Are you as concerned about this as I am??
Merry Christmas to all Hunters and Fishermen
I would like to wish all the avid sportsmen and women out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Thanks to everyone who made the Outdoors Guy a fun place to visit and share your thoughts on hunting, fishing, conservation and whole load of other topics we’ve beaten into submission with a large stick over the past 12 month.(Over 35, 000 comments in the past year)
Without all you readers and contributors out there, this Blog’s first year would not be nearly the success it has been.
From what I have seen (& heard) the Ottawa SUN Outdoors Guy is one of the most popular Blogs in the entire region. (Well, when there’s no hockey on)
Hey, who says hunters and fishermen aren’t being heard?! Sure, we may ruffle a few feathers along the way and some folks may not agree with everything said, but you certainly can’t say it’s been dull.
For the greatest site I know to kill(sorry, I mean harvest) time during the day – chatting about the Great Outdoors – I would like to thank the Ottawa SUN for making it all possible.
I know this Blog would never have been a reality anywhere but here at the SUN..and hey, have you seen the front page of the paper recently? Readership is up considerably, and I would like to think we all played a role in that!
Merry Christmas one and all, and if you have not stopped by for a visit, we look forward to seeing you in 2011 for outdoor news, information, rumours, opinions and a whole lot more covering the greatest recreational activities known to man.
All the best to each and every one of your families in health and happiness..(Note to self: next year got photo of myself wearing a fur coat)
Yours in the Outdoors,
Jeff Morrison – The Outdoors Guy
Trudeau's Coyote Christmas Card
Since we are already on the topic of Animal Rights, what do you think of the Trudeau Family’s Christmas card?
Apparently PETA didn’t think much of it at all.
Personally, I thought it was quite well done and the fact that they picked ‘coyote fur’ is also interesting, considering we have a burgeoning coyote population across this country.
I would think PETA would be happy they chose coyote instead of wolf, but I guess not.
The company who made the coats and blanket – Canada Goose – has stated that they respect both animals and the environment and that their fur was harvested under the latest humane methods.
What do you think about the card and PETA’s reaction to it, drop me a line!
Outdoorsguy
Animal Rights Activist kept children in dog cages
A self-proclaimed Animal Rights Activist faces up to 3 years in prison for abusing her three sons, and even forcing them to stay in dog cages!
The 49-year old Connecticut woman, who ran an animal rescue shelter out of her home, was discovered after her 14-year-old son was admitted to a psychiatric hospital – suffering an emotional breakdown.
He and his two younger brothers were said to have suffered sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their Animal Right’s activist mother.
Is it just me, or is this sort of shocking behaviour not even that surprising anymore; given that it is an “Animal Rights” person involved?
It reminds me of the time I was confronted by Animal Rights people at the Ottawa Shiners Circus two summers ago. I was there with my two daughters and as soon as we arrived, the Animal Rights idiots were in our face with their annoying megaphones!
They went on and on about how ashamed I should be for subjecting my children to such animal abuse and cruelty. Then they went into vivid detail about the degree of suffering an elephant goes through in a given day.
They even made my youngster daughter cry for God’s sake!
Finally, I grabbed a bunch of pamphlets and threw them in their face. I said “You must be very proud of yourself, to make a little girl cry like that!” You must have been proud too when PETA was stripped of its “non-profit’ organization status a few years ago?”
(I actually said more which I will not repeat)
“Do you realize how many children and their family’s the Shriner’s hospital helps each year, you ignorant bastard?” But they didn’t care one bit, in their minds the Shriners were nothing but a despicable bunch of animal abusers.
They wouldn’t let up either, and finally we were able to get away and move to the entrance. A Shriner Rep. came up to me later saying how sorry he was we had to deal with that, he thanked me for the support and even offered us free tickets for the show. It was very kind of him.
The whole experience proved to me how little disregard ‘these people’ have for human decency. When I heard about the woman in Connecticut, it did not surprise me in the slightest.
It is a sad state of affairs when the abuse of children becomes almost ‘expected’ from Animal Rights groups. It just goes to show how sick they really are!
Outdoorsguy
The Farmers Buck by Barry Scollan
Below is the story and photos of one very successful local muzzle-loader hunt; courtesy of Richmond’s Barry Scollan.
The Farmer’s Buck
by Barry Scollan
“On December 4th using my brother’s 50 cal. tradition muzzle-loader, I decided to hunt at my neighbour’s farm. That morning as I was walking to my watch I noticed a large deer in a corn stubble field. The deer was a long distance from me eating corn. It made its way to a cedar bluff and disappeared out of sight. I ran down toward my watch hoping to cut the deer off if he decided to come out.
Before I made it to my watch the buck crossed ahead of me and headed into a swampy area, cattails and long grass. I figured he was gone…
Just then I could see large antlers over the grass as the buck turned and came back out of the slash. When I could get a good shot, I shot.
After the black smoke cleared I could see the buck running toward the swamp and then he fell in the high grass and slash.
I reloaded my gun and watched to see if he was getting up. I radioed my hunting partner Rick Todd and he came over from his watch to help me field dress the buck and bring him out.
I have been successful hunting with the rifle and shotgun, but this was my first deer with the black powder.
It was a hunting moment I will never forget.”
Thanks to Barry Scollan for sharing with us the story and photos of his magnificent buck.
Outdoorsguy
Bounder Magazine Fall Issue
Hey, if you have not yet picked up the Fall issue of Bounder Men’s Magazine, I suggest you get moving!
I know one may perceive a ‘Men’s magazine’ as biased but trust me Bounder is one quality publication; covering just about every aspect of life here in Ottawa – geared towards (but not limited to) those who pee standing up.
Yes, Bounder is marketed as a Men’s Magazine, but its appeal really does transcend all gender lines. Whether you’re a ‘sitter’ or a ‘pointer’ who enjoys a good read, you will discover something of interest within the thick, high quality pages of this publication.
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Publisher Brian Warren, Bounder is now being found ‘scattered like a shotgun blast’ throughout the Ottawa valley and across town, in a number of different outlets.
You wont have to look far to find one.
Oh yeah, and did I mention it’s free? Who would have thunk in today’s day and age you could get all this for nothing, but it’s true.
I would like to thank Brian and his team for inviting me to be part of this Ottawa success story. For features on classic cars, dogs, men’s health, music, comedy, local entertainment, and regular columns by such folks as the ‘king of duct-tape’ Red Green, CHEZ 106’s Randall Moore, Delmer & Cecil and many more.
And the Cooper Brothers too, remember them? They have a new album out and you can read all about it…
Or if you just can’t get enough hunting and conservation info. and have a hankering for more Outdoors Guy, go check it out!
Outdoorsguy
Amazing whitetail battle to the death
If you have not yet seen the images of the three whitetail bucks locked in death..I warn you they are quite graphic.
We have often seen images of two whitetail bucks locked in battle for supremacy during the rut. On the rare occasion, these deer become locked together for life (& death). It is a sad reminder of the cruelty of nature…
Now, I bet you have never seen three bucks locked together, following what must have been one terrible battle!
In this image, you can see the silhouette of three big bucks connected only by their headgear. The caption on the email I received says “Buck Fight in Dacre” however, it seems the photos originate from the US Midwest, and NOT from Ontario
In this photo you can see the three deer after being pulled from the water and their heads severed.
This image will give you a full appreciation for the size of the bucks involved. What a terrible shame.
So, now we can say we’ve seen evidence of the worst buck fight in history, but a few questions remain. What were three bucks fighting in the first place? Were the two smaller ones ganging up on the big one?
I guess we will never know…
Thanks to Chessy for digging up this additional image:
Outdoorsguy
Testing Bushnell Trophy Cam XLT
With the advent of modern technology came a flood of leading edge digital trail cameras. For today’s astute big-game hunter who takes ‘scouting’ to a whole other level, the trail camera market is chalk full of quality new products.
Gone are the days of the primitive wildlife surveillance cameras with molasses slow trigger speeds, grainy images and no night vision capability to speak of.
Enter the new Bushnell Trophy Cam XLT – a prime example of what modern day trail cams are meant to be. The Trophy Cam XLT is more versatile and powerful than any trail cam I have ever used.
But it didn’t just happen all at once….
Bushnell took great lengths, over the years, at perfecting their trail camera systems from the days of the Trail Sentry, Trail Scout, Trail Scout Pro, Generation 1 Trophy Cam and now the new Trophy Cam XLT. It is what I would describe as the natural evolution of wildlife surveillance technology.
If you’re looking for a trail camera that fits in your hand, and offers such features as lightning fast trigger speed, fully automatic ‘flash free’ Night vision infrared technology, unbelievable battery life with a full colour built-in image display, then look no further.
On September 4th of Labour Day Weekend, when I first up set-up the new Trophy Cam XLT in my deer woods, I had concerns about battery life; since I knew it would be a month or more before I could return to check on it.
As it turned out, a full two months had passed before I made it back to the deer woods to check on my trail cam. To my great surprise – and 600 large format (8 Mg) images later – the batteries in Trophy XLT were still going strong and remained at nearly full power! According to the Manufacturer’s specifications, battery life is up to 6 months depending on the conditions.
Here are some of the wonderful day and night time deer images I have captured over the past couple of months:
If you’re concerned about safety with your new Trophy Cam XLT, Bushnell has another new product on the market called the Bear Safe. – It’s an indestructible security box to house your trail cam. Combined with a Python lock, the Bear Safe provides both protection from theft and damage from a potential bear attack.
After having used the Trophy Cam XLT under a variety of conditions, I can tell you that it functions as well in warm weather as it does in sub-zero temperatures, and has yet to foul up.
The new XLT has also been upgraded from 24 to 32 Nightvision LED’s which means brighter and clearer night time images. The Passive Infrared Sensor coverage area is also three times larger than any cam Bushnell has ever built.
Another wise upgrade is the XLT’s ability to use up to a 16GB SD card for greatly increased image capacity. The new built-in 2″ colour viewer also makes quick viewing in the field a breeze. All that for around $200.00 makes an already great product even better!
But hey, don’t just take my word for it; check out Bushnell.com for more information:
Living with the glorious gobbler
Here in the National Capital Region we have all gotten use to seeing wild turkeys in our daily travels.
Regardless whether you live in the east, west, south or across the river, chances are you’ve spotted a wild turkey or two along the way.
This is a good thing, by the way – an example of biodiversity if you will, and the fruit of a wildlife management initiative more successful than anyone could have ever imagined!
Whether you are an avid turkey hunter or simply enjoy bird watching, the glorious gobbler is one resident I am happy to have around…and you should be too!
Here is some great wild turkey images captured this week by our friend Keebler. Thanks Keebler, I love the contrast with the fresh snow on the ground!
Enjoy:
Outdoorsguy
Dream Bucks alive and well living in Nepean
For those of you – hunter or non-hunter – who truly appreciate pure unadulterated awesomeness, take a gander at this local deer known as the “Dream Buck”
You don’t need to be a hunter or wildlife enthusiast to appreciate the rarity of such a magnificent buck who spends his time these days roaming the enclosed fields off Fallowfield Road.
With all the mediocre deer sighting reports this fall, it sure is nice to see evidence that true trophy bucks still do exist in our region!
Thanks to Rick Poulin for sharing these fabulous images!
Below are photos of the 10-point buck people have been talking about. As you can see, it was taken late summer while he was still in velvet.
This guy appears to be the Dream Buck’s rival and hangs out in the same area. As you can see, he is equally as impressive!
Outdoorsguy