Tradition – The Outdoors Guy

September 4, 2013

Heading to hunt camp anyone?

I’m heading back up to the hunt camp this weekend, to put out some trail cameras and poke around a few places. I know I run this same hunt camp post every year, but we all keep coming back so why shouldn’t I!

Ahhhh, ‘Hunt camp’ can mean different things to different people.

One person’s hunt camp could be as basic as a 4-man tent, while for someone else it might be a summer cottage transformed into a makeshift hunt camp when autumn arrives.

Others might be members of a private hunt club or an organized lodge, while some might even choose to go with an outfitter, rent a chalet or a small cabin. You could convert a fishing or trapping camp into a hunt camp in the fall and you know what, it doesn’t really matter.

Regardless of what four-walls make-up your hunt camp, tis the season to celebrate the sport we all know and love in your private little domain. Sharing the experience with friends and hunting companions only serve to enrich the experience.

The hunt camp experience is something only a true hunter has ever known and will ever really understand. Sorry to all animal rights people, environmentalists and other ‘non-hunters’ out there, you simply cannot relate and this post will mean absolutely nothing to you.

Yup, it is a time of year when many other things in our busy lives will take a backseat to this special place. We will dream about it at night and long for that glorious day when we first arrive.

After 33-years of this tradition I realize the hunt camp experience is over in the blink of an eye..so enjoy your time to the fullest and for goodness sake, let it all soak in. You just never know when it could be your last!

Our hunt camp was broken into over the winter and some pukes caused quite a bit of damage, shooting out the glass in all the old hunting pictures just for fun. Dad and the boys were up there this summer to clean it up and fix the damage. These pukes will have a couple of surprises if they try to break in now.

Hey, everyone ready for hunting season…I know I am!

Outdoorsguy

March 21, 2013

Maple Syrup better late than never

I was speaking with my father yesterday- who lives the heart of sugar bush country – and it looks like syrup producers are poised and ready for take-off this weekend!

At long last!!

Ah, 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 the sugar bush. Times I will never forget..not easy work, I might add, but extremely rewarding!

What a blast it was – running lines, repairing breaks, tapping, watching the evaporator, taking the syrup off and even canning. The whole operation is a hoot right down to the moment when that first batch of syrup comes off…man it tastes great when its warm.

There is a definite science involved in any maple syrup operation; from understanding the sap’s sugar content at various times of the year, knowing the colour, taste and density of grade ‘A’ syrup, to skills like understanding how to build and maintain the perfect fire to keep your evaporator going steady.

Then there’s moment when the ‘webbing starts’ at precisely 7 degrees above boiling point of water, and your pure maple syrup is ripe for the picking, or pouring I should say.

Old school syrup producers have never used modern gauges and I’m sure never worried about it either. They can read more in the webbing off their ladle than a thousand sophisticated gauges could ever read..now that is science in itself.

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.

Canada produces 90% of the world’s supply of maple syrup(majority coming from QC) – a statistic we should be extremely proud of. It is a big part of our heritage just like hunting, fishing or the fur industry.

Now get out there and enjoy some pure Canadian goodness!! (The forecast this weekend looks like -3 to -5 at night with a daily high around 4 -5 degrees C, and all of next week looks the same.)

Outdoorsguy

September 28, 2012

Podcast – Moose Hunting on CHEZ 106 with Doc and Woody!

Check out the audio from my segment this week on CHEZ 106 FM World Class Rock’s – Doc & Woody Radio Show.

A special thanks to Doc, Woody, Randall & Eric for having me on again to celebrate the moose season…and for continuing a wonderful 10-year tradition.

Happy moose hunting to all…btw, no actual moose were injured during the taping of this show!

Bullwinkle says click here: CHEZ106Moose2012.mp3

Outdoorsguy

October 26, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen start your deer camp

(Photo of me at the camp with my pride and joy ‘Old toothless’ taken Nov, 1996)

White-tailed deer enthusiasts in Quebec and Ontario are gearing-up for the busiest and most highly anticipated week of the year.

Better hold onto your hat as the deer rifle season is on its way and one thing you can always count at the start of deer season each year; it certainly does not go unnoticed!

Government buildings become short-staffed, highways less congested and you might even catch a glimpse of tumbleweeds rolling down the main strip in towns like Carleton Place, Otter Lake, Peterborough, Aylmer, Stittsville, Port Hope or Almonte.

Be aware that once bitten by the deer rifle season phenomenon, you may be hooked for life. It is a time when hunters get very little sleep but never seem to mind, and the tales of all the big bucks that got away; are heard long after the season has ended.

And for those of you brought through the ranks of a traditional family and friend-based hunt camp, like me, you have certainly dealt with the loss of a hunting partner.

After many long hours in the bush bearing your soul with guys you share a common interest, you do tend to grow very close. I myself began chasing deer when I was 13 (my 30th Anniversary this year) and have always been the youngest hunter in camp.

Many uncles and friends of the family were there during my formative years, before heading off to that great hunt camp in the sky. And other fine hunters stopped going because of various health problems. It is just part of life, I suppose, as sad as it is to think about.

I fear for the day my own father is unable to join us, or I myself am not able to attend deer camp in the fall for whatever reason. Probably best not to think about it.

Well, here’s to all of you avid deer hunters out there…as you prepare for perhaps the greatest bonding experience known to man. For as much as the ‘non-believers’ like to tease us, deer camp truly is the greatest place in the world at the greatest time of year!

I wish you all the best of luck and please drop-in here anytime to give us your personal deer hunting update.

Outdoorsguy