Summer has officially started and the weather is finally warming up. The temperatures had been cool for the first part of the month with a fair amount of rain and this dampened down a lot of fishing success for a few different species but it helped out the cold water species like salmon and trout. The water had been low and warm for this time of year but the rain and cool weather really changed that and the salmon and sea trout were loving it! Right now, there are Rocky Brook salmon and sea trout making their way up river through Blackville, Doaktown and Boistown.
The annual Chipman Fish and Game Fishing Derby was held recently and was well attended with around 75 kids and 50 adults registered. I was happy to host a nice lady from Doaktown along with her children and grand-daughter. Young Ben Robichaud caught his first fish and got himself some new fishing gear to use on his future outings. This is a great tourney for kids and parents alike with free drinks and hotdogs and fishing tackle give aways. The fishing was slow this year because of the cold weather and high water but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants. This photo shows Ben and his Mom with his first fish. I think his Mom was more excited
than he was! The next photo shows Ben getting his prize from the sponsors.
This photo shows all the kids together for a group photo with their prizes. Ben is on the far left.
J.D. Irving is one of the main sponsors for this Derby and their input is always appreciated. While I'm at it, I would also like to extend thanks to the many long time volunteers who support this Derby each year. This next photo shows part of that group. Thanks Marg Hay, Dennis Richardson and Ottie Northrup for all your hard work!
We had bears of all sizes on this bait and since it was on the border of zones 17 and 18, I wanted to keep it open because it would be very easy to switch over to Zone 17 , if need be, for the fall hunt.
We've maintained this bait now for several years and every bear for 30 miles around knows it's there. We never have a problem bringing bears into our baits. Our system may not be like what other guides or outfitters do but we like to think it's better, especially for the environment.
I really must say I don't totally agree how our DNR manages our bear hunt. We have a terrific resource here that must be protected and promoted to maintain it's status as a world class big game resource in this province. I can only pray that wisdom will prevail and our bear numbers will not collapse as did our deer herd because of mismanagement. The beauty of a renewable resource is it will correct itself if given a chance. Good thing.
I went through dozens of photos from this site but I tried to get a good mix to show my readers.
This is just a sampling from one bait site that we have in our territory. We will start preparing for our fall hunts around the middle of August. That's the time we start to narrow down our focus and get set up for a kill. It's all in the effort and the details that make it happen. If a hunter can steady himself and follow through, then he will have game on the ground. Most hunters will get their chance. The successful one's capitalize on that chance. I still have hundreds of photos from Jamie and Dal's baits in Zone 17 to sort through but I'll post them when I get them organized.
The annual Chipman Fish and Game Fishing Derby was held recently and was well attended with around 75 kids and 50 adults registered. I was happy to host a nice lady from Doaktown along with her children and grand-daughter. Young Ben Robichaud caught his first fish and got himself some new fishing gear to use on his future outings. This is a great tourney for kids and parents alike with free drinks and hotdogs and fishing tackle give aways. The fishing was slow this year because of the cold weather and high water but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants. This photo shows Ben and his Mom with his first fish. I think his Mom was more excited
than he was! The next photo shows Ben getting his prize from the sponsors.
This photo shows all the kids together for a group photo with their prizes. Ben is on the far left.
J.D. Irving is one of the main sponsors for this Derby and their input is always appreciated. While I'm at it, I would also like to extend thanks to the many long time volunteers who support this Derby each year. This next photo shows part of that group. Thanks Marg Hay, Dennis Richardson and Ottie Northrup for all your hard work!
The spring bear hunt is now over and there were some good bears taken right across the province. Again, the weather played a major role in the success rate of residents and non-residents alike. It was cold and damp for a good portion of the prime hunting time and from our observations it did seem to slow down bear activity. We did mostly spot and stalk hunts this year because we were doing a lot of scouting and although a couple of opportunities did arise, we didn't connect on any trophies. I had one bait on the border of zones 17 and 18 that had over a dozen different bears hitting the bait. At times it was hard to re-bait without running into bears on the bait. If there is competition among the bears, some of the more aggressive ones will almost camp out right on the bait as if guarding their food source. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Great for the hunter but a little nerve racking for the guide! Here are a few photos of the bears that were hitting this bait.
We had bears of all sizes on this bait and since it was on the border of zones 17 and 18, I wanted to keep it open because it would be very easy to switch over to Zone 17 , if need be, for the fall hunt.
We've maintained this bait now for several years and every bear for 30 miles around knows it's there. We never have a problem bringing bears into our baits. Our system may not be like what other guides or outfitters do but we like to think it's better, especially for the environment.
I really must say I don't totally agree how our DNR manages our bear hunt. We have a terrific resource here that must be protected and promoted to maintain it's status as a world class big game resource in this province. I can only pray that wisdom will prevail and our bear numbers will not collapse as did our deer herd because of mismanagement. The beauty of a renewable resource is it will correct itself if given a chance. Good thing.
I went through dozens of photos from this site but I tried to get a good mix to show my readers.
This is just a sampling from one bait site that we have in our territory. We will start preparing for our fall hunts around the middle of August. That's the time we start to narrow down our focus and get set up for a kill. It's all in the effort and the details that make it happen. If a hunter can steady himself and follow through, then he will have game on the ground. Most hunters will get their chance. The successful one's capitalize on that chance. I still have hundreds of photos from Jamie and Dal's baits in Zone 17 to sort through but I'll post them when I get them organized.
This is a short post this month because I was away on vacation to northern Quebec on a fly-in fishing trip for brook trout and a death in the family kept my outdoor activities to a minimum. I live the outdoor life but sometimes Life gets in the way. Anyhow, I found a terrific spot for deer today and things are starting to shape up very nicely for Nils and his wife. This couple from Germany are very important to us and Ken and I assure them both they will be getting our very best when they come to visit us this fall. I encourage Nils and all my readers to follow my posts to keep up with everything that happens in our neck of the woods and how we conduct ourselves in the bush and on our hunts.
If any sport would like to know more about what we do or how we do it , just give me a shout whichever way you like and we'll see if we can have a time!
This is Dale Bauer saying " Happy Trails to You.......Until we Meet Again!"
