After a 6 week absence this nice looking 3 year old, 8-point buck (I call Garfield) returned to my feeder last week for a quick bite.
My Bushnell Trophy cam captures my old friend as he tentatively approaches the feeder; trying to decide whether or not to sneak in a nibble.
With the trusty trail cam set on ‘2 photo burst’ on 30-second intervals, his every movement is recorded as he nears the feeder; grabs a mouthful of feed and then moves on.
God bless the glorious trail camera!!
Outdoorsguy
Real nice.
Hey LG, good to hear from you!
Seeing anything around your deer woods these days?
Outdoorsguy
Haven’t been looking.
Will be taking it easy this year on my outings.
hahahahahaha
I see we can’t comment on the Ford Exploder you were loaned
I’ll therefore keep my comments on that, to myself
hehe
Iggy, I usually keep the reviews closed to comments as they’re more of an article than a blog post. I did the same for the last car review and the Bushnell trail cam in the winter.
Outdoorsguy
Nice write-up on the Explorer. I think you touched on the questions I had on it. All I have to say is, as a 2010 F-150 owner and driver, any preconseption of a lower quality North American manufacturer can be thrown out the window on the 401. Ford has come a long over the past 5 years and their new line-up can go toe-to-toe with any top quality manufacturer, and probably surpass them.
Well GPG, I have owned two Rangers and they were great little machines. I would tend to agree with you now with what Ive seen of the new models.
My only question now is residual value..as compared to Toyota for example..I know Ford and GM trucks hold their value better than the cars, but just wondering what the difference would be?
Iggy, as someone in the industry you would know this.
Outdoorsguy
This is true about the risidual value, and long-term quality remains to be seen, but even Consumer Report puts Ford on a level with Toyota on initial quality. To me though, risidual value means nothing as I plan to drive this truck until it’s last km.
Well I’ve got a buddy that drove GM trucks for his whole life
the last one he went through two tranys in 100,00km
he’s had a Toyota Tundra for three years
loves it
raves about it
still on his first trany too
there all great when they are working and all pieces of S— when they are broke.
so awesome thing showed up in the mail … a pair of antlerless tags =)
Good for you Rob, I think you may be in the minority…but to give you an example of how things are worse on the QC-side in some ways, I need to get something off my chest!
I have been applying for antlerless deer tags, on behalf of the guys in our hunt party (not me because I’m a non-resident) for the past 15 years…and guess how many tags we’ve won in that time???
A big ZERO!!!!!!!!!!
Now granted, we hunt in the mountains and not one of the higher density deer areas, but come on, there are usually between 100 – 400 tags in our zone up for grabs each year. So far over the years I calculated we’ve spent probably $400 on tag draws and not won a single friggin tag!!
Ok, I don’t want to sound prejudice in any way, but had one of our gang members been disabled, we’d be knee-deep in deer tags.
We have this francophone couple from the city who drive 2 hours into the mountains each fall; just to park their over-sized RV a scant 250 yards from our camp for the week. The wife has a disabled sticker (although she seems to walk the roads just fine) and gets a special tag every damn year!
My father has been hunting those woods for 65 years, and although he turns 80 this year because he’s in good shape doesn’t have a dsb sticker in his truck, and therefore cannot apply for this ‘special tag’.
This old couple from the city parks their ass beside us and shoots does and fawns every year while we try to micro-manage our woods through a population downturn. And on occasion they like to remind us to stay clear of ‘their’ hunt territory. Let’s just say that doesnt go over well the oldman. We haven’t taken a buck up there in the past 2 years and it pisses me off every time I see these people move in with their trailer and shoot all our does and fawns!
Of course, we’re caught as we can never say too much to these people who come in from out of town. The last time we told someone to remove their hunting signs from the bridge entering OUR camp..a week later our camp was broken into and vandalized! They stole my father’s prize moose rack and replaced it with an axe through the wall. With the only camp for miles and miles, we are sadly a target that way.
So as you see, Ontario is not the only province with problems…
Outdoorsguy
P.S. Sorry for the rant!
So Jeff is this not a good time to tell you our group of seven got seven doe tags?
Ah man…
That’s ok Rick, I’m happy for you but sad for myself.
Outdoorsguy
We went 3 for 4 in 64A. A lot better than the last two years. I actually got a doe tag for the first time in 3 years.
Hey sureshot-dave, good for you..that will be a nice treat this year!
I’ve been meaning to ask…have you ever topped that trophy buckyou took around the time I got my big one..back in 1996-97 – remember that article I wrote on it for Canadian Sportsman magazine that year?
You realize that’s 15 years ago now!?
Just wondered if you’d ever beaten that bad boy?
Outdoorsguy
OK Dave, I went back thru my files and found Dec, 2003 as a good month for you deer-wise. That was a 140″ class buck I think?
Man, I totally forgot about Legacy Reserve, what ever happened to those guys?
Do you remember that place, Rick?
Outdoorsguy
every hunter I’ve ever met from Quebexico says they wouldn’t shoot anything but a buck anyway.
it’s like a macho thing, but I do feel for your group. If it was me, I’d write the provincial minister
and tell him how you feel
I didn’t get a tag, but my son did, now it’s two years in a row for me not to get one and two years in a row for my son to get one.
Now I thought that would be impossible. I understood there was an A pool and a B pool. If you got your tag, you went to the B pool the next year and the only way to get a tag again was after the A pool all got tags. Well it obviously doesn’t work that way or I’ve pissed someone off at the MNR……come to think about it, I wouldn’t be all that surprised, they work pretty close with the sleaze at the OFAH.
That’s funny Iggy, every other hunter in our deer woods seems to be a meat hunter; and will practically shoot anything with 4-legs. Its the frustration of hunting open territory and trying your utmost to manage the herd for sustainability.
I’ve passed up several first year bucks over the years and its starting to seem pointless. Last fall I let a yearling run past me..only to hear shots in the distance about 10 minutes later coming from the RV hunters I mentioned! Im convinced we’re the only people up there who’ve passed on legal animals (for the good of the herd) because noone else even thinks of doing it!!
Outdoorsguy
Iggy,
As far as I know, there is no A pool and B pool for deer tags. Only moose works that way.
Jeff,
That 1997 buck is my best so far. I still have nightmares about an absolute monster buck I called “high rise” that I missed with my shotgun a couple of years after my big one. That’s another story though. The Dec. 2003 buck was just shy of 140″. Man, that was a cold morning. Still remember it like it was yesterday.
I’m not sure what happened to the boys from Legacy Reserve. All I know is that they were growing some massive deer, and getting lots of money from guys to shoot them.
Iggy if you did infact not get a moose tag and your son was in pool b this year … could you pass that information on to me if you would .. i am about to go the the mnr in week and straighten the lady out at that office over moose and deer tags… please please dont bring the ofah onto them .. belive it or not most of the mnr hates them. its the polititions that snuggle up to them in cold nights. right now i am dealing with turkyeys and the drop of numbers. and they still want a fall hunt
no it’s not moose tags chessy it’s deer tags I was talking about
Jeff get some old underwear and wear them for about a month, cut them in four inch squares, put them in plastic bags, the night before the hunt, go spread them around their hunt area, It’ll be a tough year for them, it’ll only work for a few days but it’ll make it tough. Tough on you too though having to wear the same underwear for a month.
hehe…alright Iggy, I like your plan!
Im going to start right now and by Oct 29th opening of rifle season I should be good and rip..hehe
Honestly though, we have considered things like small baggies of human hair tied around the bush. I heard that works too.
Outdoorsguy
We hunt for meat out here, but still comes down to what we see in the bush … I aim for 2:1 doe:bucks, I’m 4:7 this year, the yearlings are looking a bit lean so I’ll be leaving them.
Doesn’t stop the guy on 2ac down the road from driving deer and taking more than his fill … just doesn’t seem right … will be putting up chains on the entrance and signs … and a can in the bush … not keen
Jeff,
I know someone in the Outaouais in Quebec who was also upset at some other hunters who were killing too many does and fawns near his hunting territory. He only harvested bucks with larger racks. He planned to fill several buckets with his urine, let it steep for a while, and then dump it at strategic locations where they hunted just prior to the season. I’ll have to ask him how it worked out. Now I’m not saying you should do the same thing, but….
Thanks fishr, I’m liking your idea better than the dirty underwear one.
Outdoorsguy
there is a product in the states that you can buy its called “liquid fence” it keeps deer out till it rains again ….. try it … better than tearing up a good pair of well used underware heheh
I’ve read about guys that go to a barber shop just before the hunt and spread hair out where they don’t want the deer to run, especially if they are short of hunters in a gang. They say hair gives off more scent than any other part of your body, thus my Kojak haircut just before moose. The wife hates it but I get it done the night before I leave and it’s already stubble when I get back.
just keep in mind guys that hitting only big bucks is not good either … effectively circumventing evolution and selecting for larger specimens (remember there are a LOT of hunters out there … )
the young ones have better more tender meat anyways, hit them at a couple years old and you are good to go
seriously, if you have a tag for a sex of deer, you have every right to shoot it, if you don’t and you shoot it, your a poacher, so if they have doe tags every year, thats the governments fault not the holder of the tad
Rob by the time the “big bucks” get to true trophy proportions they have already spread their genes for a few years. Plus they are very difficult to hunt.
Two of the biggest bucks I have shot were two of the best tasting and were as tender as any forkhorn. Plus they provided MORE meat.
Rick, it`s true that a big buck will have spread some genes, but evolution doesn`t stop at the onset of reproduction capabilities. The older an animal gets and the more they grow, the smarter they get, the more adapted they have become to their surroundings, and the more their “needs for survival” have been determined. These needs are recorded and passed on in their genetics. Basically, the bigger, smarter, older the buck, the better the offspring. Of course same goes for the female.
Two of the best tasting deer I’ve ever eaten had spots LOL
And your right Rick, a mature buck is 7 years old I think and
you can be sure it’s already bred some of the herd by then
GPG “Basically, the bigger, smarter, older the buck, the better the offspring.” This is true up to a point then things start to degenerate. Proof – every time I look in the mirror. I am BIGGER, I am Smarter, I am OLDER but my offspring will NOT be better. Why because of the breakdown in the quality and vitality of my sperm. This is true with all mammals.
Right Iggy but what do you do after the second meal?
Whitetail harvest strategies vary greatly from hunter to hunter, and within the same hunt party, and a lot of it is governed by chance and opportunity. Although I thoroughly enjoy deer meat, I personally have a thing against taking younger animals and first year bucks, but that’s just me.
We had one fellow in our camp who was a very accomplished hunter, and as much a ‘meat hunter’ as anyone I have ever seen. He loved every part of venison and though he would openly admit to taking any legal animal within his sights, for most years it seemed only the big mature bucks would appear before him. During one 5-year stretch, Ronnie took 4 bucks over 200-pounds – all good 8 and 10 pointers.
Deer hunting is a sport of opportunities and split second decisions, and with the smaller deer herd these days our opportunities are sometimes few and far between. What we do with those chances during the season are crucial. Sure, you might have tags to harvest more than one deer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you MUST take your limit.
If everyone thought that way, it would throw a real wrench in concept of Conservation. Sure, younger animals may be more tender but l’m with Rick on this one. I’ve had lots of big bucks that tasted just great..and they had several years of spreading their progeny before ending up on the table (& wall).
The excitement of the sport for me is pursuing those wily old bucks with several seasons of experience behind them, not shooting the first yearling that bounds by; acting more like a careless doe.
Outdoorsguy
Great pics Jeff!
For moose, I got a calf tag again. Not surprised b/c I had a bull tag a few years ago, but the other gents were also shut out and they’re going 15+ years!!!! ridiculous to say the least. We have 4 native reserves around our area and although not official, i’ve heard it from the native side that the MNR lumps their ‘take’ in with vehicular accidents and from that remaining calculation, the small amount of adult tags are issued. This system needs to be fixed. Lots of moose in that area. Considering hunting in Quebec as their system appears more realistic.
Anterless for deer. It’s been near 100% the last few years. We let alot walk last year and even harvested a few big bucks and some smaller ones so the population has to be strong. I also picked up an anterless tag for bow season too so hoping I can take a weekend or a few days going in/coming out of moose hunting 🙂
Keebler, good to hear from you..and I do understand your moose woes. I dont know if QC’s alternate-year plan is perfect, but at least you can count on things a bit more. According to QC Ministry the moose herd has recovered since this plan was put in place.
Regarding my photos above, I must apologize to everyone for my captain. The buck photographed is NOT the deer I thought it was, and in fact its not even 3-years old its a 2 year old!
My 3-year old buck appeared back this weekend and I starting comparing photos from previous years. Its too bad, he’d be a really nice animal this year except for a totally deformed left beam.
I’m not too sure what happened, but he’s messed up big time! Will post those images soon.
Outdoorsguy
Rick… LOL at your comparison.
As a new hunter, I will be hunting for experience and for meat, and I won’t pass-up a good clean shot. But I can certainly understand the thrill of hunting the big old buck.
Jeff, it’s intersting the comment you made about the careless doe. I was driving down a bush road a few weekends ago and came upon a doe and her fawn. The doe was closer to the truck when we came upon them. They both jumped into the woods but the doe seemed to be hanging around only 20 yards into the bush, waiting for her little one. It almost seemed like she was giving herself up to protect the fawn. I took a photo of her and she gave me more than one clean opportunity until the fawn showed up.
GPG, I don’t know if its documented or not but Im convinced that does sacrifice themselves for the sake of their fawns…much like the killdeer with broken wing act, they do what they can to divert attention away from their young.
Another form of protectionism I suppose.
Outdoorsguy
I don’t worry about the herd. I shoot whatever the MNR in their infinite wisdom gives me a tag for, they know almost to the animal if they give out 100 tags of one sex, how many will be harvested, and I like the meat, so if a big buck comes along I shoot it, if it’s a fawn, it’s shot, if it’s a doe, it’s shot, I’ll let them figure it all out later.
Same with moose, I have no problem shooting a calf, I’m not god, I just follow the rules. So far the MNR has done a pretty good job with the Ontario deer herd. They can’t control bad winters but you see already our herd is bouncing back. I wish they would take the calf tag out of the game for moose but they claim over 70% don’t make it through the first year anyway, so by shooting calves they claim it isn’t really harming the population. I have a problem with their logic but I don’t make the rules, just follow them
Iggy, sounds like you may be taking out your dislike of the MNR on the moose and deer populations.
Sorry, I just re-read your message and realize what you meant..
Outdoorsguy
it’s not the MNR I dislike, it’s the some of the ministers we’ve had, and some of the bad decisions they’ve made, the CO’s and all the people I’ve had contact with have generally been really good to deal with. Go out of their way to help you.
All but the one that stopped Adrian Hare, Bob “the Butcher” McNally and I out west of Kanata. All the rest have been great. It’s the OFAH really that I have no use for
iggy, i’d sure like to follow you on the moose hunt b/c i haven’t seen a calf in 3 years. saw just 2 cows the last 2 years and i’m sure it was the same moose (was in darn near the same spot). where we hunt, i had 3 different trappers at different times, tell me to shoot any bear I saw b/c they’re putting a hurting on the calf population. not sure if that was true, but it was 3 different guys telling me so i don’t think they’re far off. 🙁
OK, all that tag draw issue is BS…I think you guys seriously need to consider QC for the moose hunt!
This fall, most zones allow for bull, cow or calf and the only rule is two tags per animal. The group of four my father is in may take two bulls if they like, or 2 cows, or any other combination thereof. In the fall of 2012, it will be bull & calf only with cows being protected..thats it!!
Finding somewhere to go is the real battle in QC if you want open territory. Probably just easier and less stress with doing your research and going with an outfitter.
Outdoorsguy
Further to the QC Outfitter for moose idea, I should add that not all QC Pourvourie’s are high priced. I think my Dad is paying $400 or less for a week of moose with the camp and very good-sized private territory right beside Parc La Verendrye. Its his first year in that area but the two fellows who’ve been hunting there get a moose almost every year!
And if you enjoy hunting bulls, under the province’s alternate system you can still hunt bulls every year without fail! Plus that, calves may be taken every year too..then every second year the cows are protected.
The other significant cost of pursuing Bullwinkle in La Belle Province is the Non-resident moose license which runs upwards of $300 now…course, as a non res. hunter you don’t even need to show proof of a valid hunting card to purchase a license. Just provide and address and the money, and you’re good to go!
Outdoorsguy
the problem with the whole system is they need the EBR to close or shorten seasons i was talking to the AVIAN bioligist on turkeys and he said it would take him almost 2 years if he wanted to close the turkey season due to bad winters and bad hatches .. that is too long to get done it should be instant if required . i know in the usa if they decide to close a season in one county or another they just do it and that should be done here
check out Moose Territory Lodge in Quebec on Google, I just spoke to Todd the owner about fishing there but he has great moose hunting too at what I would say is a very reasonable price.
Keebler a lot of guy would like to follow one of our moose hunts and they are a lot of fun but very hard work, all of our hunting is sitting in trees or paddling a canoe. When we kill a moose there are no ATV’s, you eviscerate on the spot, quarter it with a chainsaw, throw it on an old army stretcher, put it in the canoe, cross up to five portages and then back to camp. The camp is extremely comfortable, sauna and hot shower, but trust me, that’s hard work. That’s why I run all summer and lift weights the last three months before I go, as I get older I feel it more and I don’t ever want to hear whispers that maybe I’m not pulling my weight or getting too old
Iggy, I am not familiar with that Outfitting Operation but I know the region they’re in and it’s a good one and they appear to have a nice set-up too.
Opps, I just read deeper and that Outfitter has a 1 moose per 4 hunter rule..I guess to controll the harvest. This may not appeal to some people..and its also located in Zone 12 where the season opens a bit later.
The way you guys process your moose meat is exactly the way we had always done it..quartering on the spot and using those old military pack boards. It may be considered ‘old school’ by today’s standards but there’s something traditional about it. People who’ve never done it would not understand but really quartering a moose in the wild is a bonding experience at a very basic and primitive level.
If the Animal Rights people are reading this you may want to look away
Outdoorsguy
To heck with the animal rights groups.
When we kill a moose, our hunt is pretty much over for the day, if it’s early in the morning we might get out for an evening hunt but usually we are pretty tired by the time they are hung and skinned. Rather than back pack it we have an old stretcher and two years ago we bought a two wheeled cart. The cart has solid rubber wheels so we just hang it in a secret spot in the bush, that way we don’t have to fly it in every year. The cart works pretty good because it takes most of the weight but there is still a lot of lifting over stumps and rocks
Your right it is four hunters per tag, that’s why he has so many moose, but to be honest, one moose per four guys is still a good chunk of meat. The only problem is, as soon as you shoot a moose, the hunt is over, so theoretically the hunt could last an hour. I think you could fish the rest of the week but
I’d still be bummed out.
Call me old school too, but I love the way you guys do it Iggy. I’m not sure if the group I’m with actually quarter the animal in the wild but I’m sure they use the ATVs to get it out of the bush. They don’t use canoes, but I’m bringing mine to hopefully provide another method. However, they do the butchering themselves. It can take up to 18 hours to process and package all the meat (includning set-up and clean-up) and everyone helps out, even the old uncles who no longer hunt.
well we don’t butcher it, we hang the quarters and a Beaver (plane) drops in in to take them out, the outfitter puts them in a cooler cold enough to almost freeze them, that way they stay cool on our two day drive home. We go to a butcher just outside of Arnprior
Interesting shooting moose out of a canoe, people always ask me isn’t that dangerous but I’ve shot at them and been the paddlers when the guy in the front was shooting and it never seems to have been an issue
I love moose hunting out of a canoe..its one of my favourite ways to hunt moose actually.
Took my first bull while rowing a Sportspal. Then I started calling from the canoe and realized it works very well. The only problem with Sportspals is the aluminum construction makes them very noisy.
I strapped foam all along the gunnels to rest my rifle and to lay the paddles on…it did help quite a bit with the noise. I discovered that when a bull answers the call and is coming to you..any foreign sound like a paddle banging off the side of a canoe will send them heading for the hills!
Outdoorsguy
For anyone interested in Ontario’s elk hunt(If there still is one), please check out my latest:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/ontarios-first-elk-hunt-in-a-century/
Here’s a link to my original Elk Blog post back in January when the announcement was first made:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/its-official-ontario-elk-hunt-this-fall/
Outdoorsguy
we hunt in aluminium canoes and they are a PITA, very noisy getting in, but once in not too bad, and when you get good you learn not to bang your paddle on the side of the canoe. We’ve also used pipe insulation on the gunnels and the barrel of the gun to mediocre success. When we see a moose, we always try to sneak up on it, the guy in the front jettisons the paddle into the water away from the boat so he doesn’t have to lay in down in the boat and possibly startle the moose. The guy in the back paddles until you are close enough or it starts to look at you, then he can try to turn sideways so he can shoot but the most important thing is the guy in the front has the be able to get a shot. I’ve snuck up on moose as the paddler a quite few times and it is very intense.
Keep in mind, if the moose is swimming it is illegal to shoot it but most times we come across them they are on shore, quite often lying down, when they smell see or hear you they stand up and quite often don’t leave until they know you are a danger.
As you can see, I could go on and on about moose hunting
Iggy, you borrow those canoes from PETA? You sure they’re not all full of holes..hehe
Outdoorsguy
PITA meaning Pain In The A$$
Ok Iggy, I better get with the times!
Outdoorsguy
I changed my canoe this spring specifically for sneaking up on animals, and for the upcoming moose hunt. I had a yellow royalex (75lbs.) and I changed it for black/grey twin-tex (52lbs.) model. Obviously much easier to portage too. Last year I was paddling alone in a green canoe and was able to sneak up on a deer that was having a drink from shore. I was not hunting so I tested my abilities using the “indian stroke”. I got to within 50 yards and used my paddle as a riffle. I could have shot the deer a number of times before it finally jumped off into the tall grass. I’ve seen about twice as many animals, and gotten much closer in a dark coloured canoe. I once canoed right along side a beaver for 3 strokes before it realized I was there! His tail slap actually splashed me.