation to reject game meat goes back to an old 2001 Ontario provincial law.

Under the old 2001 regulation, meat cannot be sold or distributed unless the animal was slaughtered in a government-licensed facility and inspected prior to slaughter.

Food Banks Canada says there is no provision in the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act for game meat to be used for public for consumption unless they are the licensed owner of the meat.

Until this year, Food Banks Canada openly accepted game meats from across the country making this recent decision somewhat bewildering.

According to a National Post article, other provinces have no problem accepting wild game meats:

“The Saskatoon Wildlife Federation has held the “Hunt for Hunger” campaign encouraging hunters to hand over moose, elk and deer to charity. In the territories, some food distribution programs even deal exclusively in wild game. In March, the government of Nunavut launched the Country Food Distribution Program, a $1.7-million anti-poverty scheme to send caribou, seal and muskox to Arctic communities.

The Edmonton Food Bank accepts 2,000 to 3,500 kilograms of wild meat each year, according to executive director Marjorie Bencz. “We appreciate the support because it brings donors who normally wouldn’t be participating with us,” said Ms. Bencz.

In Cranbrook, B.C., this fall, to deal with growing herds of violent, urban deer, city officials have begun slaughtering them with bolt guns and handing them over to the local food bank. Every year, conservation officers in the Yukondistribute several thousand kilograms of road-killed meat to local communities.”

For the first time ever, the Safari Club International’s donation of venison was rejected by a food bank in Lanark. The meat was even process at a provincially licensed butcher shop.

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture??

Out of the blue, Ontario‘s Food Banks are being forced to reject the most pure and organic meat available for human consumption? And the folks who need it the most are the ones who suffer?

Are they crazy??

I smell a rat here folks, and I’m not talking about a tasty and highly eatable muskrat, just a plain old disease-ridden sewer rat!

Outdoorsguy

P.S. Thanks to Research Assistant – Chessy, for the heads-up on this story.

December 5, 2011

Coyotes running rampant in Ottawa

The coyote problem here in Ottawa has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime that’s the only way to describe it.

Over the past five years we have seen coyote contests, coyote culls, coyote attacks on family pets, increased predation on white-tailed deer, and even one coyote attack on an Ottawa resident.

I know around my place the coyote numbers are insane. Five years ago there were very few predators around and my trail cams were lucky to capture 1 coyote image for every 1000 deer images.

Now I’m picking up more yote pics than deer pics!

My neighbour’s lost their cat this past spring right on their own property, and last week a woman who lives nearby told us her neighbour has an English Sheep Hound who tangled with a coyote in her backyard, and sustained very serious injury. The dog came very close to being put down!

Along with the handful of deer I see and photograph regularly around my place is a doe and fawn who call my backwoods and fields their home. Now, for the past week or so, only the fawn has shown up on its own – looking a bit disoriented and lost.

As we all know, 6 month old fawns do not travel alone or stay on their own for any length of time. Mom is never far away. Although I haven’t yet discovered what happened to that doe, I can wager a pretty good guess as to why there’s an orphaned fawn running around.

Yes the coyotes are running rampant in Ottawa and we are up against a rock and a hard place! Sure, the hunting season on yotes is open year round and trapping is an option too. But are these really viable control options here in the Capital City?

For God’s sake, I’m scared to let my little dog out for a pee for fear that a friggin coyote will grab her!!

I can’t really trap the coyotes around my place(even though I have a license) because there are too many family pets travelling the same fields, and I can’t hunt the coyotes freely because public opinion seems to think it’s cruel.

“What would the neighbour’s say if they saw you shooting coyotes in the back field” says Mrs Outdoorsguy. Personally, a lot of them would thank me but not all of them, and I know that.

And not all of your neighbour’s would either.

Many folks here (the protectionist – preservationist lot) in Ottawa think we should just leave these nice little critters along…so the coyote population continues to flourish at the expensive of our deer population.

It’s bad now and only getting worse!

Below is an example of some of the varmints creating havoc around my place. These images were taken over the 2 weeks alone. I especially like the one of the big coyote taking a dump on my lawn..talk about the ultimate in disrespect!

Yes, something needs to be done about our burgeoning coyote population but I’m at loss as to what that should be..

The graphic image series below speaks itself..for those who have not seen it yet:

November 28, 2011

Wasteful act gives hunters bad name

Every once and awhile, a needless and wasteful act involving fish & wildlife comes up and it gives all honest hunters and conservationists a bad name.

This is one such case….

Below are images taken of a deer carcass discovered this past weekend in our very own Marlborough Forest. The disturbing photos clearly show the carcass of a whitetail buck stripped of its antlers, back strap and very little else in my opinion.

The remainder of the animal was then draped over a fence post and left to rot. Both front shoulders remain in tact, and you will clearly see where the backstraps were removed.

One theory put forward is that the carcass was laid out as bait for bears, in the few days of the Ontario bear season that remain.

There is also no indication whether this deer was harvested legally, or even tagged, but the waste of meat in this case is blatant!

Since the MNR – Kemptville office is currently investigating this incident, no names are being released at this time and the term ‘poaching’ will not be used.

I find it very difficult to believe someone would stoop to this; given the fact that whitetail populations in most regions are in rebuild mode….it’s a bloody shame!

Please be warned these images may seem graphic to some:

Outdoorsguy

November 23, 2011

Local hunter bags goliath sized buck

Last year we heard from Barry Scollan with a magnificent buck he harvested, and this year it’s all about his brother, Art!

Art Scollan took what will surely be one of the heaviest grain fed whitetails this region will produce this fall. Art’s 248 pound trophy is what one might describe as one big fat buck!

Rick Poulin is currently scoring the antlers.
Here’s Art’s story as written by the man himself:

Friday Nov. 11th, 2011 proved to be the best morning of the hunt with a good frost. Shortly after 9am a nice doe with her tongue out came running down a corn stubble field and into a swamp. Just then, about 100 yards behind her was a large buck with his horns shining in the sun. He was right on her tail!

The buck would stop with his head down on the ground, and then he would start running on her trail. The closer the buck got to the end of the field, the faster he started to move. I put the scope of my 270 on him and fired. The buck stumbled and disappeared in the tall grass near the swamp.

My step son Rick was at a stand near by and we radioed each other. After waiting for a spell we started looking for him. The buck as buried down head first in a ditch in the tall grass. Radio contacts were made with fellow hunters, my brother Barry and Jamie, who all helped get the buck out.

The buck was a 12 pointer and field dressed 248 whopping pounds! It is the heaviest deer anyone in our gang has ever seen. The buck was full of fat. We took a five gallon pail of fat off of him. It was a great hunt!

Art Scollan

This photo below (Taken by Rick P) shows the serious injury discovered when Art’s buck was skinned-out) Caution…a bit graphic!