Hunting – Page 9 – The Outdoors Guy

April 1, 2011

Hunter Conservationist wins one for the Good Guys

(Keebler (AKA Brian Houle) poses with his People’s Choice Business Award.)

The Outdoors Guy’s very own Keebler – active hunter and conservationist – has just won a business award you might call a ‘Win for the Good Guys’!

Keebler’s business Memories2dvd took the title of Small Business of the Year for Goulbourn, at the Kanata Chamber of Commerce People’s Choice Business Awards.

I can personally vouch for Brian’s work, as he done some excellent 8 mm transfers for me in the past. My Avatar, in fact, is a ‘screen shot’ taken from an old fishing video in Northern QC. With the use of some super high-tech equipment and a bit of magic, Keebler somehow transferred my father’s old dusty Super 8 mm reels onto modern DVD.

As he mentioned in his acceptance speech:

“We all work hard and play hard so I believe it’s important to take that step back and remember the cherished moments.”

Here is a short video of Keebler’s acceptance speech (Is it just me, or does Keebler look a bit like a smaller Mike Fisher?):

http://gallery.me.com/memories2dvd/100144/2011-02-24_2

He is currently working on a new website with new services and streamlined pricing.

For more information: www.memories2dvd.ca

Congratulations again to our friend Keebler…another win for the Good Guys!

(OK, now he can take the suit off and put the camouflage back on)

Outdoorsguy

March 7, 2011

Dan Grant trophy muzzleloader buck

Here is one fine trophy whitetail muzzleloader hunt, as told by hunter Dan Grant:

I have been an avid hunter since the age of 16. My parents let me take one day off from school and that day I shot my first buck, an eight point 202 lb beauty by 1978 standards.

Fast forward 32 yrs later…being self employed it doesn’t leave me with much time to hunt during deer season. I managed to take 1 day off during the regular rifle season and shot a nice little 5 point opening morning 10 minutes into the hunt. As muzzle season approached, the plan was to hunt the final Saturday back at our hunt camp. I arrived Friday night looking forward to the next day’s hunt and was the first to find the feathers in bed that night, as it had been a long and busy week at work.

The next morning, those who got up out of bed headed out to their respective stands and watches. I decided I would poke my way around the perimeter of our area and see what, if any, tracks could be found in the fresh snow. The wind was in my favour and I approached the back fence line. Fifty feet from the corner I heard the crashing through the bush inside the fence row. Busted! I thought, but I pulled out my grunt call anyway, blew 4 times, made my way to the turn on the trail, crouched down and waited. The deer had stopped, turned and began to make its way out of the bush onto the trail 25-yards in front of me. My first sighting of this buck was of his head and rack stretching out of the brush, and turning to look at me. In a cloud of smoke the deer disappeared, crashing again through the brush to my left as I quickly reloaded and ran back down the trail in case he tried to cross behind me.

Did I miss this deer? I wondered

The silence was deafening, my heart pounding, as I went back to where he had crossed. No tracks in the snow on the trail, no blood at all then I saw the snow off of some branches and a track where he had landed inside the bush. One drop of blood on the snow was all I could find, so decided to look a little further.

I didn’t have to go far, 100 feet from that spot lay my first deer ever taken with a muzzle loader, and what a deer it was!

There is a sign on the wall in our camp which reads “Tailspin Hunt Camp: where the legend grows”…I can vouch for that now! (Dan Grant – March , 2011)

Thanks so much to Dan for sharing his story.

Footnote: Dan Grant’s impressive muzzleloader buck was scored recently for the Boone & Crockett Club, to the tune of 169 6/8” B&C. As one can imagine with a buck measuring so close to the benchmark 170”, the numbers were calculated and recalculated several times.

February 23, 2011

Outdoors Guy takes a big Provincial step

(Photo depicts how I feel right now)

Ok folks, this may sound hard to believe for those who don’t know me that well, BUT, brace yourself for this…and promise not to laugh.

I do NOT currently have an Ontario Hunting Card..there, I said it!!

Yes, after living in Ontario for nearly 15-years, I thought it was high time I take the Ontario Hunter’s exam to finally get my very own, very first Ontario Hunting Card.

I’m a big boy now – soon to be hunting in a very big province!

In my 30+ years of hunting on the Quebec-side, I honestly never saw the need to pursue game over here; nor did I really have the sparetime.

Until now…

Let’s just say the coyote situation has prompted me to get my arse in gear; as it were. Who knows, I might even get back into trapping too. At least I’ve already taken the ON trapping course and managed to hold onto the certificate.

Believe it or not, I actually did take the Ontario Hunter’s Safety Course back in 1988, while I was attending Carleton University. I never did end-up taking the exam or getting my card, though, don’t ask me why.

Unfortunately the MNR told me yesterday they have long since lost any record of that course from the 80’s, but fortunately with my Quebec hunting card I am allowed to challenge the Ontario Hunter’s Exam, but only once.

Yippee!!! (Wait a sec, I’m not there yet)

If I pass, I can upgrade my current Outdoors Card to my very own IMA HUNTER Card. (Except with 187/Brown on it) If I fail, well, lets just say I will be acting rather sheepish for awhile..never to speak of this again. (and may even be forced to delete this post)

When I finally decided I wanted to take this Ontario hunting thing by the horns, I got in contact with my old friend Wenda Cochran. She will be fixing me up with the Exam to be held on March 27th in Carp.

I have it marked on my calendar with an asterisk!!

You see, I took the Firearms Exam (PAL) with Wenda several years ago and it was as smooth as butter. She and her husband Peter do a marvellous job, so keep them in mind. Wenda is in charge of the Hunter Safety course, the Canadian Firearms Course & Exams, Possession & Acquisition, Minor’s Permit and Hunting License.

To contact Wenda Cochran:

http://lanark.realontario.ca/browse-sectors/education/13957.html

Who knows, this whole Ontario hunting thing may turn into a great long-term relationship in a province which certainly has a lot to offer, from all the stories I’ve heard(& written) over the years.

Feel free to comment(those who aren’t too shocked or disgusted)

Outdoorsguy

February 3, 2011

CANADIAN Wild Game Cookbook casting call

(Photo: Jim Bindon of Arundel, Quebec and Steve Enright of Orleans pull a ‘MacGyver’ over the campstove with some deer steaks, after the outdoor cooking fire suddenly died out)

OK Folks, as I delve into my Canadian Wild Game Cookbook (published by Lone Pine Publishing) – the last of three 40,000 word books I have been working on since September, some may have wondered why I’ve been abnormally quiet.

Well, I hereby ‘officially’ invite all fellow hunters and conservationists at the Outdoors Guy Blog to be apart of my cookbook experience.

I am quite sure that most of you have enjoyed many wild-game cooking and meals over the years, with lots of great memories to go along with them…and this is where you guys come in.

The Canadian Wild Fish Cookbook (hitting bookstores this spring btw) includes lots of great fish and fishing tidbits and information, advice from top Canadian chefs and funny fishing stories.

The Canadian Outdoor Cookbook (also hitting bookstores later this spring) includes a lot of my own outdoor camping and cooking experience, plus excerpts from adventures over my years of travelling each and every Canadian province.

My goal for the Canadian Wild Game Cookbook (To be released this Fall) is to (hopefully) include stories and experiences of fellow hunters from all around..to get a cross-section of what hunting and enjoying wild game means to all of us…i.e. hunt camp tales of cooking glory(or woe) funny stories of grilling a deer steak or simmering a moose stew during the season with the gang, things of that nature.

It is completely up to you with no pressure at all, so if you’d like to be apart of this major North American book release, I would love to include you in this project.

Simply email your short stories to [email protected] with the caption ‘Wild Game’, and I will take it from there!

Best regards,

Jeff Morrison – The Outdoors Guy

January 28, 2011

Arnprior Coyote cull still on

Kudos to Al Mills of Als Corner Store for getting the green light to continue his coyote cull!

To read more, check out top story in today’s Ottawa SUN

OUTDOORSGUY

January 19, 2011

NA Versatile Hunting Dog Annual Meeting

The International Recognized North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) has a HUGE weekend planned at the Southway Hotel & Conference Centre!

Anyone with a hunting dog or even the slightest interest in hunting at all, will likely be there!

The activites and seminars get under way this Friday, January 21st, and continue all the way through to Sunday!

What is the NAVHDA??

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to foster, promote, and improve the versatile hunting dog breeds in North America; to conserve game by using well trained reliable hunting dogs before and after the shot; and to aid in the prevention of cruelty to animals by discouraging nonselective and uncontrolled breeding, which produces unwanted and uncared for dogs.

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association is a legally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering, improving, promoting, and protecting the versatile hunting dog in North America.

Underlying these aims is the desire to serve the interests of game conservation, prevention of cruelty to animals, and the gun dog hunter by helping the hunter to train his dog to work before and after the shot, on land and in water.

NAVHDA is an excellent complement to the activities of sporting dog breed clubs and field trial organizations. It was created to supplement the activities of those clubs by providing a proven, standard method of evaluating the performance of all versatile hunting dogs, consistent with North American hunting practices, regardless of breed.

For more information on Ottawa’s chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA), check out:
http://www.navhda.org/meeting.html

You may also contact Murray Kemp for information on this weekend’s big Meeting at: (613) 489-2328 or Steve Zlepnig at (613)791-9537.

The club’s web address is www.ovnavhda.com and www.navhda.com

I wish all the good folks over at NAVHDA a fantastic weekend!

Outdoorsguy

January 18, 2011

Shed antler hunting with trailcam pictorial

Man, some guys just have all the luck!

The following Pictorial was sent to me by a friend of Rick’s – a local bowhunter. Those of you who appreciate white-tailed deer and love shed antler hunting (like me) will get a real kick out of it!

The story even prompted me to do a little shed hunting myself; last Friday before the snow arrived. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite as lucky as Rick’s friend!

In Canada, mature whitetail deer generally shed their antlers during December and January. One is fortunate to find a shed antler and even more so to find a pair from the same deer. The whitetail deer shown here is a mature whitetail, possibly 4.5 years old. This picture was taken by a trail camera January 06, 2011 at 3:13 am. The camera time was not set back for daylight savings time, so any pictures shown here will be ahead by an hour.

This is a nice mature whitetail that made it through another hunting season. He’s now taking advantage of some alfalfa I placed in an area where I suspected some buck activity. Another mature buck also was interested in the free meal. Several younger bucks were waiting in line for a mouthful of hay.

These two deer decided to spar; testing their strength as often males do. I’ve included only a couple of pictures of the sparring that took place.

And when they seperated and parted ways, the larger deer left with only one antler intact.(Lefthand side of photo)

A short while later, a newly transformed single-antlered buck appears!

If you look closely, you can actually see the fallen antler on the ground in the middle of each picture. I went to the feeding area a couple of days later and found the shed. As I viewed my pictures, I noticed a deer without any antlers but clearly a buck as you can see.

This is a good size buck; just no antlers. Could it be the same one? I suspected as much. Where’s the other shed then? Could be anywhere!

I went back to pick up my camera and recharge the batteries. There, not a yard from where I found the first antler, the other one was lying! I was elated and yet puzzled by how this deer could have dropped the other antler so close to where he lost the first one.

The two sheds are definitely from the same deer. With a standard 18 inch spread, this deer will score close to 150 inches. I’ll get my friend Rick to score them properly but it’ll be close.

If this guy makes it through the winter, what will he look like next year?

(A special thanks to Rick’s friend for the great buck Pictorial)

January 6, 2011

Its official Ontario Elk Hunt this fall

Well, its official, the first Ontario elk hunt in more than a Century gets under way this fall!

Thanks to Heather Visser of the MNR in Toronto for sending me this Press info:

The first elk hunt in Ontario in more than a century will be held in the Bancroft-North Hastings area this upcoming fall.

The elk population in the area has flourished and continues to grow at a healthy rate since being reintroduced to the province 10 years ago. The elk hunt will help manage the population in this area, and will be carefully harmonized to ensure a long-term sustainable elk population.

This is part of the government’s Open Ontario plan to support the region’s economy and environment.

“This hunt is a result of the successful restoration of elk in the Bancroft-North Hastings area and the first in more than a century. This is an opportunity to help the region’s economic growth and ensure a healthy elk population in the area for future generations.” – Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Natural Resources

“The McGuinty government has worked with all community partners to determine the best way to manage the elk population in the area.” – MPP Leona Dombrowsky, Prince Edward–Hastings

“The OFA was pleased to work closely with the Ontario government in establishing the first elk hunt in more than a century. We look forward to the implementation of the hunt which will help address issues raised by farmers in the area while ensuring a sustainable elk population.”- Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

“The Ontario government, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, and other partners have contributed countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore elk to their original ranges in Ontario. We are pleased that this will provide a new hunting opportunity and some relief for the Bancroft-North Hastings agricultural community from the pressures created by the growing elk population.” – Mike Reader, Executive Director, O.F.A.H.

QUICK FACTS
Applications for an elk licence and seal will be made available in the spring.

The open season for elk will be one week long and take place from the third Monday in September to the following Sunday.

Between 1998 and 2001, the elk population was restored by shipping elk herd from Alberta to four sites in Ontario including Bancroft-North Hastings.

For more information on the Ontario Elk Hunt:

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@fw/documents/document/stdprod_068306.pdf

Outdoorsguy

November 29, 2010

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

November 26, 2010

Hunters outside City enjoy moderate success

(This 282-pound (dressed) bruiser was taken in the Kemptville-area by Paul Poisson’s hunt gang)

Although many deer hunters in eastern ON and western QC have reported poorer than average deer seasons, it does appear that areas outside the Ottawa valley are starting to rebuild.

Of the many reports I have received, it does seem evident that much of the Ottawa Valley has a way to go before the deer herd is back on track. Deer sightings, around the City, are way down, and most camps saw either low or nil harvest numbers.

Outside the valley to the North, parts of Central Ontario, western QC and a few other spotty regions did see a bit of any increase over last year’s deer numbers.

Here are some of this fall’s success stories (In Photo)

(Another shot of the giant buck taken by Paul Poisson’s gang)

(And for those who may have noticed the tag improperly affixed, Paul assures me it was attached to the base of the main beam shortly after this photo was taken, and before the deer was taken to MNR Kemptville)

(Ian McDonald and his awesome 10-pointer)

(Ian and some of the boys)

(Another shot of Ian’s gang and the dogs)

(Paul Poisson and his great-looking 8-point..what’s that in your hand, Paul?)

(Here is a really nice 8-point taken up the valley by ‘Maple’)

(Another shot of Maple’s buck..you can see his stand in the background

(Iggy sent me this photo of a Giant Napanee-area buck…sorry, I dont know the story)

(Rick Poulin with the fine looking 7-point he took on opening morning. 7-point bucks are the nicest bucks of all..if you ask me)

Below are photos of an incredible 8-point buck taken by Allen Cullen with a crossbow. Allen calls the buck ‘Lucky’ and you can see the trailcam image of ‘Lucky’ while he was still upright.

For those of you who sent me photos I forgot to post, please remind me…and for those who have deer hunt pics from this year, free free to send them over by PM.

Here’s a phot0 of Iggy’s fisher mount, complete with ‘somewhat natural looking’ quills.

Outdoorsguy