Rick Poulin – The Outdoors Guy

For those who missed my October Outdoors Guy column in the Pembroke Daily Observer, here you go:

http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2015/10/08/canadian-whitetail-hunters-celebrate-annual-tradition

This one is dedicated to the legend of Rick Whitetail Guru Poulin:

Canadian whitetail hunters celebrate annual tradition

The Outdoor Guy, Jeff Morrison, poses with a fine whitetail buck taken at Kenauk Nature in Montebello, Que.

The Outdoors Guy, Jeff Morrison, poses with a fine whitetail buck taken at Kenauk Nature in Montebello, Quebec

With the scent of this country’s whitetail season wafting down from the north country, deer hunting enthusiasts are getting ‘hopped-up on goofballs’ for the most anticipated time of year.

Every year around this time a deer hunter’s thoughts transcend everyday consciousness to become ‘at one’ with nature. It is often difficult to put into words what whitetail season means to those who participate annually. As I celebrate my 35th year in God’s Country with my 84 year-old father and a handful of close hunting companions, I am constantly reminded of some of my most cherished memories from the past 3.5 decades, and they’re numerous.

Behold the dark ghost

I was an impressionable young hunter back in November 1983, the time a truly giant whitetail buck slipped through the Quebec hardwoods like a ghost and appeared before me, larger than life. So large in fact and dark in colour, I was convinced it was a moose and lowered my rifle. By the time this inexperienced 16-year old realized the so-called moose was actually a 300 pound rut-swollen whitetail buck, the beast had already moved down the ridge and melted from view. My uncle, the late Alfred Morrison, was perched over the next hill and put his experience to work. It is memories like this which remain etched in a hunter’s ‘grey matter’ and return to the forefront each fall when they pass that same spot in the woods. I believe each and every hunter shares this childlike enthusiasm along with a full comprehension of the importance of time spent afield.

Testing, testing

Since warm outerwear and cool weather go hand-in-hand like conservation and Canada’s trapping heritage, I recently field-tested some apparel from Canadian company – Canada Goose, in preparation for deer season. Famous for their luxurious winter parkas adorned with coyote fur collars, the Canada Goose Expedition Clothing Company has been making quality outerwear since 1957. Today, the company offers some of the most sought-after coats and jackets on the market, used by many of the country’s law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately their products have been targeted of late by animMy Sitesal rights groups that take offence to the use of coyote fur in some of the collars, even though animal fur is recognized as probably the most organic and self-sustaining material known to man. The Hybridge Lite model jacket I tested on a scouting and trail camera expedition recently was as comfortable and warm as any jacket I’ve used yet.

Awarded the Best Backcountry Jacket by Outside Magazine, I knew there must be something special about the product. This ‘lightweight down’ as it’s known in the industry, fit like a glove and stood up to some pretty heavy bush travel. Weighing in at less than 1 pound, the Hybridge Lite was more of a second skin than it was a jacket. The product combines 800-fill goose down with a 10D rip stop nylon shell and stretchy Tensile-Tech fleece side panels. Designed with cuff bindings and thumb holes to keep snow out, the Hybridge Lite is also easily rolled up and stowed away. Be prepared for the slim fit as the product is designed snug with the intention of layering as weather gets cooler. All in all, I was more than satisfied with quality and functionality of this product making for the perfect pre-season outerwear! For more information on this or other Canada Goose Products: http://www.canada-goose.com/

Hunt safely with Rick’s spirit

Statistics show that serious accidents are quite rare during the hunting season, however mishaps do occur. Perhaps our greatest concern apart from falling asleep in the tree stand, would be muscle strain and body fatigue. After trekking five miles or more up and down the mountains each day, aches and pains are part of the deal and injury a possibility. Simple stretching exercises in the morning helps your body get loosened-up and ready for an enjoyable day in the backwoods. Good luck this fall and may the spirit of local legend Rick ‘Whitetail Guru’ Poulin be with you in your travels.

I thought perhaps a fun way to gear up for the moose and deer season would be to recount some of my more memorable hunts, and I invite you to do the same.

Here’s one of my favs that goes way back to November, 1996- the story featured in Rack: Adventures in Trophy Hunting magazine the following year:

STORY OF OL’ TOOTHLESS

Our hunt camp is nestled in the woods two hours north of Montreal in Argenteuil County, Quebec. It has been a hunting and fishing camp in my family for close to 50 years and the saying, “knowing the woods like the back of your hand” would be an apt expression for our hunting gang.

Even though it is situated on public land and host to many other southern Quebec deer hunters each fall, we are still quite successful in our deer hunting endeavors. Our strategy of finding “quiet corners” to pursue whitetails has really paid off for us, as we have been rewarded with some nice bucks over the years. It seems Quebec’s increase in deer herd since the early 1990s also have helped our success. Most mature bucks harvested, albeit very few, are usually found on private land with the private landowner getting first dibs. This is why the story of “Ol’ Toothless” is even more surprising.

Alarm number 1 shatters the silence at 5 a.m. on that fateful morning. Since I was assigned the job as catalyst for the gang, I dragged myself from my bunk and began preparing my “last breakfast” for the boys, while pondering our morning destination. It being my last morning to hunt for the 1996 season and last chance at a buck, I was eager to get to the bush.

I thought maybe starting with a small chase closer to camp would be wise. This drive formed a natural funnel between two lakes, flanked by a stream on the east side. We also have taken deer on this drive, but have not pushed it recently due to the amount of hunters frequenting the area.

As the drive began, I made my way along the creek bottom and back up on the ridge, slowly moving through the funnel. Approaching the middle with a lake on either side of me, shots started sounding off across the lake. Bang! Bang! Bang! They echoed off the lake. Then two more shots followed. Sounds like the old man’s .30-.06, I thought to myself. Something told me to run to the lake’s edge to cut off any escaping deer.

Making my way to the lakeshore I ran full out, clearing spruce and balsam branches from my face. That last shot seemed a lot closer for some reason, I thought, just as I broke into the open lake edge. Wondering if my father got one, I could not believe my eyes when I arrived!

At the lake shore I watched in disbelief as the largest racked deer I had ever seen was swimming across the end of the lake, at about 80 yards. Staring for a moment in disbelief, I saw a shot hit the water about 30 feet behind the deer. I thought I had better nail him or he will be up on the other side and gone in a second. A well-placed shot in the back of his neck and the big boy was down instantly.

I sprinted my way around the end of the lake and across an old beaver dam, like a mink jumping from log to log. The buck was lying in a few inches of water when I yanked him up on the bank, just as my father arrived. Neither of us could believe the size and beauty of this buck’s crown. He was a heavy 13-pointer with long tines and sweeping beams. As we hugged and shook hands all we could say was, “I can’t believe it!”

The rest of the guys finally made their way to where we were with the buck. None of them could believe a deer this size existed up here. After we field dressed the deer, I examined him more closely. Having recently finished the Fish & Wildlife Biology program at SSFC, I was interested in determining the big fellow’s age. To my great surprise, I found that he had no front teeth whatsoever, and his molars and pre-molars were extremely worn. “An Ol’ Toothless One!” Harold said. We all chuckled. I estimated the old boy with his sunken face to be approx. 8.5 – 9.5 years old, based on dental condition. We measured the main beams at just fewer than 26 inches each, the outside spread of 23.5 inches and both G2s between 11-12 inches.

I subsequently had the head caped out and mounted, but it was not until I scored it myself that I knew it could be a new provincial record, for the Buckmasters Trophy Records. Under the BTR system, the inside spread measurement is not included as it is deemed to be a measure of air not antler. Rick ‘Whitetail Guru’ Poulin of Barrhaven scored the old boy officially at 141 ⁴/8 inches BTR in the typical category and discovered that it was the new Typical Provincial Record whitetail for the Province of Quebec.

It was a day I wouldn’t soon forget and I was grateful to have shared it with my Dad.

Tag: Rick Poulin

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Outdoors Guy – Memorable Hunts