Author: theoutdoorsguy

With Ontario’s wild turkey season only a few short weeks away, gobbler enthusiasts are anxiously preparing their calls and guns for one of the most exciting times of the year.

Although I have never actually tried turkey hunting, I do share the great excitement of this sport. I even went so far as taking the Ministry’s Turkey Seminar over 20-years ago, but never managed to find time to put it into effect.  It is on my ‘to-do’ list.

Chasing gobblers is something I enjoy doing vicariously through other hunters as I imagine, much like moose hunting, calling turkeys is pretty damn exciting. I do know as with calling moose, there is a certain level of skill and patience involved and that not every hunter is a ‘gobbler guru’.  It takes years of work and practise to become to proficient at.

The Tom turkey is one tough and wary adversary.

That moment when a big gobbler is fooled into your call and decoy arrangement must be especially satisfying to the turkey hunter;  following hours of patiently waiting, watching and listening.

In celebration of this year’s wild turkey season, I invite all your gobbler enthusiasts out there to send me your best wild turkey hunting stories.

Let’s show them why Ontario’s majestic wild turkey is fast becoming one of the most popular game animals in North America.

Outdoorsguy

The Fur Institute of Canada continues to speak out on the Seal Hunt in Press Release below:

Anti-sealing campaigns will not deter support for Canadian seal hunting, says stakeholder group

 On the eve of the 2010 East Coast seal hunt, the Fur Institute of Canada today reiterated its support for sustainable seal hunting in Canada.  The Institute, which represents seal hunters, aboriginals and marine mammal scientists through its Seals and Sealing Network, said it will continue to oppose efforts to ban the hunting of seals.

“Seal hunting in Canada continues to be environmentally sustainable and is conducted in accordance with best practices, so we see definite benefits in supporting it”, said Rob Cahill, Executive Director of the FIC.

According to the Seals and Sealing Network (SSN), campaigns to end the hunting of harp seals in Atlantic Canada rely on falsely painting the centuries-old activity.   The continued use of white coat images is just one example of how campaigners unfairly play on people’s emotions, the Network says.  In addition to developing best management practices, FIC is also committed to improving public understanding of the hunt and its importance to Canadian communities.

 

Quick Facts on Sealing in Canada

 

– The Northwest Atlantic Harp Seal population is abundant and well conserved, numbering 6.8 million – the highest level ever scientifically estimated.  The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists it as a species of “least concern”. 

 

– Employed properly, the hunting methods of Canadian professional sealers are effective and in accordance with established practices of animal welfare, as recommended by the Independent Veterinarians’ Working Group (IVWG 2005). 

 

– Between 2006-2008, sealing activity yielded $53 million (CAD) in direct “landed value” to sealers based in the provinces of Quebec (QC) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).  The total value during this period to the economies of QC and NL in product production and trade was over $120 million.

– Seal hides, or “pelts” are handled locally in Canada, where they are tanned into high-quality materials.

– Seal meat and seal oil (rendered from fat), provide locally-sourced protein and a superior source Omega-3 essential fatty acid (EFA) source for human consumption.

– Research and initial trials suggest harp seal heart valves are far superior to those traditionally used in human heart valve replacement procedures.

For more information visit www.sealsandsealing.net

Contact: David Barry, Sealing Committee Coordinator, Fur Institute of Canada

Landline: 709-640-1628  Mobile: 709-785-1015

Animal right’s people will be happy to know that my supplemental deer feeding has officially come to an end for the year. With much of the snow now gone and deer out foraging in spring mode, there is little need anymore for my backyard feeding.

The number of deer dropping by to feed each day has been lower and lower over the past week or two, and now the bloody racoons and crows are starting to eat my deer feed, so I took that as a sign to pull the pin.

I’m sure I will still see deer in the back fields and around my property, but will no longer being providing supplemental feed.

It is one of the only sad parts about spring, I suppose, as watching these beautiful creatures each night at dinner through the dining room window is something one can easily get use to.

Outdoorsguy

(Reposted, in order to push the Tech Blog ‘ghost posts’ out of the way!)

I was just chatting with my father this morning in the Laurentians – the heart of sugar bush country – and it looks like syrup producers are poised and ready for take-off this weekend.

Hey, it’s a bit early but who cares!

Man, there is nothing like the maple syrup time of year, if you ask me, and I have spent more years than I can recall working in the sugar bush. Times I will never forget..
What a hoot that used to be – running lines, repairing breaks, tapping, watching the evaporater, taking the syrup off, canning. The whole operation is a joy right down to the moment when that first batch of maple syrup comes off…..mmmmm
Yes, there is a certain amount of science involved, from knowing the sugar contents in sap at various times of the year, knowing the colour and taste of high grade syrup, to understanding how to maintain the perfect fire for your evaporator, to the moment when the ‘webbing starts’ at precisely 7 degrees above the boiling point of water when the syrup is ripe!

Old school syrup producers, though, do not use these modern gauges and I’m sure never worry about it. They can read more in the webbing off their ladle than a thousand sophisticated gauges could ever read..now that is pure science.

The final product, well, it is a thing of beauty and there is really nothing in the world that compares to the taste of fresh maple syrup, or taffy on snow for that matter.
It truly is nature’s perfect food!
I am told that Quebec and Ontario produce 80% of the world’s

supply of maple syrup – a fact we should be proud of. It is part of our heritage, like hunting or fishing or the fur industry.

So, here’s to Maple Syrup, now go out there and enjoy some this weekend,  I know I will!

Outdoorsguy

I was just chatting with my father this morning in the Laurentians – the heart of sugar bush country – and it looks like syrup producers are poised and ready for take-off this weekend.

Hey, it’s a bit early but who cares!

Man, there is nothing like the maple syrup time of year, if you ask me, and I have spent more years than I can recall working in the sugar bush. Times I will never forget..
What a hoot that used to be – running lines, repairing breaks, tapping, watching the evaporater, taking the syrup off, canning. The whole operation is a joy right down to the moment when that first batch of maple syrup comes off…..mmmmm
Yes, there is a certain amount of science involved, from knowing the sugar contents in sap at various times of the year, knowing the colour and taste of high grade syrup, to understanding how to maintain the perfect fire for your evaporator, to the moment when the ‘webbing starts’ at precisely 7 degrees above the boiling point of water when the syrup is ripe!

Old school syrup producers, though, do not use these modern gauges and I’m sure never worry about it. They can read more in the webbing off their ladle than a thousand sophisticated gauges could ever read..now that is pure science.

The final product, well, it is a thing of beauty and there is really nothing in the world that compares to the taste of fresh maple syrup, or taffy on snow for that matter.
It truly is nature’s perfect food!
I am told that Quebec and Ontario produce 80% of the world’s supply of maple syrup – a fact we should be proud of. It is part of our heritage, like hunting or fishing or the fur industry.

So, here’s to Maple Syrup, now go out there and enjoy some this weekend,  I know I will!

Outdoorsguy

I would like to send out my condolences to family and friends of Mr. Jocelyn Belanger, the man who went through the ice and died at Petrie Island on Monday evening..

I really wanted to create a new post to share my sadness and shock, but my Blog has been acting up these days.

You know, each year around this time I get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach when I drive by the huts at Petrie, and I do it almost every day! It is something I used to write about it my Outdoors Column every year..that precarious time between the end of Feb and March 15th when ice-anglers would scramble to get the huts off the ice..unfortunately the threat of fines from the MNR if you don’t remove your hut, makes people do irrational things sometimes..

It is an extremely dangerous time of year and very sad to hear when something terrible like this happens so close to home.

If anyone out there knew Mr Belanger, or has stories they would like to share, I invite you to write-in and share them with us.

He sounded like a really nice guy and I know I personally would like to hear more about how he spent his life…

Outdoorsguy

Paul(Bent hooks) if anyone knew him, you must have?

Spring is in the air, you can almost smell it!

Sportsmen look forward to spring for a variety of reasons. Some can’t wait for the opening of trout or walleye season, while others are gearing up for gobblers or bears across the river. Regardless of what your bag is, it’s just a fabulous time of year to be in the Great Outdoors.

For me, as many of you already know, spring is all about trout fishing.  I long for that first chance to hit the water in my Sportspal canoe. It is that magical time of year when the white throated sparrow sings and the streams come alive again; running fast and deep after a long cold winter.

Well, this winter hasn’t been so bad actually, but I still look forward to the snow disappearing and ice melting off the lakes.

What does spring mean to you? Drop me a line!

Outdoorsguy

 

Our  old friend Trapper is actively involved in Fur Management in the Peterborough-area, and I would love to hear how his season has been?

Trapper, if you have time, could you please comment with an overview of your trapping season thus far?

Also, if you have been to any of the North Bay sales, I’d love to hear how prices are holding up this year and what percentage of the lots are being purchased? 

I feel it is of utmost importance to bring this industry to the forefront, not only because I too trapped for many years and find it of great interest, but many folks out there are ignorant as to what really goes on with the fur harvest. 

It is a founding Industry, an age old tool of wildlife management and a way of life for many people. And trust me, even though it is great fun in the Great Outdoors, the real work – such as skinning and stretching – begins when you get home!

Trapper, without getting too graphic as not to scare anyone off, could you tell us a bit about what it is you do?

If there are any more active trappers out there, I would love to hear from you!

Outdoorguy

Wow, that’s a first!

Although I have received lots of Spam, I have never been hacked into before..I suppose it is a clever way to market your ‘anti-hacking’ software but still none the less annoying.. Problem now is, until the web techies in Toronto have a look at it, I have no way of deleting that post..

My suggestion is to ignore the ad, as the obviously the person who hacked into the Ottawasun.com wants people to read it…I just realized the hackers attached the spam to my face on the main Blogs page..that’s cute. Try clicking just on the ” Outdoors Guy” link until this is fixed and try to avoid my face…

What is the world coming to when the ‘online terrorists’ begin targeting  hunters and fishermen!

Outdoorsguy

 

Conservation-minded trappers of Ontario have put together a petition they plan on presenting to the Ontario Government, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. 

http://www.petitiononline.com/02253010/petition.html 

As most of you are aware, the Canadian Fur Industry is in great peril. It is a sector that has suffered greatly, over the years, from ignorance and public opinion. That is a crime! 

Here is your chance to stand-up and lend Ontario trapper’s a hand. If we do not put forward efforts to preserve our trapping heritage, it will be lost forever. 

Many people forget that the fur industry is what this great country of ours was founded upon. 

I plan to sign it and urge you to as well. Let us lend Ontario trapper’s a much needed hand! 

Outdoorsguy