Hunting season is winding down.

By all accounts,it has been a pretty good hunting season this year. There were lots of ducks and geese to keep everyone who was out there into some good shooting.The moose hunt was a great success for most hunters lucky enough to draw a tag.There were several nice bulls shot in our area. The deer hunt this year was considered a great success for most hunters who participated.Although we took a couple of smaller bucks,a seven point and a nice little eight,we couldn't quite connect on those big one's we were chasing around the last week of the season. Kenny had a beautiful ten point buck with ivory tips on his horns walk out behind him and was gone before he could get the shot. Duane,from Fredericton,joined us on the last week to try to take a huge buck whose weight would be over 250 lbs. dressed. He was in the right place,but again, the big buck got by him and was gone before he could get the shot .It was right at dark and the light was very poor,so I guess he had a pretty good excuse. The rut was late again this year and a lot of the really big bucks survived another year simply because they wern't fevered up and travelling around very much. All the biggest bucks were just getting going good when the season ended.All our areas were showing heavy buck activity in the week after the season ended.This bodes well for next season as we were hunting about a dozen really big bucks that survived the hunting season. The photo for this post is from one of the areas we hunt that is known to hold bucks with a lot of mass . Kenney and Jamie were out for a rabbit hunt and managed to bag an even dozen as well as two grouse.The rabbit population is high this year,so it's not a problem to get a bunch of them. This is great fun and you don't need a dog because there are so many of them. So there are some good hunts to be had yet for those who still want to get out before we settle into some serious ice fishing on Grand Lake!

Deer season is here!

I finally finished up with other business I had to take care of for the last six weeks so Kenny and I hit the woods hard last week and we both got lucky! I decided to take a young basket -racked seven pointer on Friday Nov.2. This young buck will be great eating,that along with the fact I will be going back to work any-time,convinced me that I would be foolish waiting for one of the monsters we have been dogging. There are some really nice bucks running around out there! On Nov.3,Kenny was out with the old -timer,Wes Hargrove,when Kenny pointed out a nice buck sauntering down a logging road in the pouring rain! Well the old boy stepped out and dropped that buck right there in the trail! Wes was quite happey with his buck because when you get past seventy-five your chances of tagging one get less and less each year! So we are into the third week of the season and we have two hanging on the pole already,with the rest of the croud coming over the next two weeks ,we are almost sure to have some big ol' brutes joining the one's already hanging. I will be posting more pictures and results as they become available. On another note,I watched two natives take a twelve point bull moose on Oct.30. These guys were really rigged up for moose hunting and they got the job done in a hurry! This was in zone 17. There are certainly many more moose in zone 17 than there are deer,but not so many that you can take too many.The native harvest is pretty much self-regulated,so lets hope they use some common sense in how many animals they take. I also had an encounter with a pine martin,a species which has been very rare in southern New Brunswick. It was the first one I had seen in the wild in all my years,so I was really thrilled to see one.And he was up close and personal,so I got a really good look at him. He was a really beautiful animal with a reddish-golden pelt and a small fox-like face. I saw the usual bunches of does and kids,as well as a couple of spikers.So there are some fair numbers of deer around for any sports who are looking for a nice buck,so we hope to see you out there in the Big Woods of New Brunswick over the next couple of weeks!

Young guns of Autumn

It's the time of year again when Kenney and I mentor a small group of boys taking advantage of Waterfowl Heritage Day .This special day takes place each year on the second Saturday of September to encourage young hunters to get out and hunt ducks and geese under supervision of experienced hunters.This is a great way to introduce young hunters to the thrill of waterfowling and everything that goes along with this sport. The boys are hunting young ,undisturbed birds that provide excellent shooting opportunities. This year was no exception! The boy's we had out were from the Miramichi area and travelled to our area for the day's hunt and had a great time! They all managed to connect on some duck's and got to hunt and watch some good dog work under very trying conditions. It poured cat's and dogs almost all day! This made for some good shooting,but certainly tested the intestinal fortitude of the boy's and I'm pleased to say they passed with flying colors! We didn't get too serious about the hunt because it's supposed to be fun for these beginning hunters and also for the mentors.But at the same time we wanted the boy's to understand that sometimes the worst of conditions provide the best hunting opportunities when hunting waterfowl. So when we felt it was getting a little hard to take,we packed it in and headed back to camp for a nice hot meal and a good rest. The boy's sure appreciated that! Kenney prepared a great meal of roasted hind of a young bear he took this past spring along with all the trimmings.It must have been good because Jamie U. complained that when he got to the table there wasn't much left.You see Jamie is a young and growing boy and it takes a good meal to keep him sharp and going strong! Anyhow,we managed to get them all filled up and they all complimented Ken on his culinary skills. I would encourage ALL experienced hunter's and fishermen to take the time to help any youngster's along in their pursuit of the sporting life because,as they say,There's no life like it!

The Best Pickerel Fishing!

What a fantastic morning of fishing on Salmon River! I asked Kenney if he thought it would be good fishing this morning because we had some pounding showers through the night and the temperature had moderated.Kenney thought it should be good,so away we went! We barely got our lures in the water,when the frenzy started! It was non-stop action for four hours.I can't remember catching as many fish in such a short time! By the time it was starting to slow down,we had hooked well over one hundred pickerel! I personally landed forty fish and Kenny must have landed at least thirty.He quit counting after twenty! All this in as beautiful a place as you will ever see!We were entertained by a huge Golden Eagle,ducks,shore birds and the usual groups of beaver and muskrats.We can usually go out anytime and catch a dozen or so pickerel,but this was something special. A combination of oxygenated water and cool temperatures along with shrunken habitat created a perfect storm for catching pickerel! These fish fought hard for their size.We caught about a half dozen in the two foot range. The rest were average size,sixteen to twenty inches. We may get in a few more days as summer wears down.Kenny and friend Darrel B. caught a nice mess of brook trout in the Gaspereau R. area. These trout were all ten to twelve inches.Nice pan trout! They also ran into a huge bull moose during their travels.Ken said it had a huge rack with about twenty-four points! August has turned out to be a great month to be in the bush in beautiful New Brunswick! Hope to hear from our cyber-friends soon!

Dog Day's of Summer!

Even though we are into the dog days of summer,there is still some good fishing to be had! As the water is slowly falling to summer low,the pickerel fishing is actually getting better. This is because the habitat is shrinking and the fish are congregating in the best spots for feeding and protection.This all adds up to some terrific fishing for pickerel and perch in the lower reaches of Salmon River.Most of the pickerel caught by us and our guests will average over 20 in. We have caught them up to 26 in. at this time of year when the conditions are right. The Salmon fishing on most of our rivers has been quite good for this time of year.We had enough rain to keep fresh fish moving into the system this summer and the temperature has been cool enough to keep the fish in the taking mood. The brook trout are holding in front of the spring brooks and some good fishing can be had for those anglers looking for some nice brookies for the pan or for fun. We have been seeing some really nice white-tail bucks in our travels.I saw two bucks in different locations that were both 24 in. wide with good mass. Needless to say, we will be setting up for these bucks this fall! Many moose hunters have been out scouting for a good spot for their hunt next month. With our moose numbers being up,you could almost step into the woods anywhere in your selected zone and be into moose.We are predicting a record kill if the weather co-operates! The duck and geese numbers are good this year.As a matter of fact,the goose numbers are so good the DNR has implemented an early goose hunt in fields only.This should make for some great shooting for those hunters lucky enough to have access to some good fields! If any readers want to take advantage of the good fishing or book prime time for those big bucks,just give us a call or send us an e-mail and we will hook you up for an outdoor adventure you will remember for a lifetime!

Red Letter Day's!

The fishing has been nothing short of fantastic the last couple of days! Jamie U. had a couple of days off and gave me a call wanting to get some white perch to do up in fillets for a fry. I told him that the spawning run had already taken place,but I thought we might be able to find some stragglers at the mouth of Salmon Creek. Boy,did we ever find them! We started out fishing pickerel and we switched over to the white perch after landing twenty-two nice pickerel.The pickerel were all average size,18-22 inches. We got three over 20 inches.Then we started fishing for white perch and it was non-stop action for about two hrs. We ended up with seventeen beautiful jumbo white perch! It was a super morning of fishing and I always enjoy a trip on the water with my good friend Jamie. Oh,and by the way, the fillets were delicious!. The next morning,my good friend George P. and I were off to the Dungarvon River for some salmon fishing. We didn't have any luck there,so we went back to a pool on the main South-west Miramichi and I got lucky and landed a beautiful 5lb. grilse.What a great day we had fishing and chatting with other fishermen from around the province! The salmon fishing is really starting to heat up the last couple of weeks.We watched Mike B. land a nice grilse early in the day.Mike was really happy to finally land one as he had hooked six and lost them all in the previous week of fishing. It just proves that you have to be persistant to catch an Atlantic salmon! We can guarantee catching just about all our native species except Atlantic Salmon.These fish are the great equallizers.No amount of money can guarantee you will catch a salmon,but we can certainly put you over fish and that is half the battle! So give us a call or send an e-mail for more info. on how to get out on the water for some great fishing in beautiful New Brunswick!

The Cycle of Life

Summer has officially arrived and the weather has been very pleasant,with a nice mix of sun with enough rain to keep everything a nice deep green. The summer runs of salmon have now begun to enter the Miramichi River system after a delay of two or three weeks.Apparently this was caused by colder than normal water in the ocean,Anyway,the good news is they have arrived. This event follows a run of sea -trout that doubled the numbers of last year at most counting stations.We have been seeing many ducks and grouse with both species showing large broods indicating good nesting conditions this year. The moose and deer are starting to show up with their new-born young and the adults are starting to sport a nice new coat,as can be seen in the attached photo of a young bull moose.In a few days applicants of the annual moose draw will find out if they have been lucky or not.Keep your fingers crossed!So it looks like our summer season is off to a great start and we look forward to seeing you all out there in the Big Woods of central N.B.

The Best Boy In New Brunswick!

We're having a great time down East in Chipman,New Brunswick so far this summer,and this past week-end was no exception! I'm very pleased to announce that Tyler Northrup,my grand-son and myself,Dale Bauer,won the 16th Annual Chipman fish and game Fishing Derby this past Saturday.This year I mentored Ty and a friend from Doaktown named Ameliea Vienneau,and we were lucky enough to win the catagory for most weight registered per team. There were some great prizes for the kids and adults alike.And don't forget the free hot-dogs and pop and chips! It was a beautiful day for the tournament and a good time was had by all!The Chipman Fish and Game is to be commended for their hard work and dedication to promoting the sporting life to the younger generation. We are done bear hunting and we were very suprised at the number of large boars that were hitting our baits.Kenney took a young bear that was causing some walkers and joggers some distress out of circulation,but other than that,we will be keeping tabs on some really nice one's for future hunts. The run of sea-run brook trout up the Cains River this year was nothing short of phenomonal! Many long-time fishermen like John S.,who took a 19 incher that weighed 4.25 lbs. and Leonard P.who took several over 16in. have all said the fishing is the best they have ever seen! The Cains River is living proof that conservation does indeed work! The bright salmon are just starting and the pickerel fishing is just starting to heat up,so get up off your duff and get out there in the Great Outdoors for some fun in the sun!

How Big Is He?

Ken Hargrove has big hands! This bear track at one of our baits has been causing lots of chatter! And rightly so! This big ol' boar has been hitting one of our baits for about two weeks now. We have been guessing his weight based on the size of his track,but last night while baiting ,we got a good look at him,and he's a nice bear! Ken puts him at 350-375 lbs. and I say 350lbs. It will be interesting to find out what he actually weighs. We have been really busy the last week,checking baits and getting stands ready for the bear hunt. What a beautiful time of the year to be in the woods! We are seeing very good numbers of game and most species are in the process of raising their young. This makes for some great sightings of mammals and birds interacting with their new-born offspring. It never ceases to amaze me how protective the mothers are. Everyone knows you are not supposed to get between a sow bear and her cubs,but how many of you know that it can be down-right dangerous to get between a mother partridge and its little ones! I once took a fellow in to the mouth of McKeen Brook fishing and on the way out we encountered a partridge and a flock of small ones. My companion was in the lead and when the partridge saw him, it went right into attack mode! It fluffed right up and started to strut towards him and he just kept walking towards it .I told him he might want to go out arround it,but he just laughed and carried on.All of a sudden that bird was flying right up into his face and grabbing onto him.Well sir,he turned and was running and screaming down that old logging road just frothing the air with his fishing rod trying to fend off the attacking partridge! I never laughed so hard in all my life! The tears were coming down my cheeks! My companion finally untangled himself and returned with a sheepish grin on his face with only a few scratches to show for such a vicious attack! Mother Nature teaches some pretty stern lessons sometimes and my fishing buddy certainly learned one that day! The trout are running and the white perch are coming soon,so we are going to be really busy,but not busy enough that we can't find some time for new friends and sports that come up for a visit.See you soon!

Lots of Wildlife!

The past week has been a great time to be in New Brunswick's forests.We have been busy tending our bear baits and I squeezed in a fishing trip for brook trout on the Newcastle Stream.The fiddleheads were popping out and I got a limit of brookies for the pan.Nothing real big,just nice pan trout. We saw a sow and three cubs near one of our baits and we ran into a nice boar and a smaller bear at one of our other baits. One of our baits in Duffern was totally destroyed by what appears to be at least one large boar and one or two smaller bears. We are seeing lots of deer in our travels.We saw a nice otter at a beaverdam on the Harley Road while checking baits and the rabbits are everywhere on the roads. We had a pair of foxes and three kits move in next door and we have been having a great time watching them play and interact with a pair of Canada geese that are nesting nearby. It is really interesting to watch how predator and prey species react to each other. The fox and geese seem to have a real curiousity about each other and neither seems afraid or aggressive towards the other. The sea trout are moving up the Cains and Miramichi Rivers and we will be pursuing them in the coming weeks as well as hunting our bear baits. If any sports would like to go on an adventure in our great outdoors,just give us a call or e-mail us and we will make all the arrangements for your trip of a life-time! See you there!

Lot's of game this year!

We have been busy placing bear baits out this past week and we have been seeing an impressive amount of game. I saw a beautiful sow and two yearlings while placing a bait out this past Tuesday and Kenney seen a monster on Wednesday while baiting the Duffern area. I was out for a tour of the lower Cains River on Wednesday and we saw three moose,one was a large bull,a few partridge,lots of rabbits and an impressive amount of deer tracks.The deer have made a real come-back the last few years because of the light snowfall we have had.All in all,our game numbers are quite high and that translates into high success rates. The annual moose draw is is open now for residents and non-residents alike,so get your name in there because the woods are crawling with moose,many of them being mature trophy bulls. Success rates are very high for those lucky enough to draw a tag,so keep your fingers crossed!This photo is one of a nice bear taken in North Forks several years ago by me.I took him in the fall and he had a nice pelt and was very good eating. This would be considered an average sized bear for our area.We have bears that are literally twice this size in our area and we expect to harvest one or two of the big boys this spring,so come on down for a hunt,you won't be disappointed!

Seasons in Transition

Things sure can change fast when the weather goes from below normal temperatures to way above normal!That's just what happened this past week. With temperatures soaring into the high 20's,the salmon started backing down the river in a hurry,while the sea-trout started their annual journey up river. The large salmon still left in the upper regions of the river are getting VERY fussy about what they are hitting,but the up-side to all this is the really nice trout being caught. The large sea-trout are just passing through the Blackville area and will slowly make their way up river over the next few weeks. As the spring salmon fishing slowly fades for another year,we are out in the bush placing our bear baits as the bruins start to roam about and eat a bit. We have our eye on a couple that are way over 300lbs. and we are hoping some of our sports are lucky enough to take at least one of these monsters! We will be giving updates on a regular basis,so keep posted. With the trout fishing coming on fast and the bear hunting just around the corner,we are going to be busy for the next few weeks. The photo I've posted is one of Billie Fairley of Boistown landing a grilse at Bighole Brook.Billie has fished the Miramichi and Nashwaak rivers all his life and is a darned good fisherman! Just don't tell him I said that!

Great Fishing on the Miramichi

This week has seen some great fishing action on most stretches of the Miramichi River for those hardy enough to brave the elements! When you see the local guides out fishing in the evening after spending a day on the river with the Sports,you know it's good fishing! This isn't to say you will catch one on every cast,because we're talking Atlantic Salmon here,but if you fish hard and put some time in,your efforts will be rewarded. The wind started to blow on Thursday, but we still managed to catch a 30" salmon and a beautiful grilse before I drove a hook into my cheek trying to cast in the heavy wind and decided to call it a day. On Wednesday I caught a nice salmon and two grilse along with two small trout. Most of the Sports were hooking fish and landing anywhere from 2-3 per day up to 5-6 by casting short lines into shore and letting the fly swing around. Many of the guides are commenting on the numbers of large salmon being caught and this bodes well for the great Miramichi fishery. Wilson B. caught a beautiful trout at Nelson Hollow Wednesday morning.It was about 16" long. Wilson also had great luck on Tuesday at Sutter Pond having caught two large salmon and three grilse. The photo shows Glen D. with a fish he caught while we were out for a fish before supper time on Wednesday. The predictions are that the fishing is going to stay good for awhile because the fish aren't jumping yet and the weather is staying cool,so the fish are not moving out too quickly.So if you want to experience some great fishing, come on down to God's country and cast a line! You won't be sorry.

Good salmon fishing on the Miramichi

Last week saw some great fishing on the Miramichi River. Locals and American Sports alike were hooking fish on a regular basis from Wednesday on after the raise of water and the ice up river had run. There are some nice salmon in the 30" to 38" range being hooked on each outing.The weather has been rather cold,but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as far as fishing goes. The salmon will stay put until the water starts to warm up and until then you can expect good, consistent fishing. All sports had better make sure to dress warmly and include rain gear when you pack because it can get quite chilly out there! With the rather late start to the spring fishery this year,we are expecting good fishing right into the middle of May.Leroy A.,a local guide,caught a nice 18" brook trout on the week-end,but had to let it go because of the May1st opener. Oh well,maybe next time. Allen D.,friend and guide,is seen in the photo landing a nice grilse. Allen released this fish to fight another day. All in all,it has been a pretty good start to the season and we hope to see you out there fishing the great Atlantic salmon and experiencing the Miramichi River and all it's splendour!

Still lots of ice in the main SW Miramichi

The first day of spring salmon fishing in the Doaktown area can best be described as unusual. This type of river conditions has not been seen in recent memory for most people. Up river from Doaktown there is still long stretches of water with solid ice and the open water around Doaktown is unusually low. That being said,the fishing wasn't too bad the first day. Many sports caught a few fish with guides who were brave enough to risk breaking props. The fish were laying in the middle of the river because that was the only place there was any water. All week it was the same story,half decent fishing in the morning using small darker colored flies,then raising water with ice running in the afternoon and tough fishing. We are hoping by the middle of this week the water will be a little higher and maybe the ice will let go.At least then the guides and their sports can spread out some on the river.This past week there were sixteen sports crammed into the open water around the bridges at Doaktown and next week there are eighteen scheduled to fish.This can sometimes cause tempers to flair with all the jockying for position.There isn't much point in trying to move around much because there just isn't enough room! Most of the guides were just getting their spot and staying put. There should still be some good fishing in the coming weeks as the fish move down river when the ice moves. So come on down and tie into an Atlantic Salmon! You'll be hooked forever!

Still lots of ice in the Miramichi River

The opening day of April 15th on Sunday is coming right up and there is still lots of ice in the Miramichi. This is kind of a bummer,but you can't argue with Mother Nature. Salmon River is pretty well free of ice,except for the back guts and channels. The weather is supposed to turn wet this week-end and that could cause a raise of water which could move the ice out. To put a positive spin on these circumstances,I like to say it just gives us more time to prepare for our annual trip to Doaktown and the terrific fishing that awaits us on the famous Miramichi. This year we should see a lot more large salmon caught as there was a mighty run of salmon last fall. With the additional fish in the river ,this should add up to some great fishing right into May. Hope to see all you dedicated fishermen there! I'll be posting again to let our readers see the results of the first few days of fishing.Until then,tight lines and Good Luck!

get ready for spring salmon!

Spring is here! All the ice shacks have been hauled off of the lake and are all put away until next year. It was a great year of ice fishing on Grand Lake by all accounts.The only down side was the cancellation of the tournament due to a lack of ice.This move was a bit premature,but better safe than sorry. We are now busy getting our boats and motors ready for the opener on April 15 and we are anticipating some fantastic fishing. There were about 6600 more fish in the system than the previous year and I can personnally attest to the fact there was a large amount of salmon in the SW Miramichi last fall. I hooked 12 and landed 10 the first day last year and I expect to do at least that well this year! We will be guiding from the 16th of April on ,so all of you fishermen had better get ready to hit the water,because you don't want to miss what will be the best season in recent memory! I'll see you there!

Fishing Burbot on Grand Lake

Now that's what we're talkin' about! Kenny with his nine lb. Burbot caught at Grand Lake off of Cox's Point. This fish was about thirty-two ins. long and Ken had his hands full getting him up the eight in. hole! Although this fish represents the upper limit in size for this species in Grand Lake,there are plenty of burbot in the three to five lb. range to be had.So get out there during those boring winter days and experience some of the great fishing to be had at Grand Lake

ice fishing on Grand Lake

Winter is nearing it 's end ,but not before the ice fishermen on Grand Lake have a chance to catch some more burbot and white fish. This has been a very good year for both of these species this year. Some white fish in the five lb. catagory have been caught, as well as some nice burbot up to ten lbs. The smelts have been a little scarce,but the one,s that have been caught have been pretty good size,right up to 12 ins. long. Some say the best fishing is yet to come,so get out there on Grand Lake and havre some fun!!

fishing on salmon river

Kenny's looking forward to some more big ones like this pickerel!

fishing on salmon river

I can't wait until this time rolls around again!!