WHAT'S NEW AT HARGROVE AND BAUER OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

2011--THE YEAR IN REVIEW

2011-12-24T12:34:00.001-04:00

We are closing in on the New Year and I like to look back on the past year and try to evaluate how our different seasons went and how we fared afield here in the beautiful Grand Lake area. As you can see from the photo above,there is no shortage of beautiful scenery and great photo opportunities in our area.This photo was taken last fall at the height of the changing of the leaves to their fantastic fall colors. It was taken from the beach in front of my home on Salmon River and to say I live in paradise would be an understatement. Many times, Ken and I both forget what a wonderful place we live and work in at home here on Salmon River. It seems that many times a person becomes so used to living in a certain place that one has to remind themselves just how unique and special that place is. I know, speaking for myself,all I have to do is look through some old photos and I find myself with a big smile on my face,marvelling at the sheer beauty and wildness of our home here on Salmon River. In my post last month,I said that 2012 will be a year of change for Ken and I, so I hope the readers of my blog will stick around and see what's new each month in the coming new year.
The year started off well for our crew ice fishing on Grand Lake and Salmon River as soon as we had enough ice to safely travel with a vehicle. We don't take any chances with thin ice at any location we fish and we like to see six inches of good ice before we get out there putting up our shacks and tents. We fish out of shacks on Grand Lake and sometimes we use temporary shelters when fishing the more sheltered bays and coves in Salmon Harbour. There are several species to pursue on Grand Lake but we usually set up for smelt,whitefish and burbot,using a variety of baits. When fishing Salmon River and the Harbour for pickerel and perch,we use worms,grubs and bead head jigs for the perch and live minnows or a piece of oily fish with a spinner for the pickerel. We like to set some lines and work one or two.Multiple lines raise your chances of a hook-up dramatically so we use as many as the law allows us. The following photo shows Kenny hoisting up a nice burbot from Grand Lake. Ken has caught them much larger than this one but he says this size makes the best fillets for fish and chips. We always keep a few to deep fry because they make such delicious battered fish.

The next photo shows Ken with my son Curt and his girlfriend Erica with some nice pickerel taken right on the edge of town at McLeod's Park.

This would be a typical catch after fishing for a few hours in the afternoon.

As you can see,we have had some good success ice fishing in our area and this is a great way to spend a day outdoors during our long New Brunswick winter.

When our winter finally broke,the Miramichi River started to run and we began to get ready for our annual trek over to Doaktown for the black salmon opener on the 15th of April. We had good fishing again last spring with many grilse and salmon being caught during the season. The following video shows me catching a nice grilse last spring near Sutter Pond in Carrolls Crossing. It remained good fishing for most of the season because there was lots of ice around to keep the water temps cool.As I said earlier,the fishing stayed good well into the season and the sea trout arrived right on schedule to provide some good fishing at the mouth of the many brooks that flow into the Miramichi River. The bright salmon runs that normally start in June,started in late May and never let up until the end of a season that many will remember as one of the best in recent memory.There was an abundance of large salmon interspersed with some nice grilse that came in on every raise of water all summer long. The water temps stayed good and with lots of water,it was a great year for the salmon making their spawning runs up the Miramichi and all her tributaries. The following photo shows me playing a nice fall grilse on the Cains River in 2010. If there was a highlight during our seasons last year,it would have to be the bright salmon fishing that the large runs provided for the many ardent salmon fishermen from around the world. Any sport who made the trip to the beautiful Miramichi River for a weeks fishing last year was not disappointed both in numbers of fish seen and hooked. The many large spawners that made up the largest part of the runs bodes well for this magnificent fishery in the future but the keepers of this great resource must be ever on the hunt for new and better ways to improve the size of the runs and their health and well-being if these great game fish are to survive in the future.

The brook trout fishing this past year was very good,as this has been the case for some years now. Since the allowable catch has been managed more closely,we have seen both sea-run and regular brook trout numbers increase and we are usually able to get into good numbers of both of these species at the right time of the year. Speaking of timing,it's everything when fishing many of the species here in the Grand Lake area and our guides know when and where to intercept the different species as they make their pilgrimages up our various rivers and streams. The following photo shows me with a nice brook trout taken on the Cains River. We also pick up some nice trout while fishing for spring salmon on the Miramichi River. Each year,sports will pick up some trophy sized sea- trout from the lower stretches as they make their run up the river in May.The next photo shows me releasing a nice trout while fishing for spring salmon in the Carrolls Crossing area.

The pickerel bite was off a bit last summer because of an abundance of water in the system all season long. I've mentioned in my blog before that if conditions are good for salmon and trout,chances are the pickerel bite will be off and that was the situation we faced this past summer. The beauty of fishing for pickerel is if you know your stuff,you can usually coax a fish or two into taking something,even if you have to try a few different lures to entice these great game fish into taking. My view on pickerel fishing is that it is an underutilized sport fish here in New Brunswick,largely due to the fact that most sports are concentrating on Atlantic Salmon and brook trout. This is too bad because sports are missing out on some great action during the low water later in the summer. The next photo is one of my son Curtis fishing with Sgt.Cain on Salmon River.last summer. It was tough fishing but Curt is a great pickerel guide and he got the Sgt. into several nice fish.

If any hunt up here in New Brunswick could be termed a sure thing,it would have to be the spring bear hunt. This past year we had multiple bears on our baits and some of those bears were trophy sized. If any hunter wants to take a nice average sized bear,New Brunswick is the place to hunt.Of course,if you are after a trophy sized animal,the hunter will have to wait it out and hope the larger bears show themselves during daylight hours. Ken and I have a couple of little tricks we use to get those big boars to show themselves. Ken guided for a native lady in northern Ontario and ran one hundred baits for her and she taught Ken a few good baiting tricks that her father taught her when he was running the show before she took over after her father retired. Not all baits are created equal and you can trust that Ken and I are doing things up right at our bait sites in order to bring in those big boars.The next photo shows a very large bear at one of our baits in the Gaspereau River area.

My highlight for the past season was being invited to guide Wanda Doherty on her 2011 moose hunt. I've known Wanda and her husband Jake for most of my life and we had a great hunt that included good friend and fellow guide Allen Davidson as well as Wanda and Jakes daughter Chelsey. I want to tell my readers a bit about Chelsey and her very interesting life she has had so far. Chelsey is the type of girl that loves adventure and travelling and meeting new people. This Christmas Chelsey is in Malaysia competing in the Miss International Tourism competition,representing Canada. Now Chelsey didn't get to this competition by being a couch potato who thinks a pretty girl just has to stand around and,well,look pretty! No, not this girl! What I really like about Chelsey is she will roll her sleeves up and work right along with you to get a job done. Chelsey maintains a good grade average at university and works part-time for N.B. DNR.She really enjoys her work and has made a big impression on all the folks she works with and I can see a great future for this young lady no matter what path she takes. The next photo shows Chelsey swimming with some sharks while working on a project in the Bahamas.

The next photo shown is one I took of Chelsey relaxing for a bit after we loaded her mothers moose to transport it to the Cache for registration. As you can see from this photo,Chelsey is as comfortable in the bush wearing blue jeans as she is wearing those fancy gowns while modelling on the fashion runways around the world. I had a great time hunting with the Doherty's this past moose season and I wish Chelsey all the best in her future endeavours.

I hope the readers of my blog enjoyed my look back on the past year and I would like to take this time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year! from Ken,Jamie Dallas and I here at home on Salmon River.

Anyone looking for an adventure in the Grand Lake area,please give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and Ken and I will arrange a trip for you that you will enjoy here at home in Gods Country!

This is Dale Bauer saying 'Happy Trails to You.....Until we meet Again!'

N.B. 2011 DEER SEASON ---A TIME FOR CHANGE.

2011-11-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

The 2011 deer season just ended last week-end and the numbers are now in. A total of 4755 deer were killed, with 137 being taken with a bow. These figures are slightly lower than last years kill of 5101. DNR and many hunters had been predicting even lower numbers so I guess we are supposed to be happy with those results? Nope,I don't think so! This years deer kill is the fourth worst on record and that's not good! Of course,there were some nice bucks taken around the province and the Grand Lake area produced some very nice trophies for a few lucky hunters. As a matter of fact,there were at least three nice bucks that I know of that were taken just a few kilometers from the Pioneer Lodge. One of the Phillips girls got a nice eight point buck in her back orchard in New Dominion and a nice nine point and a huge ten point were taken in Cox's Point.It should also be pointed out that all of these bucks were taken on private ground. That's where the bulk of our deer herd lives now. The Big Woods have really seen a drop in numbers in our areas we have hunted in the past and that is why we have to change our tactics from now on when pursuing deer.Roughly two thirds of this years kill came from the south and western areas of the province and this is where most of the private ground is in New Brunswick.
Our deer hunt this year was cut short before we really got started. Ken's brother-in-law,Bob Urquhart,passed away half way through the season.Bob was Dallas and Jamies father so that effectively ended the season for my hunting partners for 2011. Jamie did manage to set up a spot close to town and he seen quite a bit of action at this site. He had about a half dozen does and kids and one young buck that he had a chance at but chose not to shoot because of poor light. Jamie said he would rather let him grow than risk wounding a nice deer.Good for you,Jamie! The following photos are from Jamies new bait site in town.

We are in the process of setting up five or six sites such as these in and around the village.These sites will be bow sites because of their location. This is a trend that will be on-going as we move our hunting efforts closer to the village and to points further south.For my part,I travelled to the southern end of Grand Lake and scouted some of my old stomping grounds that I hunted years ago when I was growing up in that area.I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of deer sign I was seeing but a lot of the activity was does and kids. There were some bucks around because I found some scrapes and some nice rubs in a couple of locations. My son Curtis lives in the area so it makes it convenient when hunting there because we use his place as a base of operations when in that locale. It's only an hours drive to these hunting grounds,which is about how far we travel when hunting the Big Woods to the north of us. I went in to check out a spot I found on the last day of the season and took a short video clip of the spot where a nice buck and a few does are coming out to an overgrown field.This spot should be good for a bow hunt next fall over bait. The deer in this area take bait well,with the locals using apples carrots and pumpkin with good success. It has been our experience that big bucks will show themselves more readily if you set up for them back in the woods rather than on the edge of the field. They don't like exposing themselves during daylight hours but if they can sneak into a bait located in good cover,these big bucks will sometimes come in during the twilight hour before dark.

The next two photos show one trophy class buck and a nice up and commer buck at a wilderness food plot constructed next to a beaver dam. It proves the theory that if hunters construct food plots in wilderness areas,the deer will utilize it.

This year was the first year in memory that there were no deer hanging on the game pole here at home on Salmon River. Ken and the boys certainly weren't in very good spirits for this years hunt and they just didn't get into the hunt like they usually do.I found myself being rather bummed out at the low numbers of deer in our traditional hunting spots so I never really got excited about this years deer hunt.I'm not trying to make up excuses for our lack of success during this years hunt but there were unusual circumstances to deal with this year and I thought I would best use my hunting time scouting new areas. At least I found some nice bucks while changing areas during the 2011 deer season. Hopefully,this will bode well for next years deer hunt and we will get a crack at some of those big bucks we know are in our chosen areas.

As I already said,there were still some nice bucks taken in the grand Lake area and two guys who work at the local saw mill score on a couple of trophy bucks.Shaun S. from Minto was hunting with his son in the Salmon River area (for some reason he didn't get too specific about where he got his buck). He had a hunting partner who pushed the deer right out to Shaun. Now that's what I call a good buddy! The next two photos show Shawn with his 2011 buck.

This buck had a nice high rack and Shaun said the experience was certainly enriched by the fact his son was with him and got some first hand experience hunting with his Dad and seeing him take this nice N.B. buck.

Another saw mill worker,Ivan B. of Chipman,took a tremendous buck while hunting out of his brothers camp on the western side of Grand Lake. I didn't get any photos of this buck but Ivan told me it was a twelve pt. buck that dressed out at 248 lbs. That's a big buck by any standard! Congratulations to Ivan and Shaun and all the other hunters who managed to take a buck this year.

    One of New Brunswicks on-line hunting sites,NBHunting .com has a thread that shows some of the nice bucks taken around the province by the members of that site. These photos show that New Brunswick still has the potential to be the white-tail buck mecca that it once was. Even now,with our deer herd numbers at near historic low,hunters across the province managed to take some really nice bucks. Here is the link to the photos of those nice bucks.http://newbrunswickhunting.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3230-2011-whitetail-harvest-pics-only-no-comments/
    My own thoughts,upon reflecting back upon this past deer season,is that change is inevitable.It's part of our reality and is the basis for our evolution as a species. But for some strange reason,most humans have a tendency to resist change,even though it is an integral part of our existence. Imagine how far we have come in a relatively short time,both as a species and as hunters. As our fore-bearers had to change their hunting areas as game was diminished in their traditional areas,so do our modern day migrant hunters from the north and east pursue our deer herd ever further south. This is an entirely natural occurrence and one we must accept in the hunting community. This season,I saw much less hunter activity by visitors from away and I'm assuming the less enthusiastic hunters just didn't bother travelling this year. Many of the more serious hunters travelled further to the south and hunted on or near private ground in hopes of increasing their chances for success There was also less hunting pressure from the locals because many didn't bother to even by a licence. This made the woods much quieter this year and I really liked that part of the hunt. So in the near future,Ken and I,as well as the boys,Jamie and Dallas,will be changing our hunting efforts by hunting closer, with bows and a little further south,towards the southern end of Grand Lake in hopes of increasing our hunting success on those big N.B. bucks.
    The ruffed grouse hunting this year was very good in our area and many hunters limited out on good days when the weather co-operated. There were some good sized flocks at the start of the hunting season which indicates a good nesting year with a high survival rate. Of course,after the young of the year got thinned out,the older wiser birds that were left weren't nearly so easy to bag.
        The woodcock flight this year was considered average this year but the northern birds were here but at times it was feast or famine,depending on the locale and how hard the coverts had been hunted.Jamie spent this season doing a lot of training and less shooting as he tries to finish off his English setter to be steady to wing and shot. These little birds are great sport and we are fortunate to live in close proximity to some very good coverts around Grand Lake and its tributaries.
    For this post,I have dug out a couple of ornaments to show my readers.The first photo is of a pair of black panthers. The larger cat has a stylized, elongated body with red paint around the mouth.The paint is pretty good on this one but this type of ornament is notorious for loosing its paint because it is applied over the glaze and gets worn or flaked off from being handled and cleaned. The smaller cat resembles the larger one but is fashioned in a more realistic fashion. Both of these ornaments are Japanese in origin and are from the late Fifties or early Sixties.

The next photo is one of a ceramic string holder fashioned into an owl. I have several string holders fashioned from different things. Manufacturers employed a variety of figures into the making of string holders including one of the more popular ones,a black mammy face. Back in the day,string was used a lot in everyday life and most households had one on the wall,usually in the pantry. This nice little owl has under glaze decoration with two sized holes for the string to come out of. If you look closely,you can see the holes for the string under the beak of the owl. I'd peg this little item from the late Fifties or early Sixties. The manufacturer was an English pottery. Here is a photo of the mark.

The last item I have to show my readers is one of a N.B. wardens badge from 1939. This badge is in very good condition and shows very little wear. These badges,along with guide badges, are becoming very collectible and the early ones are commanding high prices. I know I probably paid more than I should have for this one but it was an earlier version and had the significance of being issued in the year WW11 was started.

In closing,I would like to urge any of my readers who are looking for a vacation hunting ,fishing or just relaxing in the Grand Lake area to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail for more information on how to arrange a day or a week in Gods country! This is Dale Bauer saying 'Happy Trails to You....Until we Meet Again!'

PUDDLE DUCKS,BIG BUCKS,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-10-21T13:32:00.001-04:00

    It's been a great fall down home here on Salmon River so far this year and with the rifle deer season just around the corner,Kenny and I have high hopes that we will have some nice bucks on the ground again this year.
    Our 2011 moose hunt was a great success (see last post)and our annual duck hunt was a lot of fun,with all blinds taking at least a few during the first day. The pond that I hunt had less shooters this year because Dallas was guiding a couple of new-comers and Randy-Micheal was hunting with his father.That left Ken, Jamie and myself as gunners,along with a couple of gents who found our pond and didn't realize that we were hunting there. It just so happened that I knew Royden W. from his younger days in Chipman so we worked out a good shooting arrangement for the morning hunt. This could have been a difficult situation under different circumstances but I took some of my own advice and showed a little respect and sportsmanship and invited Royden and his son,Jamie to stay and shoot with us after they offered to leave. They stayed and shot with us and they managed to kill a few ducks but more importantly,young Jamie saw how quickly and easily sportsmen can resolve any differences they may have and have success and fun in the process. This was Jamie's first duck hunt and I don't think it will be his last. It's great to see young people in the field and two thumbs up to Royden for the super job he has done introducing his son to the outdoors. Jamie had a summer job with Fredericton Outfitters and caught his share of salmon and grilse while filming some video for you-tube,so he's off to a great start!
    The following photo shows Ken,Jamie,myself and the two retrievers hunting the pond on the first day.

We got a dozen ducks or so between us but this year I was top shooter with a limit! Now I'll be the first to admit that my shooting skills have slipped a bit in the last few years but this year it seemed all I had to do was point and shoot and it rained ducks! No complaints here! Normally Jamie out shoots me but he was using a different gun this year and I think it threw him off a bit. That's what Jamie said, so I guess that's what happened. The next photo is a brace of ducks and Kenny in the background taken on the first morning.

We had a mixed bag of ducks coming in to our decoys and we took blacks,blue and green winged teal and wood ducks during our hunt. All of our other blinds also took a mixed bag of ducks and had shooting all day long,just as we did. We had seen a lot of black ducks prior to the opener but many of them seemed to have left for parts unknown just days before the opener. Ken and I think that hunters out scouting during the days leading up to the opener caused these shy ducks to vacate the area. We have found that black ducks are very sensitive to human activity in their resting areas and won't tolerate being disturbed for very long. The following short video clip shows how we were set up in the pond on the first day.

Dallas and his group of new duck hunters did well with all shooters taking ducks,including a female shooter,Cora B. who said she didn't realize how much fun it is hunting ducks.I'm sure Cora will be back shooting with us next year and she says she will be bringing a friend along to keep her company. See you next year,Cora!

With the rifle deer season starting on Monday,Oct.24th,Ken and I and the rest of the boys have been busy putting out apple baits at our spots close to town.We learned a long time ago not to bother trying to bait big woods deer with apples because it doesn't work.If the local deer herd isn't familiar with apples as a food source,they will ignore an apple bait and continue to feed on browse. We tried for years to draw them in to our baits but we gave up after continually bringing black bears in.This would be great if we were targeting bears but when you are after deer,you soon tire of carrying pails of bait to feed the bears. Nowadays,we just bait deer in areas where we know they will find our baits and come in to feed regularly. We have found that even if a bear does come in to feed on our deer apples in these areas,the deer will continue to visit.They just come when the bear isn't there. We have slowly been shifting our hunting areas over to the southern end of Grand Lake.The deer herd hasn't suffered quite as bad farther to the south and these farmland deer come to the apples much easier. We will continue to hunt our old big woods areas each year because there are still a few old bucks running around and we will be posted on the crossings for at least a few days of the season.

Another buck that survived last years winter was a huge buck that we hunted in Coal Creek. One of my contacts in the area told me he seen this buck cross the road in front of him late this summer and he looks as good as he did last year. We had concerns that this buck might not survive the rigors of our New Brunswick winters because Ken and I both think this buck is getting old and won't be around much longer. We will be hunting this buck again this year and like the other buck in the previous photo,we will be hunting him over an apple bait.Look closely at his rack and see the nice mass this bucks horns carry.

These two bucks,as well as a couple more slightly smaller ones are bucks we will be hunting close to town. We will also be hunting another half dozen or so bucks that cruise the big woods in our old haunts such as the Harley Road and the Pleasant Brook country. Be sure to read next months blog to see the results of this years deer hunt.

The 2011 salmon season ended last week-end on the 15th of October and this year will be remembered as one that provided great angling opportunities over most of the season.The water stayed on the high side and didn't warm up during the summer months. There were good runs of salmon and grilse on most of the rivers and the fishing stayed good until the last day or two. The wind and rain pretty much blew out the last day but Donna A.and myself fished the MSW Miramichi on Friday and Saturday morning before the conditions deteriorated to the point were fishing wasn't feasible.Neither of us had any hook-ups but we rolled a few and had a couple of bumps and just enjoyed being on such a great river at the end of the season. I did manage to catch a very nice grilse in the Cains River a week before the season ended. This was the nicest grilse I have ever caught and he was very close to being a salmon,coming in at 63 cm.,right on the nose. This fish was a nice bronze colour and displayed the typical fall colors of a Cains River fish. The next photo shows me with the grilse.

I also caught a nice trout while floating from Carroll's Crossing to Doaktown when I brought my boat home for the year. I was alone so all I could do was get a picture of the fish beside my boot so you could have a reference for judging its size.I thought it was around sixteen inches. I released the trout after the photo because the season had ended and that fish was an incidental catch while fishing for salmon. These nice sea trout can provide great action when the salmon aren't taking and that can be quite often! The following photo shows the trout I caught that day.

There are still a few rivers that remain open to salmon angling until the end of the month and the striper fishing is going full tilt at all the local hotspots. Muskie fishermen continue to boat some nice muskies in the water between the Princess Margret bridge and the bucket club in Fredericton. This area has proven to be a great spot for fishing large stripers, as well as muskie. Muskie seem to be expanding their range and I expect to see more in Grand Lake and the other connected lakes in the near future.These fish are a great sport fish and provide a lot of thrills when you hook a big one!

I have picked up some nice vintage items in my travels lately and I left even more behind because I have been trying to slow down my pace of purchases due to concerns over storage space. It takes up a lot of room to store large collections and I've gathered up a truck load of outdoor items over the years. The first photo shows an English game plate featuring a mature stag and a hind standing with another young stag. This game plate is in excellent condition,with no wear to the gold rim decoration. This plate has an overstamp which means it was probably made by one company and then purchased in a lot by another company who then put their company stamp over the original manufacturer. I would age this plate to the late Fifties or early Sixties. I will include a photo of the stamp and overstamp so my readers can see who the manufacturers were. If anyone is familiar with English potteries,you will recognize the names as manufacturers of high quality pottery items. The next item I have is a little gem of a thing that was spared from certain destruction from the burning tips of cigarettes.This little ashtray portrays a duck hunting scene with lots of action that I find quite appealing to the eye. This item is quite collectible in its own right but when you find the words ''Mercury Dealer'' in the advertising,then it adds a whole other area of collectors to the arena.This adds to the demand for the item and therefore ,the price increases. This little ash tray is in beautiful,unused condition and I would date it to the Fifties or early Sixties.

The next little item I have is a hand tooled leather wallet that has a nice buck embossed on the front fold. I remember having one of these wallets when I was a kid and thinking ''When I get older,I'm going to get a buck like that'' and I've been trying ever since! I've come close but not quite like the one displayed on this nice unused leather wallet. These wallets were popular souvenir items back in the late Fifties and early Sixties and many times had names stamped on them like Niagara Falls or some other major tourist attraction. This wallet is circa 1960.

I hope the readers of my monthly blog enjoy seeing some of the vintage items I collect. I realize that this stuff isn't strictly about Kenny and myselfs outdoor activities but this is a part of my everyday life and I like showing these great collectibles so people will know what cool stuff is out there on the marketplace. If any of my readers is interested in anything they see in my posts or would like a day on the river or a week in the bush in our area,just give me a shout and Ken and I and the boys will be at your service! This is Dale Bauer saying,''Happy Trails to You.....Until we meet Again!''

2011 MOOSE HUNT,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-09-28T05:29:00.000-04:00

Fall is upon us once again here at home on Salmon River and the maples on Moon Island in front of my house are ablaze with different shades of red,orange,yellow and some green that is still hanging on. This is the time of year that many of us wait for faithfully,those first outings to the bush,starting with the moose hunt and then to the duck meadows for our annual duck hunt.Both of these outdoor activities are long-standing traditions with both the Hargroves and myself. If our duck hunt goes as well as our moose hunts did,we'll all be grinning from ear to ear and giving out hugs and high fives! As I mentioned in my last post, ol' Wes Hargrove got drawn for a moose tag,as well as his nephew,James. To say the Hargrove Clan had a great moose hunt would be an understatement and as luck would have it,I got to go on a moose hunt as the designated hunter.

This was the first time that Wanda Doherty,wife of good friend Stephen Doherty,had ever been drawn for a moose tag and since they both have such tight schedules,they thought I should come along to do some scouting and help Wanda during the hunt because Stephen was having a hard time juggling his work schedule. I've known Stephen and Wanda for years and I wanted Wanda to be comfortable and enjoy the hunt,without having to work to hard. I checked around and scouted some areas around Chipman and much to my surprise there was a couple of spots about ten minutes outside of town that held good numbers of moose. Stephen and I kept a close eye on the two spots we had chosen to hunt and we were seeing fresh sign each time we scouted the area.One thing I really liked about these two spots is there was a large bull hanging around the choppings in each area we had chosen to hunt and we would eventually decide to hunt a cutting that overlooked the Coal Creek Valley. A more scenic spot to hunt moose would be hard to find,especially with the fog hanging over the valley at dawn on the first morning. Stephen and I thought it would be a good idea to invite our long-time friend and fellow guide Allen Davidson along on the hunt to call for us a bit and cook up his tasty lunches at dinner time.Stephen and Wanda's daughter Chelsie rounded out the hunting party on the first day. After coffee and discussing some strategy,the Dougherty's started off down the road at legal shooting time,looking carefully into the choppings for a black shape that might be a moose. Allen and I stayed back on the crest of the ridge so we could call out over the valley in hopes of bringing in a big bull.The following video shows Allens calling sequence on the first morning.We called all morning and a big bull must have answered us fifty times with grunt after grunt but he wouldn't come out.Allen thought the bull was with a cow and he wouldn't leave her and I think he was right.After a while,during the height of Allen's wailing and the bulls grunting answers,the cow he was with took to wailing too,for a short time,as if to say 'Yes,I'm here and he's staying here with me'! That's just exactly what they did.Those two moose never moved from their spot all that first day. The next morning,I went to meet the girls and Stephen had been sick all night and couldn't get out of bed and Allen had other commitments so it was me and the two ladies striking out for our moose hunting area.After coffee and some small talk,we started down through the choppings,stopping once at a slough hole to call,then moving on to the last chopping at the end of the road. The girls and I stood on the road and I called twice and was peering off into the distance straining to hear a bull that was grunting far off in the distance when Wanda calmly said'Dale,there's one right there'. I couldn't believe my ears but as I slowly turned,sure enough,there stood a young cow facing straight on to me with it's ears up like a german shepherd. I didn't like the shot and Wanda told me to come over by her because she could see it well from where she was standing.I said it was a little small,should I shoot it? Before she could answer,I remembered what she had told me. She just wanted a moose,any moose,so I just said 'we can't fool around' and I laid that young cow moose down low. The girls and I were very happy to have our moose and we had just been standing waiting for the help to arrive when a huge cow came out and crossed the road just as Allen and Stephen were coming down the road. Chelsie later said that she saw the moose's ear flicker and motioned to her mother that the moose was standing there looking at us.That's when Wanda whispered to me that the moose was there.The following photo shows Wanda and I with her moose shortly after it was taken.This young moose was a dry cow and it dressed out at five hundred and eleven lbs. I already had some tenderloin and it was delicious so I would expect the rest of the meat to be very tasty after it has been hung for a week and then cut up. The next photo shows Chelsie and her mother with her moose before we dressed it out.

In my last post I mentioned that Wes Hargrove,Kenny's father,drew a moose tag for zone 18 . James Parker,Wes's nephew,also drew a tag for the same zone.Having two tags in the family meant this hunt was definitely going to be a family affair. The crew of hunters stayed at the Smith camp in Salmon River and from what I was told,they had a great hunt and had some great meals during their stay at the camp. Ol' Wes told the boys right off that they weren't going to shoot any cows or calves on the first day and they held good to their word as they seen a cow and a calf the first thing Thursday morning and let them walk. Friday morning Dallas had a good chance at a four point bull but his scope fogged up and he couldn't see to take the shot.Dal was still fuming about that boo-boo the next day. It was getting down to the crunch on Saturday and as luck would have it,Dallas and James stopped back at the camp so Dallas could go to the toilet.After answering natures call,he stepped out of the toilet and looked down the river and there stood a cow and a nice bull.Well Dallas threw himself together and sprinted back to the camp to get James and they carefully stalked to within seventy-five yards of the standing moose.Dallas told James to wait until the moose stepped up on the bank before shooting and as the moose cleared the shore,they emptied their guns into the two moose. The hunt had ended successfully and everyone in camp was in a celebratory mood. Drinks all around and a good time was had by all!This photo shows Wes standing in the background and James in the foreground,with Kenny standing in the middle with their moose.Ken told me that they really hunted hard and he felt they were very lucky to have taken their moose in such warm conditions. James's cow dressed out at five hundred and sixty-five lbs. and Wes's nine point bull dressed out at six hundred and eighty five lbs. The next photo shows Wes standing beside his 2011 bull.

In summarizing this years moose hunt,I would have to say that overall,the conditions were not very good because of the very warm weather we had.Many hunters were in their t-shirts during the afternoon and the moose were mainly moving at night and staying in the green woods during the day.Many hunters complained that the moose were not calling or answering during this years hunt but It seemed to depend on the hunters location and probably the callers ability to call. There were only three more moose killed this year than last year,in spite of over eight hundred more tags being issued.Our station in Chipman registered thirty-two moose this year with the largest coming in at over one thousand lbs. and having sixteen points.This moose was killed by Kyle Jenkins of Cumberland Bay on the second day of the season. Although the conditions were far from perfect,some very nice bulls were taken all around the province and the Chipman area produced some outstanding trophy bulls for several of the locals.

Although the trout season has ended,we still have some very good pickerel fishing here at home on Salmon River in the tidal waters. The water is just getting down to a good level for fishing pickerel and fishermen still have time for an outing or two before it gets too cold. There are tremendous numbers of fish in the MSW Miramichi and most salmon fishermen are expecting a big finish to a great year of fishing on this world class river. The fall run is just starting and the Cains River has fresh fish in the lower river that are slowly making their way up to the pools in the headwaters. This has been a great year for many salmon rivers and lets hope this trend continues well into the future. The striper bite is starting to heat up and some nice fish are being taken in all the hot -spots on the Saint John River system. Quispamsis is holding its annual sturgeon contest soon and there is a muskie tournament in the city of Fredericton for you guys that like to throw the heavy hardware.

Our annual duck hunt is coming right up on the first of October and it looks as if we will have a good hunt again this year. There seems to be good numbers of ducks around and I think they had good nesting conditions this past spring. Look for my next post in October to see some video and photos of the duck hunt.

I have been collecting outdoor magazines for some time now and I have amassed a large assortment of these magazines that date back to the early nineteen hundreds.I try to get ones that are in very good condition and they must have a desirable picture on the cover with the date displayed prominently.I do make an exception to that last rule but only if the cover is exceptional. The next photo photo shows a large bull moose about to be taken by a sport.Note the date on this magazine,December 1959. The next photo shows a cover in which a black man is being attacked by a lion while a white hunter tries to save him.The date on this one is January 1936.The last vintage item I have to show in this months blog is a souvenir item from Minto,New Brunswick. I believe this is a piece of Blue Mountain Pottery formed into a canoe with a native paddler navigating the canoe.I would say this piece is from the late sixties or early seventies.

I hope the readers of my blog enjoy seeing these items I have collected over the years and if anyone would like to purchase something they see here,just send me an e-mail. I will ship anywhere in Canada or the US.

If anyone would like to spend a day or a week on the water or in the bush with Ken and I,just give me a shout and we will get you set up for a trip you will long remember! Until next time,Happy Trails to you....Until we meet again!

SALMON WARS,MOOSE HUNTING AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-08-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

A photo taken from the Priceville Bridge last fall.

Summer is slowly winding down here at home on Salmon River and the large volume of water we have continues to play havoc with our outdoor excursions. I'm not going to complain about this situation because I would much rather see lots of water in our river systems than a drought. It has really helped the salmon and trout stocks but it has made it much harder to catch the warm water species such as pickerel. With the high water we have this summer,the top water lures have not been working as well and we have found that good sized spoons will work much better but you will have to try and cover more water because the fish are spread out over a much wider area. Although the water conditions continue to be excellent for the salmon and their pursuers,the catching has dropped off this month because many of the fish have been in the system for a while and they tend to get a little fussy on the take.

This photo shows Donna A. of Carrolls Crossing fishing in Carrolls last fall.

I got a very disturbing report this month from the Carrolls Crossing area above Doaktown.Now I frequent this area quite a bit during the spring and summer months and I know a lot of the locals that live in this area and they are all a pretty good bunch of lads up that way.As a matter of fact,a few can be said to be good Christian people who wouldn't dream of doing wrong or hurtful things. One of these gents, who shall remain anonymous,is a life long Christian who also happens to love fishing and has been fishing the open water in his area for well over thirty years.This gentleman and his son were out in their boat fishing a pool that is open to the public, just as they had done for years prior, when a couple of guides from a salmon club based in the area showed up. This club has been in the area for many years and they own some very good water in the area of the club,as well as good water in other spots along the MSW Miramichi. In years past,when the water conditions are such that the fish are moving a lot rather than holding,the members of this club would sometimes come to the open pools to fish rather than fishing their own private waters.Why they do this I can only speculate on,but I'm assuming they feel the fish are taking better in the open water rather than in their private water. Many of the locals feel this is unfair but most grit their teeth and try to be cordial to the guides and their sports.After all,it IS open water and that means it's open to ALL fishermen! These two brothers who guide for the club,one who is the head guide for the salmon club,was carring NO FISHING signs and proceeded to post this open water! When the local protested that he couldn't lawfully do that,the guide said they owned the adjacent land and they were posting the water to keep out the 'outsiders' but seeing that the local had fished there all his life and lived in the area,he would allow him to continue fishing.When the local protested that the water was open to all fishermen,the guide said OK,you aren't going to fish either! The local said ' You will have to call the police and physically drag me off of this water before I'll leave' and believe it or not,this guide did call the RCMP,who showed up a short time later. After hearing both sides of this story and calling the local DNR office,the RCMP said the local was indeed within his right to be fishing that pool and the signs were taken down. I know this local personally and I also know he is a mild mannered gent who lives a Christian life but I hear he was so mad he was about to burst a vessel. I have to admit that I too was absolutely outraged at the antics displayed by this supposedly professional guide who was in full knowledge of the actions he was taking.At this juncture,I can only say that I am very glad to have missed this little drama because I just don't have the stomach for it at this point in my life.Let me state right now that if I employed two guides who behaved in this fashion,they would be fired on the spot! They displayed bad manners,as well as being downright dirty! I'm getting angry just relating this story but I felt it should be told just to illustrate how easily things can turn ugly on the water. I want to also state that not all lodges in the area behave in this fashion.As a matter of fact,one outfitter in the Macnamee area goes out of his way to keep the peace with the locals and many times has offered up a days fishing on their private water to locals that have done him a good turn.And that's the way it should be! There is nothing worse than having a day on the water or in the bush spoiled by some oaf who doesn't have the good sense or manners to conduct himself like a gentleman while pursuing his outdoor sport. These kinds of antics aren't restricted to just the salmon waters.I recently read a bit of blog from a writer who was fishing pickerel near Chipman who had another party crowd him while fishing from his canoe.Why would you pull up within fifteen feet of another boat when there is,quite literally,acres of very fishable water around you? The simple answer is ignorance! There is often another human trait that comes into play while afield and that is GREED,the deadliest of all human sins. Many times greed leads to another undesireable human trait and that is bullying.Most of the open water has at least one guy that thinks he owns the pool and always throws his weight around,especially to any new comers.All this does is ruin someones day and sully the name of good sports who are just trying to have a pleasant day of fishing. As I end this rant,I would like to remind the readers to try and remember the big picture.It isn't the sport fisherman who is the enemy of salmon.It is big business trying to make big money, whether inland or offshore,that poses the greatest threat to salmon stocks in our rivers and we must remain vigilant to their destructive practices in their pursuit of profits.

On a more positive note,the salmon runs continue to be good in most rivers and I am glad to report that I have seen more salmon in Salmon River this year than in the last twenty! I can only hope that this trend continues and we see more fish in the future here at home. Just last week I looked out my window around 9:AM and saw a huge salmon jump that left a ring as if someone dropped a fifty pound stone into the river! I'm assuming that some of the 30-40,000 land-lock salmon that were stocked in Grand Lake will make their way up the river.One of the bioligists said a certain percentage of these fish would just naturally travel up the river system,perhaps not to the headwaters but up several miles from the mouth at Salmon Harbour. A couple of years ago,Kenney and I were fishing the mouth of Sisson Brook and Ken got a landlocked salmon and missed a second one.We were quite sure they were landlocks because there had been recent stockings in Grand Lake and the body profile is much leaner on the landlocked salmon because they are not going to sea to feed up in the rich salt water environment. It was also mentioned to me that trout fishermen fishing at Big Forks stream were catching a lot of salmon parr,so that tells me our river isn' dead to wild atlantic salmon runs yet and we still have breeding adults going up Big Forks. If there are salmon still in Big Forks then a lot of the other feeder streams should still have a few. It would probably be a good idea to take a count sometime if for no other reasnon than to see where the Salmon River stands today,in terms of numbers,as compared to former traditional numbers that were taken in yearly counts over thirty years ago.I had access to the run numbers for several years running years but the last time I tried to find them,the secretary at the cache couldn't find it on the computer but I do remember that the numbers were 6-8,000 for Salmon River and thats not counting the Gaspereau River which has its own run of salmon. Back in the late 70's and early 80's many local salmon fishermen filled their tags right here on Salmon River and her tributaries and only took an occasional trip to the Miramichi or the Cains River in the fall,just for a change of scenery more than anything else. It would really be something to see those days again and you never know,Mother Nature has a way of healing herself,all we have to do is do our part as stewards of the land to help her along.

My son Curtis was out on the lower Salmon River a couple of weeks ago guiding a Cape Bretoner stationed in Gagetown. Sgt. Cain had some experience fishing for trout and salmon but had never gone pickerel fishing and after listening to some of his army buddies talking about how much fun they had catching them,he asked Curt to take him out for the day. He couldn't have picked a better guide for this species. Curt grew up right on the shores of lower Salmon River and he's fished these things since he was a baby! As I said earlier,the fishing has been challenging for pickerel this year because of all the water but Curt was up to the task and the Sgt. caught enough pickerel that he had a big smile on his face when they landed back that evening.The following photos show Sgt. Cain landing a few pickerel.

Sgt. Cain did a tour of Afgahanistan recently and I was amazed at the level of maturity this young man showed.He said he had a great time and he would be back again soon for another day out on the water.Ken was also out guiding a young couple from Collingwood,Ontario. Lucas Parker and his lovely girl-friend were vacationing in the area and wanted to do some trout fishing and Lucas's girlfriend really wanted to see a moose.Ken told them he knew a spot where they could catch some pan-sized brookies and probably see a moose during the trip. They packed up lunch and all their gear and headed for the upper Gaspereau River. After fishing a few spots and catching some nice brookies up to twelve inches long,Ken took them to a spot on the Gaspereau that has a lot of moose and sure enough,he rounded a turn and there was a nice ten point bull moose standing off in the clear cut.This young bull was quite co-operative and stood around and let Lucas walk up on him and he got some great video footage. A short time later,three bears ran across the road in front of them,so Lucas'girlfriend got to see some animals up close and personal. After landing back home and having a nice lunch,it was time to sit back for a bit and just relax a bit with your favorite beverage and reflect back on the days events. Both Lucas and his girlfriend said they had a great time and they thanked Ken and told him they would try to be back again next year.Unfortunately,Lucas' girlfriend was running the camera and the video footage and photos went back to Ontario with her but if I get it sent to me,I'll edit this post and insert the footage and photos of their trip.

We have started to do some scouting for the up-coming moose hunt and the signs and numbers of moose we are seeing is encouraging. There is certainly no shortage of nice bulls in zone 18,where Ol' Wes hargrove has his tag. We have three very good spots within an area of about 50 sq.mi. and we will call and travel between the spots until Wes gets the shot. There are some real trophy bulls travelling in our area but I would expect we will see a younger satillite bull coming in to the call. Then again,if lady luck is with us and we hunt hard, Wes could be pulling down on one of those big old bulls that we know hang around in our chosen hunting area. We are all getting excited and we will do everything possible to get a nice moose in front of Wes. We may have another tag for our zone if Duane Hargroves son-in-law isn't training for a new exercise in the Canadian Armed Forces. We're keeping our fingers crossed in hopes that the young fellow can get the leave. We'll scout as if he is coming and the worst that can happen is we will have more spots for Wes to check out. I'll be sure to get lots of footage and photos of our moose hunt and I will include them in my next post in September.

The annual duck hunt follows close on the heals of the moose hunt and Jamie has been at me to get out to the marsh and look things over. Every year it is the same ritual.Jamie and Dallas chomping at the bit to get out in the marsh and slog around seeing what we have for ducks. And me saying"What's the rush? We can just sit down front on the beach and watch the flights in the evening to see what's coming and going and what kind of numbers we have''. Then the boys will usually humor me and sit for a few nights and watch the flights as they come in to feed. I've participated in this little ritual for the last twenty-five years I've lived here on Salmon River and I never tire of it.Hopefully,we will be doing it for many years to come because we really have a great time on our duck hunts.From the look of things,there should be lots of birds around because there was lots of water during the nesting period and all summer, for that matter. We have a couple of flocks of geese practically feeding in the yard and we will have to get our neighbour, Floyd,to cut his field just before the opener to try and keep them in the area.We usually get a crack at them and I would expect this year will be no different. This photo shows me walking the island near our hunting spot on the first day last year.

I have some nice little vintage items to show my readers this month and there is no shortage of goods out there,if you go to the right spots. One of these spots is the annual Flea Market in Sussex that was held recently. I always find tons of stuff at this sale and my main problem is being able to carry the stuff around for half the day! One of the items I found this year was a very nice vintage fishing board game called''HOOK-EM!'' It has great graphics and is in very good condition for the year,which is 1947.Here is a photo of that game.

I collect all kinds of board games but I don't come across hunting and fishing board games so I was very happy to get this item.

The next item shown is a nice trout planter or nick-nack holder.This item is called lustre ware because of the shiney wet looking finish applied to the pottery. This piece was made in Japan in the 50's and is marked Shafford,hand- painted.

The last item I have to show is a pair of duck book-ends. These book-ends were also made in Japan in the late 50's or early 60's and is marked ESD,hand-painted. What I really like about these book-ends is the super condition they are in considering the type of paint and the delicate construction.The paint on this type of item has a tendency to flake and it is prone to chipping because it is quite fragile.

In closing for now,this is Dale Bauer saying ''Happy Trails to You,Until we meet Again!''

ATLANTIC SALMON, THE MOOSE HUNT AND MORE VINTAGE STUFF

2011-07-22T08:08:00.002-04:00

We are now into the middle of our short Maritime summer and the weather has finally started to warm up a bit. The Grand Lake area has received enough rain each week to keep all the brooks and streams filled up and that's good for fish stocks but not necessarily good for angling. One thing I do know for sure is the high water has brought in runs of Atlantic salmon since the first of June that haven't been as good in the last thirty years or longer. Although the water stayed on the high side,the upper Miramichi pools fished well as there were good numbers of fish entering the system each day. For those guides and sports dedicated enough to put the time in on their favorite stretch of water,they were well rewarded for their efforts. During the month of June and the early weeks of July,many sports limited out early and had some time to just relax and enjoy being out on one of the greatest salmon rivers in the world! What a treasure we have in our beloved Miramichi and Restigushe Rivers. We sometimes take these national treasures for granted and I hope all lodge owners,guides and sports will remain vigilant to any change that could harm these precious salmon rivers. One dark spot on New Brunswicks horizon is the large oil and gas companies that are test drilling for deposits over a large portion of our province.I don't know a lot about this process but many people in the know are very concerned about the prospect of what is known as fracking being used to extract the natural gas from the shale deposits. Whenever I hear of these new ventures,a red flag pops into my head and the first thing I ask myself is this. Is this good for the environment and is it good for the people of New Brunswick? On both counts in this instance I think the answer is no! Yes,big business benefits and yes,the government will get nice royalties from the companies mining the gas but what's in it for ordinary New Brunswickers? From what I can see,not a whole lot. I always think back to the days when the salmon farms were first put in the Bay of Fundy and what a devastating effect that had here at home on Salmon River. The effects were almost immediate and myself and other concerned sportsmen watched a whole ecosystem practically destroyed by big business and their bad decisions made hand in hand with both the provincial and federal governments blessings! All in the name of jobs and tax revenues. But at what cost? I often wonder if we would have let these fish farms in the Bay if we had known what a negative impact it would have on our wild salmon stocks. I know I would be against it because I watched first hand how our salmon stocks in Salmon River plummeted from annual runs as high as eight thousand fish to just a handful in a short time period. The Gaspereau River and some other small salmon streams in our area suffered a similar fate. What really galls me is the fact that the government allows these farms to continue to operate knowing what a negative effect this is having on our salmon rivers that are connected to the Bay of Fundy.I am glad to see a study is being conducted to put a dollar value on our wild salmon stocks because at the end of the day,it is money that gets everyones attention. That fact is probably the main reason that the Northumberland Straight was spared the same fate. Thank God for that! The following photo shows me with a nice grilse I tagged last week on the MSW Miramichi. I do tag a few fish every year but I would also support a reduction in tags to four if it was needed to save fish stocks. I also support the DFO in its decision to close most of the Northwest to hook and release to help shore up stocks in that system.

Nova Scotia is now in the process of licencing one of the large fish farmers to set up a farm near the St. Mary's River. This project is being appealed in the courts and we can only hope that common sense prevails but again,money speaks loudly in our poor Maritime provinces so don't be surprised if the NS government goes ahead with this environmental nightmare.Keep your fingers crossed!

With the weather starting to warm up and the water finally getting down to a normal summer low,the pickerel bite has started to heat up here at home on Salmon River. I love fishing pickerel as much as any other species just because you are almost guaranteed to get some action when the conditions are right. Some sports think smallmouth bass are the cats meow in warm water habitat but I beg to differ. If I had to choose between the two species,I would take the pickerel every time. The pickerels savage strike,especially on top water lures,is hard to beat for a sheer adrenalin rush! August is normally the best month to fish pickerel but water conditions dictate when the bite really turns on. The water has to drop and squeeze the fish into a smaller area in order to provide the best possible angling opportunities for this species. We have some real hot spots close to home and two foot trophy fish are taken on many of our outings. The following video shows one of the lures we have good luck using when angling for pickerel on Salmon River.This set-up has worked well for us for many years now but when the fish are taking,you can catch them on just about any lure in your tackle box. I have taken as many as forty fish during a three hour session using this rig so I know it works well especially when the conditions are right. Just minutes after taping the short clip of the lure we use here on Salmon River,I took a cast into a likely looking spot and hooked a trophy sized pickerel. Here is a short clip of me landing that fish. As you can see,the fish was caught on the same lure I just talked about. Ken and I had no measuring tape that day but we later measured it at twenty-four in. on the mark I made on the boat seat.Pickerel of this size are caught on a regular basis in our area when the conditions are favorable but most fish will average at twenty inches. These fish provide lots of action on days when other species are in survival mode and are very hard to take. I guess that's why Ken and I like fishing them so much!

There is great joy in the Hargrove camp the last week or so ever since the boys found out that ol' Wes,the family patriarch,was drawn for a moose tag this year. Now Wes is about eighty years young but he still tends his garden and puts up his wood so we're pretty sure he'll be up to the task of finding a moose this September. One thing I know for sure,he will have lots of help scouting because Ken, Dallas,Jamie and myself are just chomping at the bit to get out in the bush in zone eighteen to help him find a moose. One of the boys will have the second tag just in case but we all hope Wes gets this one by himself. Wes has taken his share of moose through the years and that includes a couple that would be considered trophies but he has already said he just wants a good piece of meat and the horns are secondary to him. I can understand Wesley's thinking because a tag is so hard to draw and the three day season doesn't give a hunter much time to be choosey. So many things can go wrong on such a short hunt that good moose hunters always have a plan 'B' just in case things get bugged up. By that I mean other hunters hunting the same area or woods workers moving into the area or any other such problems that might arise. We always have at least three different locations scouted out just in case we do run into problems. You can bet we will be hunting for a trophy but we will be taking the first moose we see because thats the way the boss,ol' Wes,wants it. Here is a photo of the clan on a previous moose hunt that ended successfully.

We will have two good callers on hand during this hunt as well as Dallas, who is an expert at handling these large animals.Anyone who has ever taken a moose knows that the work starts as soon as the moose hits the ground and many times the weather is warm so you have to know what you're doing and you have to get the hide off and the meat processed in a hurry so it won't spoil. I can hardly wait for this hunt and I know the rest of the boys feel the same way. I will be giving updates as the next couple of months unfold and hopefully we will find Wes a nice bull to pull the trigger on this September.

I have been finding some nice vintage items in my travels and it never ceases to amaze me how much stuff there is kicking around when you have an eye open for this kind of thing. Flea markets are a good source to check out,as well as yard sales and auctions. I also have pickers who know what I'm looking for and they bring me stuff on a regular basis. I enjoy collecting outdoor related goods but I have a real hard time parting with things,even when offered good money for them. I guess that is my downfall,if you could call it that. I keep telling myself that this is a retirement project but if I can't bring myself to sell this stuff,my heirs are going to get a nice windfall of beautiful items when I pass on. I'm sure they will know what to do with it and if they don't,I have an auction house already named in my will that will sell the stuff off for a very nice sum of money. In the meantime I will continue to get pleasure in finding these collectibles such as the ones in the following photos. The first photo shows a very nicely carved eagle done on a slab of cedar. It is signed P. Polchies and I assume that this person is Native American because I recognize the name to be Native. I would age this item as being done in the Seventies or Eighties.

The next item in the following photo is a framed three D picture of an osprey swooping in on a chipmunk. Aside from the fact that this picture is done in 3D, It is an anomaly because an osprey is a fish eater and normally wouldn't bother with a squirrel or other land based prey. For some odd reason, I like this type of thing,even if most people think it's kind of cheesy. I would say this picture is from the Seventies.

And last but not least,I have included a photo of a very nice antler bottle opener that I picked up at the flea market in Shediac. This opener was made in England and features a nicely scrolled tang holding the antler handle. I would date this item to the Forties or Fifties.

Ken and I will be travelling the Salmon River doing day trips that include fishing,swimming and watching for the many species of wildlife we have in our area, so if you want an affordable day on the water,just shoot me an e-mail and I'll make the arrangements for you to spend some time with us in Gods Country! This is Dale Bauer saying 'Happy Trails to You.....Until we meet again!

BIRD DOGS,THE BITE AND REAL VINTAGE STUFF

2011-06-23T04:54:00.001-04:00

The weather continues to play havoc with any planned excursions to the woods and waters here in the Grand Lake area. A day or two of sunshine and then it's back to the rain,at times a veritable downpour! That being said,there has been lots going on outdoors in our area,starting with Jamies purchase of a new English setter gun dog. Jamie has been bitten with the dog bug and he's got it bad. Along with the golden retrievers Ken and Jamie own to help on our duck hunts,Jamie decided he needed a woodcock and grouse dog.He asked me if I knew anyone who had good upland bird dogs and I told him Billy B. who guides some for the Ledges Inn had some good dogs and I knew he just had a litter of pups.Jamie wasn't long in getting hold of Billy and after seeing his dogs,Jamie purchased a nice male setter. I really like English setters because not only are they great gun dogs but they make a very nice house pet also. Jamies pup is very birdie and is off to a great start,pointing wing and feather and following commands as well as any pup could be expected at that age. This is a photo of Jamies new pup on point using a wing.

I can tell already that this pup is going to be real good on woodcock and with some experience,he will likely be able to handle the more skittish grouse. Grouse can sometimes be a problem for a young dog because of their tendency to run. Many times this will cause the pup to relocate the bird before the gunner arrives to give the OK and will inadvertently flush the bird while moving up on it. With experience and maturity,many good bird dogs will naturally figure out how to handle grouse and learn to stay further back on them to avoid a premature flush. This pup is ready to move on to live birds and Jamie is in the process of raising some quail and pheasant so the pup will have some birds to work on this summer. With any luck,Jamie should have a good working setter by the time fall arrives. Good luck with your pup, Jamie! I will be providing updates this summer on the pups progress and hopefully it will be all good news.

As I said in my last post,it seems that the fishing is a week or so behind for the various species at home here on Salmon River. The annual shad tournament held on the upper Salmon River saw very few fish landed during the tourney. There were some fish there but the water temperature was quite low and the water was higher than normal. I guess this is what caused the low catch numbers because it certainly wasn't the calibre of fishermen who participated in the tournament. Some of the guys fishing would qualify as expert fishermen no matter what species they were fishing for on any given stretch of water! The white perch were also slow to arrive and were not taking well at all during the usual hot period around the first of June. I did manage to catch a few later on but not in the numbers we usually get them. This photo shows me catching one on my shore at home. Normally,we catch all we want right off of our shore when they are running good and the water is at a normal level.

The white perch bite will continue a bit later this year and I can see us still catching them well into July in the deeper holes. The second run of gaspereau are now flooding the shores of Salmon River and the pickerel bite will continue to be slow until the blue backs start backing out of the river. This is quite a sight to see,as tens of thousands of these smaller gaspereau slowly back down the river in huge schools during the first part of July.

The real big news this year is the very early run of salmon and grilse that are running up the MSW Miramichi and her tributaries. Many guides with years of experience on the river say they have never seen so many fish running this early. According to some of the data coming in,there are some tremendous runs of fish entering the rivers this year and this will make for some fantastic fishing on the Miramichi River system this summer and fall.

The spring bear season is slowly winding down and this spring was a tough hunt,mainly because of the poor weather conditions. There were some very large bear taken in southern New Brunswick this spring,despite the tough hunting conditions. I know there were a couple of boars taken handy to home that were over four hundred lbs. That is a huge black bear by any standard. We had several nice bear at our baits again this year,including this one we caught on the trail cam.

Although we are just about done hunting for this year,Ken and I will continue to bait a couple of our sites just to keep them around. The bait that this bear was hitting also had a large bull moose in for a visit.This is the first time we have had a moose hit one of our baits and the only thing we can think of was he liked the smell of the molasses and came in to check it out. I want to mention a couple of other oddities I heard about lately. The first thing I heard about was a huge black Russian boar was found dead near Coal Creek. Last deer season I posted a picture of what I thought was a pig in one of my blogs.A local DNR officer said there was no way that was a pig in the photo.He said it must be a bear.Well,he was wrong! It was indeed a pig and a very large one at that! Nobody seems to know where this beast came from or what killed it but everyone hopes this is an isolated incident.We sure don't need any of these critters rooting around in our forests. Another report I just received was a sighting of a seal at Indian Point on the southern shores of Grand Lake. A local gent was out for a drive and spotted something laying on the beach and when he got out to take a look,it was a seal! Now this thing was a long way from salt water and I have never heard of one up this far. The only thing we can figure out is it must have followed the gaspereau up while feeding and got lost or got carried away while feeding. The guy that spotted the seal managed to get a photo but I haven't received it yet so I will post the photo in a future blog. Finally,I have a report by a local outdoorsman from Cumberland Bay who was travelling to work last Sunday and came upon an animal standing in the middle of the road. As he approached the animal,he thought it was a coyote at first but when he got closer he seen the long sweeping tail and the large eyes of what he says was a cougar. As he approached the animal standing in the middle of the road,it took a couple of bounds and was in the woods in a flash. Then,out of the corner of his eye,he spotted another smaller one come bounding out of the ditch and leaped across the road following the path of the other one. This was almost too much for the guy to bear but he swears he got a good look at both of these animals and they were definitely cougars! I usually take these reports with a grain of salt but I know this guy is an experienced outdoorsman and I don't think he would mistake these animals for something else.

If you look at this blogs title,you will see it says 'real vintage stuff' and by that I mean I want to share with you some information on one of the rarest gemstones in the world. This gem stone is called Ammolite and the reason it is REALLY vintage is that it is made from the shell of a nautilus that lived seventy million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. Now that's what I call vintage! A few years back,I dabbled in this stuff,along with some high grade fossils and in the process,learned a lot about the world of gems,stones and jewellery.Ammolite is derived from the shell of a sea creature,so it is classed in with pearls and amber,which also are derived from a source other than stone. Ammolite is only found in one place in the world and that is in the ancient Bear Paw Formation in southern Alberta. This was once an inland sea and the ammonite nautilus that lived there perished in the disaster that befell the earth at that time. After being buried,minerals reacted with the shell material and over time the shell changed into a beautiful gem material that is so highly prized today. Ammolite comes in three forms.They are naturals,doublets and triplets. I have experience with all three forms and I can tell you this gemstone is very difficult to work with. It's complexity won't allow me to go into detail on the making and grading of Ammolite but the finished product is stunning in it's beauty and compares to any of the finest gems on earth. I no longer deal in fossils or Ammolite since the Alberta government tightened up the regulations on this precious material but I still have some raw material that I can turn into gems someday. This is a photo of some beautiful Ammolite that I still have kicking around.

This type is called 'dragon skin ' because of the pressure lines in the raw Ammolite. The triange shaped piece has a couple of lines but it is close to being called a ' clear ' because it is nearly devoid of any lines.

Ken and I are starting to do day trips on Salmon River and hopefully we will get some good weather when the pickerel bite starts in earnest,so if you would like a day or week in the bush or on the water here in the beautiful Grand Lake area,just shoot me an e-mail and we will make all the arrangements. This is Dale Bauer saying Happy Trails to you....Until we meet again!

SPRING BEAR,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-05-29T20:02:00.001-04:00

This spring has been one of the coldest and wettest in recent memory. We have had only a handful of sunny,warm and rain-free days in the last six weeks and then its been back to the cold and gloomy weather. The spring freshet here at home on Salmon River was seven to ten days late,peaking around the eighth of May this year instead of the normal time around the first of the month. All of this weather has thrown the scheduled arrival of the various runs of fish and the black bears off by a corresponding period of time.The gaspereau are running heavy in the river right now and that means the trout will be coming right behind them. One gent from the Miramich recently wrote that it was his understanding that the sea-trout followed the smelt in their run up the Miramichi each spring and that may well be true for that river but I had always been told by the old guys around here that our trout followed the gaspereau run and one year I found out just how true that old tale was. My brother and uncles fished the Newcastle Stream religiously every spring while trying to intercept the run of brookies coming up from Grand Lake. Many years we would follow the fish as they made their way up the stream starting very early in May fishing the deep, deadwater pools near the mouth and ending up in the headwaters near Clearwater Brook around the first week in June. One day in late May many years ago,my Uncle Gowie and I put my canoe in at the Park in Minto and planned to sail down to the stone bridge at Newcastle Bridge,hoping to intercept the run of trout that we thought would be starting to pass through the area. We fished along for a few hours with just a couple of bites,nothing of consequence.As we were nearing our take-out point,I dropped anchor and Gowie and I had a couple of beverages while we contemplated our lack of action and what had happened to the run of trout. As I was sitting there in the canoe,my line was dangling in the water,just hanging there. As we were talking,I thought I could feel something on my line. It wasn't really a bite that I felt,just a weight on the line that wasn't there previously. I lifted the rod tip and low and behold,there was a nice plump,silvery run brook trout. As I grabbed the trout to take it off the hook,I noticed a lot of fish eggs spilling out of the trouts mouth. Gowie and I looked at each other in amazement and immediately realized we had been fishing way to quickly for these trout that were stuffed to the gills with gaspereau eggs! We started fishing very slowly,not actually reeling,just letting the line and hook hang in the current.We then proceeded to catch trout after trout,quickly limiting out just minutes from our take-out spot. A lesson well learned on that day by a couple of fishermen who thought they had seen it all and had nothing new to learn.

This is a short video clip of Ken and I fishing some deadwater on Pleasant Brook last year. Ken and I caught and released well over one hundred brookies that day. Nothing real big but it was non-stop action all day long and we had a ball!

After fishing the head of Pleasant Brook for half the day,we headed over to the Gaspereau River to finish the day off fishing some of the spring fed pools located in the upper reaches of the river. Again,we had non-stop action catching small brookies,nothing huge but in large enough numbers to keep us entertained for the afternoon. This is another short clip of me landing a trout on the Gaspereau that day.

The black bears in our area have been late leaving their dens this spring. I'm assuming it's because of the cold,wet spring we had this year but they have finally started hitting our baits on a regular basis. We have areas in our hunting territory that we watch closely early in the season when the bears are just leaving their dens and are foraging for greens to start their digestive systems working. This is a perfect time to take an early spring bear and Ken and the boys always keep a sharp eye out while running our baits for any bear that may be out wandering in the clover fields. Usually,every year one of us will take a nice bear over the fields and this year Jamie was once again able to seal the deal on a nice sow bear. Jamie watched this bear for about ten minutes before he took it to make sure there were no cubs around. This nice sow didn't have cubs for some reason,so she was fair game and Jamie made about a three hundred yard stalk on it. Good job,Jamie! Here is a photo of the bear Jamie took earlier this spring.As you can see,this was a good sized sow and the fur was in perfect shape. We have bear baits in several different areas so we don't overhunt any one spot.That said,we are always looking for big tracks and scat and listening for any sightings of large bears. We have found the home range of many large boars through the years just by paying attention to sightings made by walkers or bus drivers and sometimes the local truckers will tell us of seeing a big one while hauling wood to the sawmill. Of course,we can set up just about anywhere within thirty kilometers of home and have bears of some sort on most of our baits but it's nice to know there is a big boar in the area you are baiting.

We are just starting to fish for spring run brookies and it's also the time to pick some fiddleheads to freeze or bottle for the coming winter. Fiddleheads and fish is a Maritime staple in many households,especially communities along any of the larger inland watersheds. They all hold copious amounts of these wonderful green ferns and one cottage industry that has sprung up is picking and selling these tasty delicacies to the local market and some of the larger packing plants. But it is not without it's perils.Just this spring two young men from the St.Mary's band on the north side of Fredericton drowned while out on the Saint John River picking on one of the islands. So if you decide to go,do your homework and err on the side of caution because Mother Nature isn't very forgiving.

The white perch will be starting to show up ,usually by the first of June and this species of fish can provide a lot of action and some very tasty fillets for lunch. Ken and I and all the rest of the boys have a grand old time catching dozens of these great panfish. They are very easy to catch once you find a school of them. We just use a small spinner and a worm on a spinning or spin-cast outfit and cast and let it sink to the bottom and do a slow,stop and start retrieve back. They don't like to chase their food,they are kind of lazy in the way they feed. The key to taking these fish is a very slow retrieve or use bobbers set a foot off the bottom. Follow these tips and you can take a limit in a hurry if you hit the run right and fish the right spot. This is a photo of me and my grandson Tyler with a mess of white perch ready to be filleted out and deep-fried.

The shad run is just getting started here on Salmon River and we usually get a good run of fish up the river most years. These fish are getting more popular with fishermen all the time.Fly fishermen like fishing them because they can use all their regular salmon gear,other than changing up the flies a bit.Best time to fish shad is in the evening,when they are most active. This is also true of the white perch and another shared trait is that you must fish shad slowly also. Try to let your fly or dart hang in the current where a school has gathered. A word of caution,hang on because a shad can strip a lot of line in a short time,so you will have to reel quickly to stay in touch with the fish after one of those reel-screaming runs. The seventh annual Monte Farrel shad derby is coming right up on June the fourth.Entry fee is $20, with 100% payout. Registration and breakfast is at the Queens County inn

I continue to pick up any nice or interesting items that I see for sale in my travels and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of great stuff just kicking around until it finds its way to the open market.I've been collecting for a long time now and I don't see any signs of either my passion for finding stuff or the supply of vintage items to be found slowing down any time soon.So I will continue to share some photos of vintage items as I find them,including this one of a print of hunters at a camp looking at the game off in the distance.

I would date this print to the 1930's,judging by the frame and the subject matter. I love these old hunting and fishing prints that depict some sort of action happening in the scene. I have literally dozens upon dozens of prints from the by gone hey days of the outdoor sporting world. This next item is a photo of an embossed print on copper plate of a great stag. Although this item is a little fresher,I would put it in the Sixties sometime,I really like the style in which this wall hanging has been done.

You don't find this style of work very often and I was really happy to add it to my collection. If any readers of this blog see something that they are interested in,please feel free to contact me via e-mail and we can discuss the item and see if we can come to terms.

The spring bear season is just getting started and we will be running day trips on the Salmon River soon,so give me a shout for a day out and about in the beautiful Grand Lake basin. Until next time,Happy trails to you,Until we meet again!

SPRING SALMON,BLACK BEAR AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-04-21T18:09:00.000-04:00

The April 15th fishing opener produced some good fishing for some and some cold and stiff fingers for others.As usual,I was on the MSW Miramichi with friends and family fishing from Doaktown to Carrolls Crossing and nearly everyone who could stand the brutal weather conditions caught fish. I will be the first to admit that I am a fair weather fisherman and I just don't enjoy fishing in the kind of weather we had the first few days of the season. On the other hand,wild horses couldn't keep me from the river on the first day of the season! The first morning started off a little slow but by the afternoon the water had dropped a bit and it seemed to put the salmon in the mood to take. I only fished for about two hours in the afternoon of the first day but I did hook a fish on the very first cast of the season. What a way to start things off! I didn't land that fish and I never landed the next two fish I hooked but some of my friends from Storytown and Chipman did manage to land a few while fishing at Big Hole Brook. I fished the opposite shore and watched the Beeks and their crowd catch several fish both from boats and from the shore. These boys always have a good crowd on hand and their howls and whooping whenever someone hooked one or lost one could be heard echoing up and down the river. As I said,I only fished for a short time and had to continue my journey upriver to Carrolls to meet some more fishermen who were arriving. I pulled the boat into the bogan just as one of the local guides was pulling in with his grandson and when I asked him how the fishing was he replied it was the first opener in memory that he didn't hook a fish! Now, I know this guy quite well and I know he is a good fisherman but neither he or his grandson could get a strike that morning. I will say in his defence that they were calling it a day just as the bite was starting to turn on but it just proves that angling for atlantic salmon is not a slam dunk at any time,under any conditions. I spent the night in Carrolls Crossing and was up the next morning looking at the thermometer and I said to my fishing partner for the day that we should go to Tim Hortons and get a bite before we ventured out in that brutal cold. Usually,the day warms up towards lunch time and you don't get the guides freezing up as bad but not on this day! We hit the water about ten o'clock and we fished until about four with limited success. I managed to boat two grilse in the back channel at Sutter Pond but I really had to work for them. The fish were there and they were taking if you could keep your fly clean of debris and get it down deep to where they were holding. One sport caught about four or five while fishing in front of us farther down the run and I notice he was getting caught on bottom occasionally and I mentioned to my fishing partner that he was getting down to the zone and that was contributing to his success. His guide also had him well positioned and that was also helping with his success. This is a short clip of me landing a grilse on the second day.

I usually don't keep a spring salmon unless old Wes wants one or Donna A. wants to make fish cakes, so the grilse I caught on the second day all went back in the river. In days gone by,we would always keep a fish or two for a shore lunch or supper on the first day but nowadays keeping a grilse is frowned upon and many elitists will shoot you a look of disdain if they see you carrying a tagged fish. Although I am conservation minded,I don't find anything wrong with keeping a fish once in a while as long as it's a legally tagged fish, especially if it happens to be a persons first salmon.

I would like to comment on some of the antics I see every year on the river with regards to boating ethics. It seems that more and more boaters are being very inconsiderate when operating their crafts in the area where sports are fishing. If you want to troll,head down river where there is more room and this method of fishing is more accepted. Up river,there just isn't the room and it usually raises the hackles on both sports and guides who are fishing in the traditional manner for that area and I can't say I blame them. Crowding and boats flying by fishermen without slowing down was also quite evident on the first few days of the season. Nobody,sports and guides both, likes this kind of behavior and people have to start using common sense and some courtesy before it gets out of hand. Here is another short clip of me playing a grilse on the second day of the season.As you can tell by this video,it was a cool day to be on the water and you really must be dressed for the conditions if you want to enjoy your outing.After all,even the best

fishermen have gaps in the action and that's when the cold will start to settle in your bones!

With bear season just around the corner,Ken and the boys have been out scouting already with hopes of finding some good bear sign.Last year at this time we had grass sprouting and bears starting to roam around grazing on grasses and weeds while getting their digestive tracts active again. During this stage,black bears don't respond to a bait because their guts just can't handle solid food that soon after emerging from their dens. A couple of years ago,Ken took a beautiful bear very early in May and it was one of the nicest bears I have ever seen taken. We had an early spring that year and the bears were active very early in the season. Ken spotted the track of this bear while out scouting and because of the location,he decided to try and take this bear so he could concentrate on getting the rest of the baits out. He killed this bear on the first evening in his stand and he was a little surprised at how quickly it came in. The fur on this bear was absolutely flawless,full and plush,like an expensive carpet. Again,Ken was able to take this bear so early because we had an early spring and he did his homework and found a bear that was ready to start feeding a little. Here is a photo of that bear.Ken and the boys always try to take a bear early so they can concentrate on the baits we put out for any sports who may want to hunt with us and they are definitely meat hunters and they don,t wait it out for a trophy sized bear. These guys were raised as meat hunters and they would much rather have a nice piece of meat than a big old black bear with meat tougher than boot leather! This works well for us because that leaves the larger bears for our sports to hunt. We had some really nice bears on our baits last year that we got on the trail cams that weren't taken and we are anticipating we will have some of these same bears showing up again this year. This is a photo of just one of the nice bears we had hitting our baits last year.

Our hunting territory has some very large bears roaming around and for those hunters looking for a real trophy,if you have the patience,you stand a very good chance of bagging one of these large bruins. Here is another photo of a nice bear on one of our baits.

As you can tell by these trail cam photos,we have some very nice bears hitting our baits and these are the calibre of animals we are setting up for.

I have been busy searching for vintage items related to hunting and fishing and I have been finding some very nice pieces while travelling around southern New Brunswick. One of the things I recently acquired is a magnificent painting of two herd bull elk locked in mortal combat that was done by the late Moses Weaver. I have spoken of Mosey in past blogs and I was stunned when a picker I know visited my home with one of his paintings that he wanted to sell me. To say I jumped at this chance would be an understatement. This painting hung for a couple of decades in a smoking home and I am in the process of having it cleaned and when I get it done I will post a photo of it in a future blog, so be sure to watch for it. In the meantime,I will show my readers some photos of some other nice items I have picked up. This photo is one of a milk picture made in the style of Royal Bayreuth with a transfer decorated body of a stag in various poses. This item dates to the early nineteen hundreds.

The next photo shows a framed print depicting deer grazing on the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River.This item dates from the Fifties.

And last but not least,a photo of a very fine piece of chalkware modelling the bust of a doe and fawn. I'm not sure of the year this item was made because the very good condition of this item makes gauging its age difficult. I have seen another one in a collection but it was nowhere near the condition of this one but if I had to make a guess,I would say this item was produced in the late Forties or early Fifties.

I hope my readers of this blog enjoy seeing these items and I will continue to show photos of my finds as I acquire them and at some point in the future I will be displaying most of these items in a separate area on our web site to make them available for purchase. In the meantime,if anyone is interested in any of the items you see depicted in my blog,feel free to contact me through my e-mail address and we will see if we can come to terms. For now,this is Dale Bauer bidding you adieu and wishing you Happy Trails.....until we meet again!

SPRING IS HERE,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-03-25T06:24:00.000-04:00

Spring has finally arrived in our part of the country and most folks around here are very happy to see the snow pack starting to melt. We had quite a bit of snow this year around Chipman and to the north and east of our location but other areas to the south and west had a very good winter,with less than normal snowfall. I took a drive to the southern end of Grand Lake this past week-end and I was surprised at how much less snow fell in that short distance from Chipman to Scotchtown. The fields are pretty much bare and the white-tails are taking full advantage of the new shoots that are popping out already. I counted roughly two hundred deer in the fields between Douglas Harbour and Indian Point. It was a pretty impressive site and it gave me a "feel good" moment to see that many deer that survived another New Brunswick winter. It never ceases to amaze me how much of a difference exists between our Crown lands and the areas of private ground. The southern end of Grand Lake is for the most part private ground consisting of large farms and woodlots and the hunting pressure is kept to a minimum.That,coupled with good forest management,seems to be the key to allowing the deer herd to prosper in that area.I know they have their fair share of coy-wolves in that area so that can't be the factor that tips the scale in favor of the deer.If our government and the boys from the DNR would pick up the gauntlet and run with it,we could see an increase in our deer numbers on crown land also. The latest word from the government is that the large corporate woods operators will be given a cut of 53% of the existing DWA's and protected areas in 2012. This has outraged sportsmen and conservationists alike and has resulted in a huge backlash and letter writing frenzy in an effort to stymie this crass piece of work. The biggest problem I have with this proposed cut is the fact that it is slated to occur for the simple reason that government has allowed the big corporations to over cut for the last thirty years.This should never have been allowed and it was only pure greed that allowed this to happen. OUR crown lands were to be managed to allow for a sustainable cut in perpetuity.The government and big business has failed in that mandate and the deer as well as woods workers AND private woodlot owners are suffering as a result.It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the near future.

The ice fishing season has come to a close and most locals finished off the season by attending the Paul Gallant Memorial Pickerel Tournament. The tourney was a great success with over one hundred participants fishing French Lake and Indian Lake. Maquapit Lake resident Ralph Atyeo was the overall winner with his two fish as well as winning the lunker prize with a fish measuring twenty-four and five-eighths inches. The second and third place winners were tied at forty-seven inches for their two fish and Bailey Dorion won the toss for second place.Raymond Thibodou won third place by default. A great time was had by all with many prizes and trophy's being provided by the many sponsors of this yearly event.
The smaller streams and rivers are slowly starting to open up and we are looking forward to the April 15th opener of the regular fishing season. As usual,we will be fishing for black salmon on the main Southwest Miramichi on the opener,if the ice has run out by then. Here at home on Salmon River the ice has started to move above Gaspereau Forks but is still holding solid below this point. The following photo shows a spot below McLeod's Pond just starting to open up.

We are expecting to have more water this year than we had last year for the opener because of the heavier snow pack but you never know what Mother Nature will throw at you. Many sports and guides like to see lots of water for spring salmon fishing but I am one who rather likes low water conditions, like we had last year. It makes it harder to navigate the river but the fish are concentrated in the deeper holes and it makes it a little easier to find fish in this type of water.I love being on the Miramichi at this time of the year because it's usually a time to get together with family and friends and get the season off to a good start. I will be fishing with Donna Aguillon again this year and if we even do half as good as we did last year,it will be great fishing! Good friend and fellow guide Allen Davidson will also be fishing with us,as well as several of our friends and guides from the Chipman and Doaktown areas. Last year Donna hooked a huge salmon,the largest I have ever seen and after playing it for about forty-five minutes or so,the hook fell out of its mouth.I estimated that fish to be five feet long and forty lbs.last year and in retrospect,I have to say that I stand by that estimate. The funny thing about that fish was we had been fishing the run for a while without any hits and Donna said she wanted to change flies.I told her to go ahead and pick one out so she tied on a marabou pattern and she didn't make two casts when she hooked that monster! I have become a real fan of the marabou patterns the last couple of years,having caught good numbers of salmon during the spring and fall seasons. They are especially deadly on large salmon.I am not the only one who has taken a shine to these great flies.Derek Munn,head guide for the Ledges Inn,seems to like them too according to the posts he made in his blog last year.The photo below shows a few Marabou patterns commonly used on the Miramichi.

They say size DOES matter and after last spring I firmly believe that the size of your fly must match the height and clarity of the water conditions if a fisherman is to have any success fishing for Atlantic salmon.With the low water conditions and clear water we had last spring,fishing the smaller marabou patterns was the key to a successful day on the water.A good guide will recognize what the water conditions are like and this will govern his choice of flies. Another pattern that is earning a following is the tandem rabbit strip flies.I haven't used any of these flies yet but I will definitely be trying some this spring and fall.The photo below shows a couple of this relatively new pattern and just the look of them spells fish.

I expect that both the marabou and rabbit strip patterns will do well on the sea-trout on the Miramich and the Cains River so be sure to include a few of these flies in your arsenal when you hit the water this year.

I have been picking up some very nice art work this winter during my travels and the following photo shows a painting done on a slab of wood.This has been a popular way to produce art work for many years and this one is twenty years old and looks as if it may have come from out west because of the subject matter.It is signed and dated Angie "91".

The next painting shown is done in a similar fashion but this one dates back to the late fifties or the early sixties.This is just my estimation because it isn't dated but it is signed by the artist. I really like this painting of a fawn deer and the artist did a great job in portraying how fragile looking the small deer is.

The last item shown this month is yet another lamp.This one is modelled after a nice white-tail buck and is similar to another one I have except this one is more of an end table lamp because of the design,having a rather large shade.

I hope the readers of my blog enjoy seeing these vintage items as much as I enjoy finding them,so don't be afraid to leave a comment if the mood strikes you.Be sure to check out next months blog as I will be updating the spring salmon fishing and preparing for the spring bear season,which is just around the corner.We had some huge bruins on our baits last year and we got some of them on the trail cams,so be sure to drop in again. If any sports would like a day on the water or a week in the bush here in the beautiful Grand Lake area,just give me a shout and Ken and I will fix you right up. This is Dale Bauer signing off for now and wishing you Happy Trails-Until we meet again!

KILLING TIME,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-02-20T18:32:00.001-04:00

With February being a short month,most sportsmen are looking forward to the first signs of spring. In our part of the world,we usually see a change in the weather around the middle of March when longer days and temperatures above freezing starts to melt the snow pack and the ice along the rivers and streams. Although we are still about three weeks away from that time frame,we have already had a few days of spring like weather heralding better weather to come. But there is a down side to this warmer weather because although it may be melting in the daylight hours,at night the temperature usually drops below freezing and this causes a crust to form when we have a year such as this year with a lot of snow. This is the time when our deer herd suffers the worst,floundering through deep snow and tearing themselves up on the crust. At the same time,Mr.coyote, who had been having the same difficulty in getting around while foraging for food,is now able to travel freely on the crust at the same time as our poor deer are breaking through. This is the killing time for our coy-wolves. The deer are at their mercy and they will pursue them and kill them in their yards or wherever they can catch them. This year will be especially hard on the deer because of the deep snow and lack of cover on our crown lands. The deer are already in a weakened state and it doesn't take long for a pack of coyotes to wear them down and literally eat them alive.I was hoping the price of fur would be good this year because the only way to exercise any kind of control over these killers is by trapping,more specifically snaring. A snare works 24/7 and that's what it takes to reduce their numbers to a tolerable level. Coyotes are just too wily to effectively reduce their numbers by hunting. Our terrain is too thick to be conducive to calling and they like to come to a bait at night when it isn't legal to hunt them. I have to give credit to the game managers in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan for imposing a bounty on coyotes this year. With the price of their pelts being so low,at least the bounty will provide a bit of monetary incentive to hunters and trappers to target this destructive species. What really upsets me is when the DNR spokespeople say that we can't eliminate coyotes by using a bounty.Who says we want to eliminate them? We all know that isn't possible and that's not what most sportsmen would want anyway. The goal should be to reduce their numbers so they don't have such an impact on our deer herd by their predation. This should be what our game managers are striving for instead of giving the public a smoke and mirrors type answer to a very serious problem.

Ken and Dallas have been out fishing the hard water on Grand Lake in several locations with varying degrees of success. The boys have their ice huts set up at Cox's Point and at Bartons Wharf and have been catching some very nice burbot and pickerel using cut bait and live minnows. Although live minnows are a great bait for either of these species,Ken says the pickerel are giving them some grief by stealing the bait. This can be quite frustrating because it's hard to get minnows this time of the year and even harder to keep them alive and active. To combat this situation,Ken and Dal have switched over to using mainly cut bait because both of these species will readily take this type of bait without the hassle of constantly re-baiting. A good size burbot on Grand Lake will run between twenty- four and thirty inches and weigh in between four and six lbs. A trophy sized burbot will run up to ten or twelve lbs. and there are enough of them around to keep things interesting. The average size of the pickerel we catch is between eighteen and twenty inches,with the occasional twenty-four incher hooked. The following photo shows a few nice burbot up to thirty inches and an average sized pickerel that Ken and Dallas caught last week off of Cox's Point while fishing from one of their shacks.

On February 12 the village of Minto held their annual seniors and childrens ice fishing day at the Keyhole on Grand Lake. This event is always well attended and this year was no exception with about one hundred people participating including sixty-two children registered. The Hargrove clan was well represented,with three generations in attendance! Although the Hargroves weren't in the winners circle,they managed to land a few pickerel around eighteen inches. Ol' Wes received a plaque for the oldest fisherman in attendance and I must congratulate all the hardy participants who braved some brutally cold weather for the three hour tournament. I know that both young and old alike enjoyed the hot-dogs and hot chocolate that was served up by the organizers. Young Kayla Hunter was the big winner with a twenty-two inch pickerel. Another large pickerel tournament was held this past week-end at French Lake and Indian Lake which are part of the Grand Lake system. This tournament is always well attended with sports coming from all points of the province to try and catch some of the large pickerel that inhabit these lakes. The winner is determined by adding the length of your two largest pickerel,which can be upgraded throughout the day but all registered fish must be returned live to the water.This is a good idea because it encourages live release of these great sport fish. I don't have any details on the tourney winners but I will try to include some information in next months blog post. Budweiser beer is one of the large sponsors of this tournament and they have some very good prizes for the lucky winners.

I continue to pick up some nice vintage items in my travels and one of the things I found recently was a nice carving from the Chatam area on the Miramichi River. At first I thought this carving was a beaver but upon closer inspection I came to the conclusion it was an otter. Regardless,I think it is a very nice piece of folk art and was happy to find it and add it to my large collection of vintage items. The following photos show the otter and the artist information on the bottom of the piece.

The following photo shows a decorative tile depicting a pair of red-breasted mergansers taken from a John James Audubon print. Although this tile was made in England,it has a stamp saying it was decorated in Canada.

The next photo is of a couple of souvenir ashtrays that I picked up at a local flea market.They seem to be made from a copper alloy and depict a large stag and the New Brunswick coat of arms done in epoxy.

I would date all of the items I have include in this post as being from the Fifties or Sixties but since they are not dated I may be wrong. If any of my readers can provide more information regarding their date of manufacture,please feel free to forward any information to the e-mail for my web site.

Ken and I provide trips by the day or week in our area for whatever species are in season,so don't hesitate to call or e-mail me if you are interested in an adventure in the beautiful Grand Lake area.So until next time,Happy Trails to you.....Until we meet again!

MID-WINTER BLUES AND VINTAGE STUFF

2011-01-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

The winter of 2011 started off pretty good,as far as New Brunswick winters go,but the last few days have jolted us back to reality. Snow and freezing rain and more snow and cold weather to come later in the week will challenge even the hardiest of outdoorsmen. Normally,we have enough ice to try fishing some of the back guts and ponds on the lower Salmon River but this winter has been so mild up to this point,we just don't dare to chance it. That will all change after the cold snap that's forecast for next week and hopefully we can get out and set some lines to break up the boredom that usually sets in at this time of the year with the conditions we currently have.

Most sportsmen here in New Brunswick have been keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of a decent winter so our deer herd won't get hit too hard. Our deer kill has been down significantly the last few years because of the harsh winters we have been burdened with and despite having a very good winter last year,the nay sayers are forecasting doom and gloom already for next season. I will reserve judgement until a lat

er date because I usually try to stay optimistic unless it's just too obvious to ignore.
There has been a lot of talk lately on New Brunswicks premier hunting forum,nbhunting.com,about how our crown lands are being managed.Many hunters are now starting to realize just how poor a job the big forestry companies are doing managing OUR forests.The big problem is the forestry companies are managing for wood fibre and practically ignoring the needs of game animals. As of late,this isn't setting too well with the hunters and fishermen in this province and the big forestry companies and the government of the day had better revise their game plan because the cat is out of the bag and the general population will no longer stand for this type of short sighted management philosophy. With QDMA getting organized in the province,I look forward to this grass roots group of land owners putting pressure on the powers that be to move forward and come up with a plan that includes something for the game animals as well as strictly fibre enhancement.Things are so bad right now that in my view,we can only move forward towards better management policies because there is nowhere to go but up and the status quo is certainly not acceptable to outdoorsmen as well as the general public.
The one thing sportsmen can do to help the deer herd out is to target the coyotes during the off season.It's too bad the fur market is so depressed because our trappers here in New Brunswick would put a hurt on these deer killers in a hurry if the money was there to make it economically feasible to pursue them. Nova Scotia has a modest bounty on them and from what I hear,many trappers and hunters are really going after coyotes hard this year. The DNR in New Brunswick would do well to borrow a page from NS DNR's management policies regarding coyotes and implement some kind of bounty on these dirty buggers. Even contests for numbers and size of coyotes can make a difference and I see that this year there are different contests being sponsored in various areas of the province. This will help to keep the numbers down and at least prevent some deer from being taken down by our coyote/wolf packs.

As I am sitting here at my computer writing this months blog,I glanced out the window after some movement caught my eye and there was a nice pilated woodpecker hammering on one of the large trees in my front yard. I've always admired these large colorful birds with their jungle like call but they haven't always been as plentiful as they are right now. The spraying of DDT back in the 50's and 60's nearly wiped them out.How rare were these birds back then? Well,I had experienced woodsmen tell me they didn't exist and that I was seeing things! That's how rare these birds once were. Since those days,these beautiful birds have increased their numbers to the point where they are regularly seen in any old growth forests left,where they forage for insects.Here are a couple of photos I snapped while my visitor posed for me.

This month I have include a couple of souvenir items from my collection of vintage stuff I have collected over the years as well as another TV or stand lamp.This lamp was probably made during the "sixties" in a crafts class or by some industrious person who made crafts such as this in their spare time. This lamp was made as a fireplace with actual stones used in the construction,as well as a hand crafted shade made from pieces of wood lathe.

The next photo shows two souvenir items I picked up recently.Although they were considered as tacky items in their day,nowadays people collect this kind of thing just because it is kind of tacky!Go figure.Regardless of motivation,there is a growing segment of the population that likes collecting this stuff.

I will end this months blog with a reminder to outdoor folks interested in a day or week in beautiful New Brunswick to give me a call or drop me an e-mail and Ken and I will arrange an adventure to our part of the province on Grand Lake that you won't soon forget! Until next time,Happy Trails to you,Until we meet again!

THE YEAR IN REVIEW AND VINTAGE STUFF

2010-12-22T20:51:00.001-04:00

The year 2010 is coming to a close and for sportsmen it was both a good year and a poor one,depending on the species being pursued. We had a very good ice fishing season last year with many nice pickerel and burbot being caught,as well as some land -locked salmon and brook trout. As usual,we caught some smelt and a few yellow perch,although we don't usually target this species.We certainly have them in abundance in our home waters of Grand Lake and Salmon River but most anglers here don't bother with them. We do get a few Frenchmen from the north that really like catching them and some sports take home buckets of them to fillet and freeze. Although perch are a prolific species in our waters,we have noticed in recent years that they can be fished out in certain areas with too much pressure. It never ceases to amaze me that some people can over harvest fish from an area and think it has no effect on the numbers left to angle. Our resources are NOT infinite! Sportsmen must harvest conservatively or the day will certainly come when the fishing or hunting will suffer. I have seen this scenario played out many times in our woods and waters over the years and there is absolutely no need of this occurring.

    The spring salmon season was very good this year with many large salmon being taken.There was a very large run of msw salmon in 2009 and this was the reason so many large salmon were caught in the spring of 2010. Not all guides and sports experienced good fishing but if you had the right flies in the right pattern,the salmon were taking well. Although the run of sea trout was very early this past spring,there were very good numbers of large trout in both the Miramichi and Cains River systems. The fishing for brook trout in the early summer was also very good,with pan sized brookies taking everything being tossed at them.
    The fishing for bright salmon started off well but quickly deteriorated as the temperature rose and we experienced a heat wave that took its toll on both the salmon and the fishermen who angle for them. There was a large kill on the Miramichi because of the soaring temperatures and prudent outfitters and sports left the fish alone until the temperatures moderated and the fish weathered the storm,so to speak. There was some excellent fishing if you were lucky enough to be on the water during these brief periods of opportunity but the timing had to be right. The same could be said of the fall fishing.The run of hook-bills was late arriving and it was only the lower stretches of the Cains that held some of the large males that Cains River anglers love to hook. The fall fishing on the Miramichi River was rather disappointing because of the high water conditions at the end of the season but there were some fish taken.
     The striper fishing on the Saint John River was good again this year but you have to know your stuff or you could spend a lot of days going fishless. Good electronics combined with the right bait and gear usually produced fish for sports and guides who know the river.The musky fishing below the headpond was virtually non-existant because of the low water conditions and high water temperatures. The Mactaquac Headpond did produce some muskies in the Woodstock area but the fishing was still poor overall.
    There were good numbers of grouse and woodcock available for the upland hunters and Jamie and Dallas took full advantage of this fact by bagging many grouse while out scouting.
     If there is one species in New Brunswick that would be a sure bet to bag, it would have to be black bear. The province is overrun with these beasts and while trophy animals are a little harder to take,bagging an average sized bear is pretty much a slam dunk. This is the only species that I would say pretty much carries a guarantee to harvest. That's how good the hunting is in New Brunswick for bear.
     I wish I could say the same thing for white-tailed deer but I would be lying. That being said,there are still good opportunities for trophy white-tails,but you really have to work at it and Lady Luck must be smiling on you. The deer kill for the 2010 season was about the same as the 2009 season which was at the low end of the scale. The weather played a large part in the harvest figures with warm temperatures and high winds coupled with lots of rain keeping the numbers on the low side.
     We had a very good waterfowl season this year in our area. If you look back at my previous posts,you will see some photos of our group out hunting close to home on the first day of the season. Dallas and Jamie also had some good goose hunting during the early season in some private fields. I got a nice wood duck and it is at the taxidermists right now getting mounted.I've wanted to get one of these beautiful ducks done for some time now and I finally got a specimen worthy of mounting. The colors on these ducks are simply stunning.

On a more personal note,I was fortunate to have won the 2010 Chipman Summer Festival photography contest in the wildlife category. The following photo is one of two puffins I took off of Grand Manan Island during a tour I took while vacationing on that little jewel of an island. I would recommend a tour of the island to all those looking for a relatively unspoiled natural paradise to vacation in.I really love Grand Manan and have visited there many times during my life and I will certainly be back there again.This little island has a good population of white-tails and many islanders were bemoaning the fact that an invasion of Frenchmen from the mainland landed there this deer season and since the island is pretty much private land,the inevitable hard feelings and ill will come to the forefront and many islanders are vowing to post their land to make sure another repeat season doesn't happen again. It will be interesting to see what happens next year on Grand Manan.

Although we are experiencing some unusually mild and wet weather right now,we are looking forward to some good ice next month so we can get out and do some ice fishing.This can be very enjoyable if you are well equipped for the weather and know the area you are fishing.We have ice shacks that are wood and plastic that we put out on Grand Lake,as well as portable huts for day trips on Salmon River,which has more sheltered coves to provide some cover from the winds that are always present at this time of the year. Our rates are very reasonable and if you require accommodations,the Pioneer Lodge has cabins very close to the lake where we fish.

This month I have a couple of very nice vintage items to show my readers.The first photo is of a folk art carving from a Quebec artist of a trout that has been mounted on a plaque.This carving was done at a studio and is signed by the artist. I am not certain of the year it was done but I am guessing the "60's".

The next item shown is a photo of a rifle I recently purchased with the help of a local antique dealer who picks outdoor items for me when he comes across them.I was absolutely thrilled to get this gun as it was done by a local who is now deceased.It is a "sporterized .303 British built by the late Moses Weaver of Coal Creek near Chipman. Moses or"Mosey" as he was called by many who knew him,was a guide who also did gunsmithing as well as carving and paintings of outdoor scenes during his lifetime. As of late,his folk art paintings are in high demand and commanding some fairly high prices,if you can find them. This is in part due to his living relatives seeking them out and offering high prices for these hard to find paintings,especially the larger ones depicting action hunting scenes. Moses also did a lot of guns for his American sports who visited each fall as well as doing carvings on guns for locals wanting a personal touch such as a deer head or a moose to decorate their favorite firearm. I feel very fortunate to have purchased this gun and I look forward to hunting with it next fall during deer season.By the way,its mounted with a Weaver scope. It only seems fitting.

In closing,I would like to wish all my friends and acquaintances a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy trails to you......Until we meet again!

BIG BUCKS,BUCK WARS AND MORE VINTAGE STUFF

2010-11-27T15:00:00.011-04:00

New Brunswicks 2010 deer season is now one for the books and according to the numbers,it was a season very similar to the last one in terms of deer killed. The weather this year wasn't good for hunting by any measure and I'm sure this had a lot to do with the low numbers tallied this season. We had a lot of rain and many days the wind was blowing hard. This,combined with above average temperatures,kept the deer laying low and hunters out of the bush,choosing to drive around and staying comfortable in their vehicles.

Our crew hunted hard,especially the last week of the season and we found both the hunting conditions and the deer numbers to be very disappointing this season. We started out,as usual,hunting the big woods of Gaspereau River and the Harley Road,which is on the eastern side of Salmon River. It didn't take long to realize that the deer continue to suffer a miserable existence in habitat dominated by Jack Pine plantations and too many moose. We usually concentrate on the different brooks and drainages in these areas and hunt the ridge lines that accompany this type of habitat. Many times these drainages hold the only decent habitat because of the buffers left along these brooks and the deer will use these spots as travel corridors,following the ridge lines when moving around from one area to another. These big woods bucks are having to travel further all the time because of the dwindling deer numbers and this makes it harder to catch them when they get running around looking for does.

Kenny once again proved his worth as a guide by setting his cousin Duane up on a nice track in the area I got my buck last year.I have talked about Duane in previous posts and I spoke of his being in the Canadian Armed Forces. Because of his career in the military,he just doesn't have the time to scout and prepare for the deer hunt,so Ken does the scouting for him and helps get him set up on his post.Duane is a sitter and he has been greatly rewarded for his patience over the years,having taken many nice bucks while hunting with us.This year was no exception as he took a very nice buck,having only posted for about forty minutes before the buck stepped out at eighty yards.He hit the buck in the front shoulder and he dropped on the spot,which is always nice because it's not much fun trying to track down a poorly hit deer in big woods that run for miles.The following photos show Duane with his 2010 buck.

I asked Duane if he was going to get his head mounted and he replied that he thought this buck was too small! I would be overjoyed to take a SMALL buck like this one any day! Although this bucks rack was on the light side and had short brow tines,he also had a nice spread of nineteen and a half inches and a kicker off the back of his G1 that added character to the rack. In Duane's defence,if you know the calibre of white-tail heads he has on the wall,I guess you could understand why he's calling it too small. Although Duane was the only one to score on a nice buck,Dallas had three chances at two different four pointers and Jamie and I both had a long distance encounter with a nice heavy ten point buck that was just too far away. Jamie had left his post at lunch time to join me at my blind and that's when the buck decided to come out in front of Jamies stand location. Talk about poor timing! Jamie also encountered a nice little six point and what Jamie later described as an absolute "monster"at lunch time on another day while out doing some scouting.Unfortunately these bucks were also well out of range and all Jamie could do was look at them and admire them from afar.

The trail cam photos below show two of the bucks we were hunting this year. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos but unfortunately they were the only pictures I got of these bucks. The second one on the right side of the page is the big boy I spent most of the season hunting. What is remarkable about this buck is the fact he wasn't the dominant buck in this area. There was a very large bodied buck in the area and we seen evidence where {the tracks} the buck in the photo was run off by the bigger buck. If you look closely at the photo of the buck I was hunting,you will see a tuft of hair sticking up on his rump as if he was prodded by a set of horns.I have seen this on other deer and this seems to fit the profile. The tracks of the largest buck were absolutely huge! There were also a couple of other nice bucks in the area that were travelling in the same area as the other two. The first buck on the left side of the page was a buck Dallas was trying to intercept but he's still running around out there.

Although I wouldn't say 2010 was a good year for taking big bucks in our area,there were a few nice ones taken by some of the locals. A migrant hunter from the Moncton area shot a very nice wide and heavy nine point in Bronson that I never got a photo of but Trevor T. of Chipman got a nice even ten point while driving in to his stand just outside of Chipman. Trevor told me this buck had to be the stupidest buck in N.B. because he let Trevor stop the truck,get out and put his hunter orange on,load the gun up and walk out in front of his truck to take the shot! However you got him Trev,he's still a nice buck!

Another lucky hunter scored on a nice buck from the Coal Creek area. Matthew LeBlanc, a youth hunter travelling with his father,shot his first deer, a nine point buck standing in a clear-cut. Matt dropped him with one shot at about three hundred yards! That's a pretty good shot, Matt! Hope you have lots more to come! The next photos are of Matthews deer.

Kevin H. of Chipman got a nice wide nine point buck from the Harley Road and I've had an unconfirmed report of another young hunter that kill a huge buck in the Ripples area near Lakeville Corner that was over three hundred pounds field dressed! The word I got was the local butcher processed two hundred and twenty-six lbs.of meat from the buck for this young hunter. Unfortunately,I haven't got any photos of this buck,but if I get any I'll include them in a later post. The first deer registered in Minto this season was an oddity.Apparently,this deer was a doe with one horn in the middle of its head! In other words,a unicorn! Only in Minto!The local big buck contest had thirty-seven contestants and there were only two bucks registered.The winning deer was a six point, two hundred and three lb. buck. The runner -up was two hundred and one lbs. To me, that isn't a very good showing,considering the calibre of hunters that were entered in the contest. Two thirds of the deer hunters entered were what I would consider to be "hard core" hunters,with at least one good buck taken in the past. They all agreed the hunting was pretty tough in our neck of the woods this year.
A trophy white-tail buck is one of the most sought after big-game animals in North America. Each year tens of thousands of hunters take to New Brunswicks woods in search of these elusive creatures and in the process of doing so,many times these hunters rub each other the wrong way.Sometimes its locals pitted against migrant hunters and other times its locals challenging other locals for what is perceived to be "their' hunting grounds. Why would grown men and sometimes women, get down-right mean and quarrelsome over the pursuit of an old buck deer? When I first pondered this question, I thought it was an ego- related thing such as "mines bigger than yours", but the more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion it comes from a much deeper level. The emotions displayed sometimes between hunters comes from the instinct to survive. We hunters still carry this with us to a certain degree and many times when we encounter other hunters in our area,we instinctively feel a need to protect our territory from intruders. If a hunter could rationalize these negative feelings and realize the origin of these emotions, he would soon realize the folly of his ways. Crown land belongs to ALL New Brunswickers and we hunters have to learn how to share it. It pretty much boils down to using a little courtesy and respect and most situations will resolve themselves. Another thing that pits hunter against hunter is the many debates about choice of weapons,hunting methods,hunting rules and a myriad of other subjects. Many times these subjects prove to be very divisive and we end up hurting ourselves rather than improving our lot. So the next time you feel your hair bristle when you see another hunter in your area,try to remember that the emotions you are feeling come from a long ago time when things were very different. Take a deep breath,chill out and remember,that other hunter is most likely just like you, a regular guy out trying to down a big buck and get to experience one of the greatest thrills a man can have,wrapping your hands around a big New Brunswick white-tail bucks horns!

The following photos show some more vintage items I have collected over the years. The second picture is a stylized, hand carved goose that can be used on a nite table to hold jewellery or smalls. This nice carving is signed M. Thamlov and is circa 1965. The first photo is a beautiful porcelain plaque with a painting of two brook trout,circa 1960.

The next items are two very nice cookie tins,circa 1950, lithographed with a king fisher and an ivory-billed? woodpecker. Note the detail and beautiful colors of the lithos.

I have a ton of vintage items I have collected over the years that I will continue to include in my blog and I hope my readers will enjoy seeing more of this stuff in the future. If any sport,young or old,experienced or not,is looking for a guided adventure in New Brunswick, just give me a call and Ken and I will arrange a trip to the beautiful Grand Lake area that you will not soon forget!
Play Safe and Happy Trails to you!.......Until we meet again!

NEWCOMER SPECIES,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2010-10-21T18:54:00.000-04:00

The brilliant colors of fall are slowly fading as the brisk winds we have had over the last couple of weeks takes a toll on the remaining leaves.This will open up the coverts and will no doubt provide a bit more shooting for bird hunters looking for a few grouse for the pot. The changing seasons once again remind me that nothing stays the same and that change is inevitable. The question is whether the change is for the better or not. Each fall, I make several trips to the Harley Road outside of Chipman, mainly to take in the kaleidoscope of colors the landscape provides in that part of the country and check out the deer sign,while keeping an eye out for some partridge. Each year, I notice changes made by the wood harvesting operations and this year was no different. New clear cuts and evidence of re-planting in one of the nicer areas we hunt.Normally,I don't get too upset at this type of activity because it's just a fact of life in this neck of the woods but this time I've really got my back up about what's going on out here. What I find upsetting is the fact that the "tree growing company" that manages this area has seen fit to replace the large stands of hardwood it has harvested with plantations of softwood.This whole area has been predominately stands of hardwood for hundreds of years,created by Mother Nature in a place she has seen fit to grow these magnificent stands of maple, beech and birch. The Harley Road has long been an ideal habitat for deer and grouse and many trophy deer have been taken here over the years. I was there when this country was first opened up and I recall that the first year there was around one hundred and seventy-five deer taken that fall. The next year another one hundred and twenty-five were taken. The following years deer were still taken but in ever shrinking numbers. And each year,more and more Jack Pine plantations were planted to replace the stands of hardwood being cut. We are now to the point where most of the Harley Road has been cut and the huge stands of virgin hardwood are no longer standing. The deer herd has also shrunk to the point that there are only a handful of deer taken there each year and the grouse have all but disappeared.How could a company and its foresters do such a morally corrupt thing as to totally go against what Mother Nature has seen fit to create?How do you justify changing a huge expanse of hardwood into a tree farm of Jack Pine,a species that is no friend to any animal? I could understand if the ground were allowed to re-generate naturally and let nature take its course. If nature seen fit to produce large stands of softwood in these areas,so be it. But to purposely impose stands of softwood on ground that wants to grow hardwood,at the expense of the game and the hunters that pursue these animals,is nothing short of criminal. Oh,and don't forget,these jokers are spraying herbicide to kill off the young succulents coming up that the game feeds off of.Shame on you all! Big business and government both. I hope I live long enough to see the pendulum swing the other way.It will be a great day for all New Brunswickers when our forests are once again managed properly.

There are a couple of new species making news here in N.B.The big news is the pending re-introduction of wild turkeys to the province.We already have some Maine birds crossing into the province as well as some free ranging birds that are slowly spreading from their point of origin. These birds have survived two brutal winters here and are thriving so there is no question we will have a huntable population some time in the future.The question is how long will it take to get a huntable population if left to expand naturally? This process will be speeded up considerably if the government OK's a stocking program.I urge all hunters to be vocal and contact your MLA,asking that the government move forward with this stocking program as quickly as possible.Here is a photo of some birds sunning on a mud dump in the Midlands area.

Another species which has made the local news is a pair Sandhill Cranes that have taken up residence in the Grand Lake area. This is a wonderful event as this is the first time in recorded history that a nested pair of these cranes have been discovered in the Maritimes. The exact location of these birds is being kept under wraps so as not to disturb them.There are a lot of bird watchers that would like to add these cranes to their lists and while this is an honorable hobby,too many onlookers could disturb the birds and cause an unwanted reaction by any commotion made by any interested parties. Hopefully,these birds will

thrive in their new environment and provide some photo opportunities in the future.

The next species I want to talk about is not one we should welcome to this province.I was asked to look at a photo recently and asked my opinion on what the creature might be that was captured on a trail cam at a deer bait. At first glance,the photo looks like a bear but if you look closely at the ears and the hair,as well as the general build of the animal,then you may change your opinion as to what you are looking at. Take a close look at this photo.It isn't the best quality,but it's good enough to form an opinion.To me,this creature looks like a wild pig! I sure hope it isn't but I don't know what else it could be. The big question is where did this thing come from? The only wild boars that I know of in this area were ones raised by a local farmer who raised some exotic species. I had a close encounter with a large boar that weighed about three hundred pounds that escaped its enclosure and ended up in my front yard! At the same time,about eight little piglets escaped and were destroying lawns and landscaping in the neighbourhood.This all took place about six or seven years ago and most people thought they would just die off. I'm starting to wonder about that after seeing this photo. The area where this photo was taken is about twenty kilometers from where the pigs escaped but I have learned that some of these pigs were spotted as far as thirty km. away from where they escaped! Is this one of the original escapees or is this an offspring of the originals? Or is it a totally separate incident where another individual has escaped? Hopefully, these questions will be answered in the near future. One individual from the DNR was shown the photo and he said it was a bear! You be the judge. I just hope and pray we don't have a breeding population of these destructive buggers because there are a lot of places in the south that would dearly like to get rid of the ones they have! This is not a good news event. I will keep my

readers posted on any new developments as this situation unfolds.

The open water fishing is just about done for another year. The diehard striper fishermen are still at it,especially around Reversing Falls in Saint John but everything else is pretty much done. As usual,I finished out the salmon season on the beautiful Cains River. This fall ,I found the fishing to be great but the catching was a bit spotty. If you fished on a raise of water and a day or two after,you had a chance of hooking a fish.After a couple of days,the water dropped like a stone and the bite stopped just as abruptly. Maybe the quick run-off is normal but I find it troubling. Nowadays,the water seems to drop off too quickly. Allen D.,good friend and guide,travelled with me for a few days and he potted a few grouse and I managed to catch a nice ,dark grilse.Before catching this fish,I had numerous bumps and short hook-ups but it was pretty tough fishing. At least there was lots of wildlife around to keep things interesting.A couple of years ago, there was a semi-tame fox hanging around the bridge on RT 123.This year,there was a family of otters entertaining/torturing the fishermen. They showed up early each morning and scolded anyone who was in their fishing hole! I also saw a large male mink on the shore one afternoon. I did manage to get a photo of the otter as they were hissing and chattering at me.

There was an adult and three pups when I saw them but I only got two of them in the photo because they were diving so often.The next photo is me with the grilse I caught .

I also caught a few nice trout while fishing salmon on the Cains. That is one of the bonuses of fishing this beautiful river.If the salmon aren't taking,you can almost be sure the brook trout will be and there are some dandies in that old Cains river.This next photo shows me with one of the trout I caught while fishing salmon this fall.

Overall, 2010 was a very good year for salmon,in terms of returning numbers. The down side to the summer fishing was the brutally hot weather we had for a couple of weeks.It really stressed the fish and the catching was very poor for a spell but when the water did cool off, there was some great fishing for those lucky enough to be fishing during the right time slot. Looking forward,the spring fishing should be very good because of the good numbers of fish in the system.

We had some very good shooting during the early goose season,with Jamie and Dallas bagging several one morning at Randy N. farm. Dallas works some for Randy and he lets us shoot his fields each fall.

The opener for ducks was also a great day afield for us and three shooters each bagged a limit.We had Allen D. along to do some cooking and Jamie's girlfriend,Brook,was along to take photos and help out with the cooking.The shooting was fast and furious and the food was fantastic.

The next photos were taken on the marsh on the first day of the duck season.

The 2010 moose hunt was also a great success for most hunters lucky enough to draw a tag. Dallas hunted again this year with Randy-Micheal,who was the second gun on his mothers tag. Dallas is a popular guy to have along on a moose hunt because he is young and strong and is an excellent skinner and meat cutter. Dal really knows his way around a meat shop and has processed many moose at Chappie's Meat Shop in Briggs Corner.Randy took a beautiful young six point bull on Friday right beside the highway on the 123. Randy and Dal said it sure made the retrieval a lot easier. The next photo shows the boys skinning their moose over at Wes's.Old Wes just loves to see the pole hanging with a fresh kill because he knows there will be some tenderloins frying in the pan later on.

Our local station registered about thirty moose this year and the biggest was a twenty-two point bull taken in the Canaan River area. This moose weighed in at eleven hundred and twenty -five lbs. Adam P. and his family were also fortunate to take a trophy moose and got it on their own property,no less! Adam's mother had the tag and Adam was the second shooter. Adam is a supervisor at the local saw-mill here in Chipman but he lives in the Florenceville area. The next photo's show Adam and his mothers seventeen point bull taken in a beaverdam.

Congratulations to all the successful moose hunters of 2010 and maybe next year I'll get lucky and draw a tag if the new government and DNR change the format for picking tags. This was one of the election promises and it would go a long way towards making the draw fairer and allow some long time applicants a chance at a tag.

Here are a couple of photos of some of the vintage items I have collected over the years. The first photo is one of a TV or table lamp from the late Fifties or early Sixties. These lamps were quite popular at that time and came in many different forms. This one is a Puma standing on a rock ledge.

The next photo is one of a display case I had made for me many years ago to hold some of the early board games I collect. I had a set of horns from a ten point bull moose I had taken and I really didn't think the horns would display well on the wall so I had a friend use them as the legs for my glass case and it turned out quite well.

I will continue to show the readers of this blog more vintage items in the future,including some that I will be selling when I retire. But if anyone sees something they like and can't wait that long,just give me a shout and we will see if we can come to terms.

Be sure to watch for next months edition of my blog for some pictures of the great New Brunswick bucks that are sure to be taken this season. Myself and the crew are bird-dogging some real nice ones and I'm sure there will be some hanging on Wes's pole.

Until next time, Happy trails to you.....until we meet again!

GUN DOGS, THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2010-09-29T06:18:00.000-04:00

Summer is officially over and it took a blow from a hurricane to get rid of that hot,humid weather we had at the end of August. Now I like warm weather as well as the next person but that was just downright brutal,especially if you had to work in it. I often think of the fish and game when we get extremes of weather and how uncomfortable they must be. The salmon,in particular, had a very rough few weeks this year. I know my dogs were also uncomfortable during the hot weather we had and they even had the river to cool off in! Caution and common sense must be used whenever working gun dogs in hot or cold conditions when afield or you risk serious ailment or injury to your pup.If it is really warm out,try to forgo any training sessions or hunts until a more temperate day or at least limit the time the dog is working and make sure he has lots of fresh water to keep him hydrated. If you are working a retriever in cold weather,a vest will help keep him comfortable when he is making those long retrieves at day break in the marsh. Most gun dogs are bred for the task and have the physical attributes needed to work in the outdoors but gunners want their dogs to be comfortable and enjoying the hunt as part of the team. There is a special bond that develops between gunners and their dogs and any sportsman who has ever owned a good gun dog knows what I'm talking about.I have been privileged to own several good gun dogs of different breeds and I have shot over some other good ones owned by friends and hunting partners.My first gun dog,believe it or not,was the family German shepherd that we got when I was just a toddler. I started out with a BB gun and then progressed up to a nice pellet gun that I used to hunt squirrels mainly and my dog Flash was always by my side when I went to hunt our sixty-five acre woodlot. That dog loved to hunt squirrels and she never lost one that I can remember. She taught me at that young age to trust a dogs nose and hunting ability because she always led me to those smart old squirrels that tried to escape by going from tree top to tree top.Many times I would be going one way and she would go off in another direction and would soon be barking up a tree and sure enough,there would be Mr. Squirrel. I hunted with that German shepherd until I turned thirteen and then I started to leave her home because I was now hunting partridge and rabbits and that wasn't Flashes' game.Since that time I have owned black labs,yellow labs,Irish setters,English setters and German shorthaired pointers and I enjoyed them all.Some were much better pets than gun dogs,such as the Irish setter I owned. His name was Red and he was a stunning dog to look at but he was uncontrollable in the field.I did my best with him but in the end I gave him to my mother-in -law as a gift. She was happy to have him and I was glad to have room for a new dog in my kennel. One of the finest gun dogs I ever owned was a handsome English setter that I named Harry. Harry was a real blue blood in the field dog world.His grand sire was Fld.Ch. Jettrain,one of the winningest setters on the field trial circuit during the seventies and he had the potential to be a champion in his own right but I buggered that up and I've always felt guilty about it ever since.You see,I got Harry by default as my original pup died shortly after I purchased her and the breeder had told me if anything happened to the pup within a reasonable time,he would replace her with another.When my new pup died,I went back to the breeder and he had two pups left.One was a big quiet pup that didn't seem to have much energy and the other was a beautiful male that looked and acted like he had all the right stuff.The breeder tried to steer me towards the big slow pup because he knew I wasn't really into the field trial game and he thought that pup would make a better gun dog. I told him I thought that pup was a dud and I would rather have the other one that showed more spirit.He told me he was going to keep him to train for the circuit because he thought he had potential but if I insisted he would give me his favorite one if I agreed to train him and enter him in competition,which I agreed to. I did do a lot of work with Harry but I made one fatal error with him that never got resolved and that was letting him run on his own at my parents place when I was visiting.That was how Harry learned to hunt on his own. Not good.From then on I had a real hard time keeping him in range and before you knew it,he would be in the next county with me whistling and whooping my lungs out to get him back. I continued to work with him and he did point birds and was very stylish when pointing but he would break point. When he was still at an age when he could run as a puppy in the trials,the North American Woodcock Championship was held in Pennfield and as I had promised,I entered Harry in our first field trial.I really had my doubts about him making it around the course without getting lost but to my amazement,he actually made it around and did so in style.I was going to leave after our brace had run because I just didn't think he had done that good but his breeder had asked me to stay until the judging was over,so I did. I couldn't believe my ears when the judges awarded Harry and I third place in the Open Puppy at that prestigious trial! The breeders face was a mix a joy and pain because in all the years he had been breeding and trialing he had never placed a dog! Harry did me proud that day and from then on I let him have his head and I didn't have the heart to fully break him. Harry died running at full tilt at the age of twelve under the wheels of a vehicle. Harry was the only dog I ever seen who could run down a rabbit and catch it.That was another fault he developed that made him all but useless as a field trial dog.This is a photo of Harry with some sharptails in Rose Prairie near Fort St. John,BC.

Here is another photo of me and my brother Tim after a three hour shoot in the Beaton River valley in B.C. This valley was the most game rich place I have ever hunted.

Another great hunting dog I owned was a German short-haired pointer named Joma.She was a female and was the most head strong dog I have ever owned but also one of the best gun dogs I have ever shot over. She was an excellent retriever and did a super job on woodcock and grouse. I sent her to Sioux City,Iowa to have her bred to Fld. Ch. Brown L's Jet, a field trial champion from a great lineage and she had a beautiful litter of six pups.My original plan was to keep a nice male pup and sell the rest to cover the cost of breeding.That plan didn't work out too well because I found that not many gunners were familiar with the breed here in N.B. at that time and I ended up giving away all of the pups but two at the farmers market in Fredericton! Some people got some super dogs at a super price! I kept the pick of the litter to give to my beloved grandmother Boyd,as she loved GSP's and this dog had champion written all over him. She kept Bruno until she had to move into the old folks home where she wasn't allowed pets. I didn't have any room in the kennel at the time,so I gave the dog to a local houndsman who was familiar with the breed and took good care of his dogs. He later told me he and his partner shot a dozen grouse the first time he hunted over him and he said Bruno was the best gun dog he had ever seen. I would have to agree.He was a magnificent animal to watch working a cover and he was rock solid on point. I had started all the pups with Joma and they followed Mamma's lead perfectly. Bruno met his fate one day from a bullet from a neighbours gun after he got loose and went to check out the guy's ducks.A sickening end to a dog that was probably more valuable than the creep who killed him.The houndsman was outraged and the guy was lucky to keep his hair and if the owner had known for sure who did it,I'm sure we would have read about the aftermath of this fiasco in the local papers. Unfortunately,I don't have any good photos of these dogs,but I do have a picture of one of the best retrievers I have ever hunted over.

Cain belonged to one of my duck hunting partners and was the biggest ,strongest,hardest-working gun dog I have ever had the pleasure of hunting over. Rodney L.,my hunting partner,had asked me to help him train the dog and I told him there was no shortcut to success when training gun dogs.I told him the main thing was the trainer had to be smarter than the dog.That may seem like a cute remark to some but it's really a true statement.If you loose your temper or get frustrated with the dog and react with emotion,the dog will defeat you.I explained to Rod the basics and told him to be consistent in his training regime.He asked me what the most important commands were and I told him to work hard on "come "and "stay" and the dogs natural ability would take care of the rest. Rodney did a great job training Cain,considering it was his first dog and he had no experience at the game.We hunted over Cain for about five seasons before he was struck by a car and was laid to rest.In those five years Rod and I killed around four hundred and fifty ducks and dozens of geese over Cain and I made Rodney a plaque to remember and record Cain's accomplishments in the field.This is another photo of Cain at the duck camp we set up each year on the McGill Meadow.

The last good dog I hunted over was Jamie's dog, Whiskey.He was a Golden retriever out of good stock and I would have to say Whiskey was one of the best all round dogs I have had the pleasure to know. He was just coming into his own when he was killed,yet again,under the wheels of a vehicle. Whiskey was one of those dogs who was a wonderful pet and hunting dog.This is not something that always occurs when owning a gun dog.Sometimes they are great gun dogs but are poor pets and vice versa.Whiskey was one of those dogs that had it all and even writing this I get sentimental about him.This year Jamie is still feeling very sick when he thinks about Whiskey because he now realizes just how special that ol' Whiskey was as a gun dog and pet.

So readers,if you take nothing else away from this bit of blog,make sure you have control of your gun dog at ALL times.I have owned and bred dozens of gun dogs during my life and I can recall only one dying of natural causes and that was my GSP,Joma.We had some great pickerel fishing this year at the end of summer but it has pretty much come to an end.Right now,the striper bite is starting to heat up and Corey S. and his fishing partner Eddy S. landed two nice ones last week weighing in at 19lbs. and 15 lbs. Corey says there are a lot of stripers in the Gagetown area but there are so many eels migrating out to sea throughout the system that it is making hooking up rather difficult.Corey says after the eels clear out, the fishing should improve until the water temperature drops to the 40 degree mark,then the bite pretty much dies out. The fall run of salmon has started in earnest on the MSW Miramichi and if the water conditions stay good,the fishing should be great,as there are a lot of fish in the system and more fresh fish entering the river daily.The lower Cains River is starting to turn on with some nice hook-bills being taken in the river from the Sabbies River down to the mouth. With the recent rain we have had,I expect to see some fish arrive in the upper stretches within the next two weeks.The Cains River is a beautiful salmon river to fish in the fall and if you have never fished it,you should make it a point to do so. I have a couple of very nice vintage items to show my readers this month,the first being a beautiful coat rack that Kenny made for me a few years back.Ken made the plaque out of a nice piece of pine and he spent many hours burning in a scene of very detailed songbirds.What really caught my attention with this piece was the wood grain in the pine that looks like the head and beak of a duck.If you look closely,you can see it in the background behind the songbirds.

Ken added some brass hardware and a couple of split pine branches that he peeled and used for hangers.He has made a few of these hangers,with some being used in a local restaurant.These hangers require a lot of painstaking work on Kenny's part and he says he never gets paid for the hours of work he puts into the finished product but he gets a great deal of satisfaction from knowing he has produced a nice work of art that will retain its value into the future. The next items in the following photo shows a couple of decorative "carnival" pillow covers I picked up in the Chipman area.These covers were sold at the local fair and at the gift shop in Chipman during the Sixties as souvenirs. They used to be quite common one time but are now getting hard to find and I'm lucky to have picked up these ones in my travels.

I'm a little late publishing this latest blog because we are really busy at this time of the year but I will try to get back on schedule with my next installment. If any sportsmen out there would like a trip to New Brunswicks' Big Woods,just give me a call or drop me an E-mail and we will make plans for your trip of a life-time.Happy Trails to you--until we meet again!

MENTORS AND GUIDES,THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2010-08-20T18:15:00.000-04:00

Summer is slowly winding down here at home on Salmon River and what a summer it has been! Aside from a two week hot spell in July,the weather was very nice,with lots of sunshine and seasonable temperatures. Many people liked those scorching temperatures we had last month,but if you were a fisherman rather than a beach-bum,it really wasn't much fun for either the fishermen or the fish. We had a great run of salmon this year and it's probably a good thing since many fish died during the hot spell in July. Anyone guiding salmon fishermen right now has his hands full as the fish are stacking up anywhere they can find some water and they aren't being very co-operative in taking the fly.On the subject of guides,I was thinking about how much things have changed over the years when it comes to guiding. There was a day when a guide was a "woodsman" and by that I mean a guide literally spent most of his time in the woods. Most of the old time guides I knew of were almost universally trappers who worked a bit in the woods and guided during the seasons.These old timers knew the woods and rivers like the back of their hands because of the sheer amount of time they spent on their trap lines and felling timber and yarding it out to the brows to be sent downstream to the mills.These old guides would start out guiding fishermen during the spring and summer and then would switch over to moose and deer in the fall and wouldn't miss a beat.Today, most guides seem to specialize in one area such as guiding for salmon or maybe guiding grouse and woodcock hunters. I know many guides today who are good salmon guides but couldn't find a deer to save their soul.Or they may be great dog men and do well chasing birds around the coverts that course along New Brunswick's many brooks and streams,but couldn't call a moose in on a bet. This new breed of guide knows his game,whatever it may be,but can't really be called good "woodsmen" because they are specialists and haven't got the experience in other areas of outdoor pursuits. I feel very privileged to have been mentored by some real "woodsmen" when I was growing up and starting to tramp the woods and waters here in southern New Brunswick.Now that I'm at an age where I look back as much as I look ahead, I find myself wishing I would have taken photos and tried to document the countless trips made with these great guides and mentors of my youth.I will never forget my first trip to the Big Woods with my Uncle Rowan when I was about twelve years old. Uncle Rowan and a couple of his war buddies had a log cabin on the headwaters of Newcastle Stream near Clearwater Brook and they spent a lot of time at the camp fishing trout and hunting.I think there was a fair amount of drinking went on during their forays into the bush because there were several pit stops along the trail where I recall seeing many empties and small piles of tins.This was long before the days of concern for the environment and very little garbage was hauled back out of the bush. The hike into my uncles camp was five miles in along the old portage and I recall the very real sense of adventure I felt when hiking along with Uncle Rowan and my cousin that fall day. I recall seeing many moose tracks along the portage and I felt we would see one around every bend in the trail. In truth,we really were in good moose country,but my uncle was looking for deer that fall day,not moose. As we neared the top of the ridge that led down to the camp beside the stream,my uncle paused to have a nip of some sort of spirits and announced to my cousin and I that our trek was nearly over and the camp was just down the ridge a step. As we stood there for a moment,I seen a flash of brown half way down the hill and at the same time my uncle was trying to shoulder his rifle while getting himself untangled from his gear. It was a large ten point buck streaking from his bed and heading for cover and my uncle just couldn't get a bead on him as he took large leaps away while looking back at us over his shoulder.My Uncle Rowan had let his guard down just briefly because we were so close to the camp and it cost him a nice buck.He took it all in stride,but I never forgot that lesson I learned that day. My uncle loved to fish brook trout and each year he would make a trip into the "V" on the Gaspereau River with a couple of buddies.This was a ten mile hike in and they would spend one or two nights and then hike back out.I still recall Uncle Rowan landing home,sometimes a little tipsy but always with a large mess of trout. Nothing huge,just nice pan trout of ten or twelve inches and lots of them. I only made that trip once and I recall I never thought I would make it across Dorsey Bog to get to the "V" and all that good fishing.I did make it and the fishing was fantastic but my young legs ached for a week after!I made many such trips as I was growing up,sometimes with older mentors and sometimes with like-minded young friends,but I will never forget those first trips with my Uncle Rowan Bauer into the camp at Clearwater Brook.Another great friend and mentor during this time was Norm Hiltz.Norm was a good friend of my Uncle Hartley Boyd and it was through him that I became acquainted with Norm.He loved the woods and waters here in the Grand Lake area and spent as much time as he could fishing and hunting during those seasons and trapping foxes and cats during the late fall and winter. Norm was a very charismatic character and all who met him were enthralled with his tales of past adventures and I was no exception.Being a youngster,I couldn't help but look up to him and he was the type of man who didn't just" talk the talk",but he "walked the walk" and you just knew he was the real deal. What impressed me most about Norm now that I look back was the fact he wanted to include me in the trips to the bush he and my Uncle Hartley made on a regular basis. Remember now,I was just a kid of fourteen or so,but I think old Norm recognized in me a love of the outdoors and he did everything he could to encourage me to pursue the sporting life.We went on many hunting and fishing trips and it was Norm who taught me how to hunt deer.Now Norm was a great trout fisherman,trapper and moose hunter but what he was really good at and loved the most was hunting big white-tails. When I say big white-tails,I mean BIG bucks and he certainly had the racks to prove he was very good at outsmarting those sneaky old grey- faced bucks.How good was he at taking big bucks? Well,the Red Fisher show held a big buck contest for a few years and if I recall correctly old Norm won that contest twice and placed a third time.This was no small feat,as the contest covered both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and there were many entries. Norm had a bad heart and I remember him still going out to the bush even after the doctor told him to take it easy.That's how much he loved to hunt deer. Another time I recall was when he got his moose licence and headed to the Cains River country to hunt.Norm really liked this area because he regularly fished the Sabbies River and he knew it was good moose country,so it was only natural he would head up that way. When my uncle and I went to visit him at his camp,to our surprise,he was camped on the side of the126 highway, just on the other side of the Cains River. After greeting us,my uncle Hartley asked him why he was parked on the road instead of going off into the bush to look for his moose.Norms reply was that he could call his moose out to the road and there was no need to chase around the woods looking for a bull. My uncle and I exchanged inquisitive glances as Norm picked up his horn and told us to be quiet and listen for an answer as he called. Old Norm could really talk moose talk and I couldn't believe it when he got an answer immediately.We could hear that bull coming like a freight train through the woods and when he finally stepped out onto the side of the road,Norm was waiting for him with his gun at the ready. He dropped that moose right there and it was the largest moose taken in the area that year. If I remember right,it had twenty-eight points and had very large boards and weighed over one thousand pounds. What a great experience for a young lad just starting out. Norm died relatively young. I believe he was in his late fifties and I recall thinking it just wasn't fair for such a great woodsman to be taken so young.These are just a couple of the men who mentored me when I was a young lad and I will talk about some others in future posts.

This photo is of the Trestle Pool on the Newcastle Stream.This was my favorite pool as a youngster and I caught many nice brook trout here as I was learning to fly fish. We're now into the time of year when the trout and salmon are holing up in cold water brooks and springs trying to stay comfortable until a raise in the water. the trout fishing can actually be pretty good,IF you can find them.Salmon,on the other hand, really have a hard time in hot weather and they become very hard to hook. Since the water is low and warm,we usually switch over to fishing pickerel and perch,with the odd trip for stripers. Right now,with the conditions being as they are,the pickerel bite is smoking hot! Ken and I were out last week-end for a few hours and hooked dozens of nice pickerel up to twenty-four inches long. I lost two that I thought were larger than the two footer I landed. What I love about fishing pickerel is the lightning fast strike.It almost startles you because you aren't prepared for the viciousness of the attack they make on your lure. Many times,the fish will miss the lure,just because of how wildly he goes after it. Many times even if the fish misses the lure,if you throw it right back at him,he will attack it again and you will eventually hook up. Pickerel are also notorious for throwing or spitting the lure back at you. This is why I fish the lure that I have put together most of the time because I get good hook-ups and less thrown lures. When I do occasionally use a top water lure,its a top-prop,for sure.I make sure to rig it the same way as my Hildebrand's and I get good results with this lure in the evening when the water is still.This photo shows two lures rigged the way I like them.I fish these lures almost exclusively and have been doing so for about ten years now.I remember my Uncle Hartley making his own pickerel lures by tying a gob of red feathers onto a red beaded,double bladed spinner with a treble hook.Many times he would add another set of treble hooks to this rig if he thought he needed more hooking power.This photo shows Kenny with a nice pickerel he got trolling in deep water while we were on our way to the weed beds.Pickerel are like any other fish in that they like structure and cover and Ken caught this one that was laying beside a stone abutment with some weeds.Ken was using a small bronze Mepps and he caught a lot of fish on it.When the conditions are like they are right now,you can throw just about anything at them and they will smash it with abandon.This photo shows me getting ready to land a nice pickerel. You can see the orange double-tailed leech hanging from his mouth. Ken and I always practice hook and release when fishing for pickerel in the late summer because if the fish is handled gently,he will take again the next day and the fun just goes on and on.Pickerel have very nice white meat and we will occasionally take one for old Wes,Kens dad, in the winter or early spring when their flesh is still nice and firm. The only down side to eating pickerel is they have Y bones,so there is a little tedious work taking the meat off of the bones.Here is another photo of Kenny with an average sized pickerel taken from our area of Salmon River. I don't know how many fish we caught but it was a lot. That seems to happen to Ken and I quite often, for some reason! Another reason I like fishing for pickerel is the fact they are very co-operative in striking a well presented bait or lure and a successful outing is almost assured,under most conditions. This is a photo of a young family fishing a cold water pool on the Cains River.As I said earlier in this post,the conditions are less than ideal for fishing salmon right now but there are fish to be had,with the right flies and a generous dose of patience. With the conditions being like they are,salmon fishermen would be well advised to be using long leaders and small black flies,size eight and ten and bombers with white tails. The young lady in the pink vest managed to land a nice grilse,but that was the only fish taken that evening.There were fish rolling and jumping in the pool but very few takers.The salmon fishing needs a nice raise of water to get the fish moving and bring in some new fish to the pools.When they get in their comfort zone,they will start taking again.

This is a photo of a crib board made from a deer antler.I just love this kind of vintage stuff and I have been collecting it over the years. All the camps we used to go to back in the day had a crib board and a deck of cards.Many evenings were spent over these crib boards with a few drinks and lots of laughs and memories of camp life with good friends and family. Kenny is very good at making folk art type things and I always try to encourage him to make more of it whenever he gets the chance. This type of thing is getting harder and harder to find every year,so if you get the chance to get something like this,you should grab it.This next photo shows a nice white-tail deer T.V. lamp or table lamp. This item is circa late 50's-early 60's and is made of plaster of paris and is quite heavy. The light is behind the deer and back-lights the area where it is placed.A word of caution to my readers about older electrical items.Many times the wiring can become brittle and connections can get corroded,so make sure you do a thorough inspection of the electrical components of any older device before you use it.If you have any doubts at all,just replace the components. I will continue to show photos of vintage outdoor goods in future posts to my blog,so be sure to keep an eye out for some great old items from the sporting past.Ken and I would also like to invite you to contact us anytime to arrange a trip to the Big Woods of central New Brunswick. Happy Trails to You!......Until we meet again!

GRAND LAKE, THE BITE AND VINTAGE STUFF

2010-07-25T12:55:00.002-04:00

This month has been a beautiful one here at home on Salmon River and in the Grand Lake area.There has been lots of sun and the temperatures have been soaring for most of the month.This makes for some great days at the beach,but it has really taken its toll on the trout and especially the salmon.Atlantic salmon just can't take high water temperatures and they will seek out cold water refuges at the mouth of brooks and any cold water springs.The Salmon River has been holding at a good level and we haven't hit our normal summer low yet.Usually,in a normal year,when the salmon fishing starts to slow down because of low water and high water temperatures,Salmon River and Grand Lake and its network of lakes and channels is just starting to produce some good days for large pickerel and perch. Grand Lake is a very underutilized fishery with great potential for producing trophy fish of several different species. Along with the many different species,there are three that have both landlocked and sea-run varieties.They are salmon,gaspereau and rainbow smelt.Grand Lake has been the scene of lots of ice fishing action for many years now,with the annual ice fishing tournament helping to stimulate the ongoing interest in this popular winter pass-time. During the summer months,most of the fishing activity takes place on Grand Lakes satellite lakes,which include Macquapit,Indian and French Lakes,with French Lake being the most popular with fishermen who target pickerel and sometimes perch.As a youngster,we would sneak into the power plant at Newcastle Center and fish the hot water discharge where it flowed into Grand Lake and we had great success catching schoolie stripers and a variety of other species. We would fish them with a salmon rod and use spring flies by letting line out in the current and wait for the bite,which wouldn't be long coming.The security at the plant soon had enough of this unwanted intrusion and before long nobody was allowed to be anywhere near the facility and this fishery just faded away into obscurity.The plant is now decommissioned and the hot water tunnel is shut down,but the stripers are still in the lake somewhere. I think the main reason nobody fishes Grand Lake in the summer much is because of its size. It is twenty miles long and seven miles wide,making it the largest freshwater lake in eastern Canada.For this reason,many fishermen are intimidated by the sheer size of this body of water and without the proper gear ,most fishermen don't have much success on Grand Lake. The approach Ken and I use is to fish the same areas we have luck at in the winter and many times we find fish in these same areas.Aside from the fishing,there are still some very good beaches for swimming,especially on the west side of Grand Lake.One good spot is near Princess Park at what is called the Keyhole.There is a very good open beach at this spot and good fishing can be had on the lake side and also in the body of water called the Keyhole just across the road.The water from the Keyhole flows through a tunnel into the main lake and many different species of fish hang around this area.On the eastern shore of Grand Lake,your best bet to find a decent beach and some fishing is to go to Lakeside Park. This was a provincial facility but it was turned over to the private sector some years ago.The rates charged at Lakeside are in line with most other campgrounds in New Brunswick and there is not much open beach for swimming,so visitors will most likely have to patronize the local establishments to find a spot open to swimming.If you would like to do some fishing and don't have a boat,your best bet is to fish off one of several wharves in the area.The DNR uses these wharves when doing their stocking and many times good fishing can be had right in these areas.The recent stocking of landlocked salmon comes to mind and Ken and I seen lots of fish at several wharves on the lake.If you are a history buff,then Grand Lake has lots of different spots to explore while you are in the area.It would certainly help to have a knowledgeable guide to show you around the area and provide some background and interpretation of the local history.Grand Lake Meadows has been a point of interest on Grand Lake for thousands of years,first by the native Americans and later by the French,Dutch and English.The meadows were so rich in flora and fauna that the natives made annual pilgrimages during the summer months to take advantage of the bounty the Meadows provided.Indian Point,on the extreme southern end of Grand lake,was used to access the large marshes in the area and historians consider this spot to be the site of one of the largest native gatherings in the Maritimes.For many years,one local family gathered many priceless artifacts from the area before it became a designated historical site and some excavation work was done until native burial grounds were discovered and all activity ceased.This area provided such a bounty to people that the first Europeans built a fort in the Jemseg area,close to the Meadows.The area was actually the site of many battles between the various nationalities trying to gain control because of the bounty held in the Grand Lake Meadows.One can only imagine the fish and wildlife that existed at this time in this location.Even today,this area is prized by duck hunters and fishermen.My most harrowing outdoor experience occurred off of Indian Point while duck hunting in the meadows as a young man.I was hunting with a good friend out of a fourteen foot canoe and on our return trip from the meadows to Indian Point ,the wind came up and since we were loaded down with our hunting gear,we didn't have much freeboard showing. We had to travel with the waves and landed far down the shore, but at least we made it.I can honestly say that was the most dangerous situation I have ever been in while in the outdoors and I'm sure my old friend Ron Gallagher would second that.Another historical point of interest near Indian Point is the grave site of Benjamin Franklin Tibbits,inventor of the compound steam engine.Ben Tibbits was a mechanical genius who was born near Grand Lake and as a young man he built his engine and it was installed in the steamer"Reindeer",which was launched in Fredericton in 1842.This engine was so sturdily built,it lasted for fifty years before being scrapped at a foundry. Ben Tibbits invention was a full three years ahead of any design coming out of Europe and the government awarded Ben the sum of one hundred pounds in recognition of his great work.These are just two examples of the rich history of Grand Lake and its adjoining waterways.I could tell many more tales about this wonderful area but I want to leave some things untold so I will have something interesting to tell any visitors who may come to the area and wants a guided tour.

This is a photo of me with one of the nice pan-sized brook trout that Kenny and I got earlier in the month.We fished two different spots and caught well over one hundred of these beautiful little trout. We were sure to pinch down our barbs so we wouldn't kill any unintentionally. Ken and I both agreed that a day of trout fishing like we had was as much fun as any fishing we have had,including salmon fishing trips. The places we fish receive very light fishing pressure,many times only from us,so there are lots of trout in these remote streams and beaver ponds to be caught and what these little guys lack in size,they more than make up for it by their sheer numbers and the non-stop action they provide! Here is another photo of Kenny with one of the brookies we got while on our trip earlier in the month.As I mentioned earlier in this post,the Atlantic salmon have been suffering greatly for the past couple of weeks and are only now showing signs of relief. The moderating temperatures and recent rainfall has been a godsend for both the salmon and the outfitters over on the Miramichi. I really feel sorry for those guys over there because for many of them,salmon fishing is the only game they play. That means if they can't fish because of the harsh conditions,they don't eat! On the other hand,they have paying customers waiting to fish the salmon that they must protect, so these outfitters must walk a very fine line. Most opt to limit fishing to the early hours of the morning,while the guides make sure if someone hooks a fish, they don't play it too long. Salmon anglers are, by nature,a serious lot and they understand just how fragile the salmon are when they are holding in warm water,so they are usually satisfied to get in a little fishing and just enjoy the fact they are on one of the most beautiful salmon rivers in the world! The big pickerel bite is just getting nicely started here at home on Salmon River. All the gaspereau are finally out of the river,so those big boys will start to cruise around looking for an easy meal. Kenny and I have come up with some lures and techniques over the years that ensures that we are into some fish most of the time. We always practice hook and release on these large pickerel because it takes a while to grow them to trophy size and we want to catch them as many times as possible.A good -sized pickerel in our area would be two feet in overall length and at least three and a half pounds.This is a photo of my son Curtis with a nice pickerel he got last year. We usually get some in this range every time we go out,when the conditions are right. I really like fishing pickerel and I can honestly say I don't prefer salmon or trout over the lowly pickerel just for the simple reason he can usually be coaxed into striking and there are lots of them in our area,so that means lots of hook-ups. After all,isn't that what greenhorns and pros' alike are hoping for? I know I can speak for all of us here at home on Salmon River when I tell you we have a ball fishing for pickerel and if anyone is looking for a great day of fishing,just give me a call! The Striper bite has started early this year,as has been the case with most species this year.We got reports of large stripers entering the St John River system from the middle of June and later on. When you have seasoned striper fishermen breaking off fish while using fifty lb. braided line,you know darned well there are some huge fish being hooked.The striper fishery in the St.John river had been a well kept secret until the last couple of years.Before that there were just a few hard-core striper guys down around Reversing Falls in Saint.John. That all changed when the Fishin' Canada show filmed two episodes on the lower Saint John River and showed folks the nice stripers that could be caught in their back yards.The fishing forums also helped to spread the good news.Soon there was a whole new wave of eager striper fishermen and they started catching some nice fish, too! Two of these guys new to the striper game are Eddy Speakman and Corey Shirley,both of Chipman. They are old pals both nearing retirement and decided to take up fishing stripers last fall. They managed to get a couple of ten pounders and a nice one of twelve pounds. Now both of these gents are past presidents of the Chipman Fish and Game Association and Corey is also past president of the New Brunswick Fish and Wildlife Association. So its safe to say they are experienced fishermen,but I don't think either of them was expecting any big surprises when they decided to try the bridge at Jemseg to see if any of the big stripers that had passed through the falls two weeks earlier had made it up that far.From what I've been told,they didn't have to wait very long until Eddy got a heavy bite and was hooked up to a large striper.At one point the fish was actually towing the boat around! Eddy finally got it boated with some of Coreys help and when they got it on the scales, it topped out at thirty-eight lbs.! Not too shabby for the start of their second season! There have been stories like theirs up and down the river the last couple of years.Sometimes it's stripers and sometimes it's the muskie bite everyone is talking about. Both are smoking hot new fisheries here in New Brunswick and trophy fish can be caught in the middle of the city in downtown Fredericton.So expect to here lots more in the future about the striper and muskie fisheries. I have been collecting vintage outdoor memorabilia for many years now and I thought some of the readers of this blog might be interested in seeing some photos of the really cool stuff I have picked up through the years.I started collecting this stuff because I liked it but it soon got out of hand and I've been packing a lot of it away to sell when I retire.At least that's the plan.I know there are some things I will never be able to part with and the paddle Kenny made for me is one thing that will stay with me and be passed on to my son. Here are a couple of photos of the paddle he made for me a couple of years ago.

Ken has been working with wood since he was a youngster. His Dad,Wesley,was well known for the axe handles he used to make and I guess Ken just picked up on some of the stuff old Wes was doing.I mention to ken one day that i had to buy a paddle and I was discussing the merits of buying a cheap one verses spending some money on an expensive one.After much discussion, Ken finally proclaimed that he could make a paddle that was better than any I could find on the market.Now that's quite a statement to make,so I said you go right to 'er and I'll be the judge when you finish it. Ken invited me along to get his materials which he picked up at a cabinet shop in Minto.All he got was some strips of hardwood left over from the saws that was being discarded. He took the strips of oak,maple and birch home to his wood shop and carefully glued and clamped them together until he had a sturdy hardwood board that he sawed and worked until he had the shape of the paddle.That's when the serious work began as he carefully shaped that paddle until he had it where he wanted it.To finish it off,he burned scenes on both sides and burned my name in the handle.When this was done,he carefully applied six clear coats of lacquer over the whole paddle. The finished product was a thing of beauty,but I told Kenny I would never be able to judge how sturdy it was because it would never see water to take a stroke. Today,it occupies a prominent spot on my wall and stands as a testament to Kennys skill as a worker of wood. The other object in the photo with the paddle is a slab of burl with flame all through it. This will be the top for a beautiful table in the near future.I will be showing more photos in future posts of some of the other interesting objects I have collected and will have for sale in the near future.Although I don't plan on retiring for at least a couple of years yet,if anyone sees something they like,don't be afraid to contact me if you want to discuss buying anything you see here. Ken and I and the rest of the guides that work with us encourage you to send me an e-mail or give me a call to arrange to spend some time in the Big Woods of beautiful New Brunswick. It's all there for the asking! Happy Trails to you......Until we meet again!

PARADISE LOST?....THE BITE AND OUTDOOR FOLKS

2010-06-24T14:05:00.002-04:00

We finally got some much needed rain this month and it has put the Salmon River here at home in very nice shape. It was starting to get dry and a lot of people were starting to get a little nervous. It's always nice to have lots of water when the fish are running because nowadays they need all the help they can get.Dark clouds are gathering over the salmon fishery on the Northwest Miramichi and a couple of its tributaries and we sportsmen can expect some rule changes in the very near future. This is a very sensitive and controversial situation that we as New Brunswickers face on the Northwest, as salmon numbers have dropped to the point where the fish are not meeting their spawning potential by even 50%! The problems clearly have to be addressed and you can be sure of one thing,it will be the sportsmen who will be biting the bullet first and hardest. Its always that way anytime a crisis arises in the outdoor world.And maybe it should be that way.After all,sportsmen and women are out there because they LOVE the fish and wildlife that they pursue and since they are deriving so much pleasure from their activities,its only fitting that they should take the lead and make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the perpetuation of the species. The other user group on the Northwest,the natives,will also have to make some sacrifices of their own. Surely,they would not like to lose such a key part of their heritage just to score some political points or to make a few bucks out the back-door.No,if the band leaders and the band members themselves have any sense at all,they will rise above the money and the political bull and do their part to ensure that the runs are perpetuated and grown to a point where the river is once again reaching its potential in terms of returning salmon. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that common sense will prevail.On a lighter note,the new Nova Scotia Government,the NDP,have come out with a press release that said that the rules for harvesting and managing woodlands in that province must be re-vamped. More specifically,the size and frequency of clear-cuts must be reduced in Nova Scotia and that's a good news story in my books.Its a great place to start and I would definitely add a couple of other changes that should be made that would help the wildlife in both Nova Scotia and at home here in New Brunswick.Here in New Brunswick,we have been managing our forests more for wood fibre and less for the well-being of our wildlife.This is evident in the low numbers of our deer on the crown land and the low numbers of song birds.Large clear cuts and spraying defoliant have contributed to these low numbers in a significant manner and should be looked at very closely by the managers,whoever they may be. Big business runs the show here in New Brunswick and we are all painfully aware of the priority of big business-profit,before all else.Just look at the Gulf coast in the US if you want to see what greed will do to our natural world. Hopefully the powers that be here in New Brunswick will wake up and make the changes that HAVE to be made in our forests to ensure that ALL user groups are accommodated.

Bear season is winding down and most of the hunters I talked to were seeing a lot of bears this year.That's good news for any visiting sports hoping to bag a big New Brunswick boar.The trail cam photo above is one of a nice boar that we caught visiting an old dump site in the mine cuts that some people were using.The amount of sign at this spot was crazy,so Ken and I set the camera up to try and get a photo of the nice one we knew was visiting there.We were quite surprised at the number of large boars we had at our sites this year.I guess it pays to do your home-work when selecting bait sites. As of late,bears haven't received much hunting pressure here in this province since most New Brunswickers would much rather hunt their beloved white-tails than bears any day.But with our deer numbers being down the last few years,many native sons have started pursuing this great game animal. I know Ken and I met up with a few new, younger hunters who were just getting started into the sport. It can be a pretty easy,relaxing hunt if your willing to put some miles on and do your homework.Ken and Jamie both took nice average-sized bears just buy driving around scouting and glassing the clear-cuts and fields. Ken was holding out but when he remembered that the bear biologist was coming to speak the next morning,he thought he would take a young bear that was feeding on a winter-killed moose and take it to the seminar so the speaker would have a specimen right there to talk about and examine.Things worked out great and the bear biologist had some good information to pass on to all the attending sportsmen.One fact that surprised both Ken and I was the distance a big boar will wander during the rut and sometimes when targeting certain food sources. According to the biologist,a big boar will sometimes go as far as eighty kilometers! That's quite a little jaunt!This photo shows me with a white perch taken one evening while fishing with Ken and my good friend,Stephen Doherty and his lovely daughter,Chelsie.Every spring around the first of June,friends and family gather for our annual Perch Party.When the white perch are running strong and the first big spawners come up from the lake,we all get together and catch a bunch of perch and fillet them all out and have a big feed and a little party.It's great fun and the food is always good!This photo shows Ken with a bucket of perch and a pile of fillets he just did up before we headed back home for the party. We like to do the fish up right out on the water,if we can. It's much cleaner and the mess either goes over the side of the boat for chum or in the bait bucket to be used for bear bait. The big news on Grand Lake this year is the landlocked salmon jumping all over the place! We haven't tried fishing them yet,but a couple of buddies have been catching them on small spoons and small black flies,either casting or trolling.From the reports I've been getting,these fish are averaging 20 in. and are making a lot of leaps that are clearing the water by 3-4 ft. This is a real good-news story. Our salmon stocks in Salmon River and its tributaries have been decimated by the fish farms in the Bay of Fundy and this stocking of 6500 fish is going to create some good fishing opportunities that have been lost over the last several years.I just hope that we can get a re-stocking program going for the Salmon River sometime in the near future because we have lost a great fishery since the creation of the salmon farms in the Bay. There was a tremendous run of gaspereau in Grand Lake this year and the Salmon River was literally choked with tens of thousands of these sea run fish.We have found over the years that the big pickerel bite will slow down at this time because there is just too much food around for those big guys to feed on. The river is just starting to clear out,with huge schools of fish slowly dropping back down the river to the lake on their way back to the ocean. Those big picks. will soon be on the prowl looking for an easy meal and Ken and I will be waiting for them! The word from the commercial fishermen was that the run this year was the biggest in many years,with some saying it was the largest they have ever seen! Its nice to see any species thriving and our brook trout seem to be doing very well,with many reports of trophy sized sea-run fish in the 6-8 lb. range. I know our local brooks and streams have been producing well the last couple of years and I hope this trend continues in the future.

The Chipman Fish and Game Club held its annual fishing derby last week-end and there was a good turnout of fishermen,both young and old and a good time was had by all. This photo shows Ken and my grand-son,Tyler,weighing in some of his fish.Ken was helping out by weighing the fish as they came in and although Ty didn't win the big prize this year,he did pick up a new life jacket for entering the most species,so he was pretty happy about that. The derby was held at Bruce McLeans Campground on Salmon River this year and everyone got to see a black bear that the DNR had captured in a live trap.For many,it was their first look at a wild bear and there were some kids with big eyes and open mouths who were amazed to see a black bear up close and personal. Bruce has a nice facility and I would encourage anyone who is looking for a nice campground to stay at to check it out.I know one thing,the fishing is very good right off the shore at the campground,There were tons of fish caught and a wide variety of species were taken during the derby.I mentioned earlier in this post that I was out fishing with Stephen Doherty and his daughter Chelsie and this photo shows Chelsie holding a small shark while on a trip to the Caribbean to study sharks as part of her biology course at university.Chelsie is one of those young girls that any parent would be very proud of and I know that Stephen and Wanda realize what a good student and citizen they have raised in Chelsie.She is not only a good student,but she works two jobs and gives freely of her time volunteering for various organizations.I've known Chels since she was a baby and I can tell you right now you won't find a nicer young lady anywhere.Did I mention that she is also the reigning Miss Petite New Brunswick and will soon be competing in Ottawa for the Miss Petite Canada crown? So Chelsie not only has the smarts but ,as you can tell from the photos,she has the good looks to go with those smarts.Chelsie currently works for the DNR out of Fredericton and whatever her career choices are in the future,you can be sure she will do well in whatever field she chooses.This photo shows Chelsie swimming with a huge shark while on her trip south and I'm here to tell you,that girl has a lot of spunk too!Good luck in the future Chelsie! The Salmon River is in great shape for boating and fishing and Ken and I will be doing full and half day trips this summer that are very affordable for anyone who wants a nice day on the water.We provide a nice shore lunch on these outings and the fishing is fantastic,as well as the scenery.So give me a call or send me an e-mail and we will arrange to get out there on the water here on the beautiful Salmon River. So long for now and Happy Trails to you.......until we meet again!

BLACK BEARS,THE BITE AND OUTDOOR FOLKS

2010-05-18T19:04:00.003-04:00

So far this spring,everything seems to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of schedule.The fiddleheads are popped out already and are close to peaking in some areas.The temperatures have been fluctuating between cool dark days and bright warm days,so you never know what to wear until you look out the window.I had one old gent from Carrolls Crossing tell me that the last time he saw a spring like the one we are having this year was back in 1953.That could be so because I was born in that year and I know one thing for sure,I have never seen a spring bear season like this one in all my days! Each spring after the snow is pretty much gone,Ken and I,as well as Jamie and Dallas,head out to check the roads and clover fields for any fresh sign that we might be able to set up on.We don't just go out blindly setting out baits and hoping a hungry bear will find it.From knowing our hunting areas so well,we pretty much already know were we will see some bear sign and if we find a good set of tracks,we will set up a bait site.On a normal year,all this would be taking place around the first week of May.It is also not uncommon for us to see bears on these spotting excursions.This year,Ken and Jamie were out spotting on the 15th of April and saw nine bears in the week before the season opened!This is unheard of in my time! I said in a previous post last year that Ken had killed a very early bear in the first week of May.At that time,that was the only track we had come across up to that point.This year,we are pre-dating that action by around three weeks!Talk about a difference! Yesterday Jamie decided it was time to put one down.The bear that Jamie took was the fifteenth bear Jamie had seen this season while out spotting.Jamie prefers to hunt bear in this fashion and it works for him because he knows all the best spots to see a grazing bruin and you are usually covering lots of ground and glassing the clover fields and cuttings.

Jamie says this style of hunting black bears beats sitting in a tree stand and getting chewed alive by black-flies anytime! The bear that Jamie took is about average for this area.Certainly not a heavy-weight by any means,it was still a very nice bear.Its coat was in perfect condition and there was zero hair loss.Jamie also made a terrific shot on this bear.His girl-friend and good buddy BJ were both there when Jamie made the shot at two hundred yards, running across the top of a mud-dump.Right through the chest.Sweet!Now many will say"Why didn't he hold out for something bigger?".Well,the reason is,Jamie is first and foremost a meat hunter.He wants to make the kill and get the meat in the freezer.That's just the way it is.Ol' Wes had a lot to do with that attitude,as he raised Kenny up in much the same fashion.Ol' Wes was raised during the Depression years in a family of twelve and he prided himself on being able to go to the duck marsh with three shells and come back with a limit of ducks.It was purely a matter of economics and supper.These two things proved to be great motivators back in Wesley's day and I guess some of it rubbed off on the generations that followed.This bear will be very good eating and it has a beautiful pelt to boot! Congrats Jamie.We also have some very good sized boars coming to our bait sites.Most of the baits we have out are getting hit by multiple bears and some of them are huge!

This nice boar is one of several bears hitting one of our baits.There is a nice cinnamon bear at this site that I had a photo of but I accidentally deleted it. The time and date on this photo is wrong,as you can see.The date was actually May 5@10:12:43.We have several large boars coming in during the day-light hours to this bait and a few others.This photo is one of a yearling posing for the trail cam while his momma and sibling forage about in the bushes.This little family of bears is providing lots of entertainment while on the bait,but they are also eating a lot of the groceries we are lugging to this site.This bear seems to be looking over his shoulder ,as if something is coming in to the bait.Many times a big old boar will wait patiently near the bait,but if he thinks another bear is going to steal his grub,he will barge right in and take control of the situation.This large boar is probably the thing that caused the earlier diner to move along.He doesn't look like the type of bear that would tolerate any company.I love seeing these trophy bear coming in with lots of day-light left.Please note our bait sites do NOT have steel drums or plastic pails laying around.We do not like the look of this type of bait site and we hate the mess it makes in the woods and we refuse to set any of our baits up with steel barrels and plastic pails.We keep our sites clean and free of garbage and debris.We have found that if you tend your baits faithfully,the bears will keep coming and we do make them work a little for their supper by using logs to hide the bait.What you use for bait also is a factor in getting bears to the bait and keeping them coming.Ken and I have experimented with several different concoctions and we think we have come up with a winning combo of smells and food that keeps the big boys coming back for more!The trout are running now on the Miramichi and Cains River and fishermen are getting some trophy sized sea-trout in the 3-7lb. range.I must say right now that the two fish limit for trout over 12in.is the best rule that has been implemented in a long time.It just makes good sense and it has started to pay big dividends in both the Miramichi and the Cains River.Fishermen pay huge fees to fly in to places in Labrador and Quebec for the chance to catch a trophy brook trout and here you can drive to either river with no difficulty and the cost is probably half of what it would cost to fly in to one of the remote spots.My son Curt,his girl-friend Erica and her father hiked in to a beaver dam on a small brook and got a nice feed of small brookies to go with some fiddleheads and had a nice supper later that day.We have dozens of spots where we can catch a nice feed of trout at any given time,but many times we just hook and release.The five trout limit has increased the trout population substantially and we don't feel one bit guilty keeping a feed of trout once in a while.Many times the population is too high in some of our spots and the trout are stunted in size,so it doesn't hurt to thin them out a bit. I was very encouraged to hear of a strong run of trout on the Newcastle Stream which flows into Grand Lake.I have a lot of history with this beautiful trout stream and it is nice to hear of a wild run of early trout coming up from the lake heading upstream to the headwaters.Normally,the early run of bigger trout would start around the tenth of May,but this year they started around the third week of April! From the reports I got,there were kids and adults alike lining the shores trying to catch some of these nice trout.Many die-hard fishermen followed the run as it made its way upstream,fishing the many deep dark pools that the Newcastle is known for. I became a fly fisherman on the Newcastle Stream many years ago as a young boy of twelve or thirteen.One fine summer day I was fishing a pool with worm and spinner and caught several trout,when I hooked a nice one and lost it before I could get it up on the rocks.No way could I get that fish to take again but I was determined to get him.Someone,I'm assuming it was one of my uncles,suggested trying a fly.So the next morning I crept in to the pool and this time I had an old fly rod and on the leader I had tied in a Grizzly King that I had just bought at Fred Dufours store on the Ridge Road. It was with great anticipation that I cast that small fly into the current just where it started to slow down as the pool got deeper.Wait,wait-There!He took that fly hard and the battle was on! For what seemed like an eternity,I fought that trout and finally brought him to hand.In that moment I became a fly fisherman and that moment will be etched in my memory for as long as I live.I was the proudest boy in the village as I walked home that day many years ago,even if the trout was only fifteen and a half inches long,it was and still is a trophy to me.This photo is one of a false morel mushroom nestled between two sticks that I found growing on the beach in front of my house.My dear Grandmother Boyd first told me about these mushrooms when I was a very young boy. She told me they were good to eat but many people said they were poisonous.That didn't deter my brother Tim and I from enjoying many meals of these delicious mushrooms throughout the years.My grandmother Boyd was an extraordinary woman who taught me many things about life and the natural world,things that I carry with me to this day.I will talk more about her in future posts but for now I would caution my readers about these mushrooms and any other wild mushrooms.KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EATING! The false morel should be fried up crisp because this eliminates the chance of toxins being present in this species. Again,caution should be used because some people are sensitive to wild mushrooms and may experience discomfort or downright illness from ingesting them.

This photo shows my son Curt with a nice bear rug done by Tom Barton.We were up to see Tom on the week-end because I wanted him to do a deer mount for me.I hadn't met Tom before but I was familiar with him from one of the hunting forums on the internet.I must say,I was impressed with Toms open and honest demeanor and we hit it off immediately.Tom does nice work and I told him I would be seeing a lot more of him in the future. After visiting Tom,Curt Ken and I had a nice lunch,then I told the boys I needed a new reel,so off to CT we went. I ended up buying a spin-cast Zebco that was spooled with Cajun line and I can't wait to try it out on the white perch.We have been waiting patiently for the run to start and every evening I have been going down to the shore and trying a few casts.Nothing so far but the usual cast of pickerel,yellow perch,sunfish and chub.The Salmon River is full of gaspereau right now and this has put the bite off a bit,especially for big pickerel.This happens every year when the gaspereau run is on.They just provide too much food for the other species.The trout and white perch follow the gaspereau and gorge on their eggs as they are spawning,so we are hoping to see those tasty white perch show up any day.Until next time,make sure you get out and about and Straight Shootin' and Tight Lines to all!

MARCH---OUT LIKE A LAMB,THE BITE AND N.B. BRUINS

2010-04-18T19:53:00.001-04:00

March of 2010 was out like a lamb,with some very good weather from the end of the month until well into April.This made for an early ice-out and the water rose and then went on a steady drop which is continuing as I write this.The water conditions on the 15th of April,the first day of fishing season,were similar to summer conditions,only slightly higher.The water

was very clear and when boating,the man at the helm had to know the river,because it was starting to get treacherous.The photo above shows a sport netting a nice grilse just up river from the highway bridge in Doaktown.Many fishermen don't realize it,but when the water is low,like it is this year,there is a lot of good holding water right in the middle of Doaktown and correspondingly a lot of good fishing right in town.For years now my good friend,Glen D.of Doaktown,has always fished within site of his house and has had no trouble catching fish.Glens whole family are well known sportsmen and guides from Chipman and the Carrolls Crossing area.This is usually the area I stay at and fish in when I'm on the Miramichi.

This is a photo of of Glen and Leroy A.,long-time guide on the Miramichi, taking a smoke break after a morning of fishing .Normally,the first of the season is reserved for fishing with family and friends and this year was no exception.I fished with Glens niece on the first day and then fished with Glens brother Allen and a couple of other buddies fromChipman.I can tell you now that the water conditions were near perfect but the weather was brutally cold!You really must be dressed for these conditions because it can spell the difference between a good trip and a miserable one. The wind was out of the north and east mostly and if you know the little rhyme,you also know it doesn't make for the best fishing conditions.But that being said,the first day was nothing short of fantastic!Donna and I caught fish until our arms ached! It seemed as though one of us or the other was playing a fish at any given time.We played two huge salmon for a total of two hours before the hooks fell out.One salmon in particular was the biggest Atlantic salmon I have ever seen in my life!Donna hooked this fish early on the first day and I knew soon on in the ensuing fight that we would not likely land it.It was just too big!I had to pull anchor and follow it three times to try to get line back.We only got this fish back on the casting line once,the rest of the time it was half way into the backing and taking more before we would pull anchor and chase down some line again.Finally,after a hard fight for an hour,with no sign of giving an inch,the hook just fell out of its mouth.I told Donna I thought this fish was five feet long and weighed fifty pounds and I don't think I was exaggerating at all!Now some of you readers may say"Sure,we heard those fish stories before!"but I got a good look at this fish,as did Donna and it was an absolute mammoth!.I got it to the surface twice,where it came up and wallowed for a moment and then with a flip of the tail,disappeared again and started stripping line.I estimated its tail was at least ten inches wide!I also hooked another salmon shortly after losing that one that I played for an hour and the hook wore a hole in his mouth and fell out.This was also a very large salmon,but nowhere near the size of the first one!This photo shows me with a nice salmon,one of four I caught on the third morning of the season.If you look closely,you can see the fly that I caught that fish on over my left shoulder riding on the water.I could have easily caught my limit of ten fish on both of the first two days of the season.I quit fishing in the afternoon of the third day.I was still catching fish,but the wind started blowing and it was bitterly cold,so I called it a day and spent the afternoon socializing and having a few beverages and laughs with some old friends.That is one of the most enjoyable parts of these annual excursions to the Miramichi River.The good friends and company and the many stories and tall tales that go with any of these trips really add to the enjoyment had by all.It was a rather odd start to the season because of the conditions and it was very interesting to see how the different guides and sports adapted to these unusual conditions.The ones who didn't choose the right gear and flies many times went fishless.I talked to one guide and I asked him how the fishing was and he responded,"It was terrible". This was on the third day and I had already caught four salmon and lost a couple of others and had numerous hits.I also talked to a couple of acquaintences and they also said they had some tough fishing.I tried to find a common denominator in both of these experiences and the one thing these gents had in common was their flies.I won't go into this any further but with a predominance of large salmon in the system,you have to be on your game or you won't be IN the game! I also caught some nice native brook trout.All these trout had their regular colors and did not have that shine to them that the sea-run brookies have.This photo shows one of the trout I released while salmon fishing.In total,I caught fifteen fish over two and a half days.Twelve of those fish were large salmon over thirty inches.The other three were grilse.The fish this year were in very good condition and fought very hard.This spring ranks right up there in terms of fish caught,but it was very cold and you had to be rigged up right or you just couldn't stand to be out there very long.This is another photo of a nice salmon with the fly still in the corner of his mouth.It was a great start to the fishing season and we will be fishing for salmon for a few more days,but the fish are starting to move down river already,so the fishing will drop off quickly up river,while the lads down in Blackville will get fishing a little later in the season.One very good site for up- to- date river reports is .http://www.miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com/.Rodney Colford writes this blog and provides some very good information on the fishing conditions on the Miramichi and her tributaries.We will be gearing up for the sea-run brook trout in the middle of May this year.Normally,we don't start looking for these fish until the third week in May but this year everything is a week or two early,so we will start fishing the sea-trout a little earlier.We have a few bear baits out already and Kenney said he had a hit on one of the beaver carcasses he has out. There are a lot of bears around,including some real old smashers.These older bears are well educated and do not act like some of their younger relatives.You must wait them out and often they won't come to the bait until the last light.Sometimes they will not come in until total darkness and then the only thing a hunter can do is change the bait site to a new location nearby or hunt him in the morning and try to catch him on the bait then. Sometimes none of the tricks work and just like some big bucks,these old bruins become almost unkillable.Ken and I will be going after some of these big bears this spring and we will be trying every trick in the book to get them to come in during day-light hours.This is a trail cam photo of one of the bears we will be hunting this spring.We got a photo of him coming to a deer bait we had out and he is a good sized bear.He also has a very nice white V on his chest ,as can be seen in the next photo.If anything,our hunting area has an over-abundance of bear and getting just any bear is usually no trouble.But again,if you want a big one,you have to hunt accordingly and be prepared to go home with an empty tag if Lady Luck doesn't shine on you.TROPHY ANIMALS DON"T COME EASY! If they did,there wouldn't be any challenge to it and I guess it wouldn't be called hunting anymore,would it! The opportunities are here in abundance,whether you are fishing for the King of sport fish,Atlantic salmon,or hunting for trophy black bears.Here at Hargrove and Bauer we will do our best to put our sports in the thick of things,so don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail to arrange your trip to the North Woods of beautiful New Brunswick! Until next time,Tight Lines and Straight Shooting to all!

MARCH-----IN LIKE A LION...........

2010-03-19T19:29:00.000-04:00

This month started off with a small blizzard that left behind a foot of snow north of the Cains River,but folks here in the Chipman area were lucky,we had mostly a rain event. All indications are for an early spring and I would say we are about two weeks ahead of schedule in terms of temperatures and snow melt.We had a real good winter here in New Brunswick this year,which is a welcome change from the previous two winters.Very little snow and an early melt-off has certainly been kind to our struggling deer herd.All indications are that the deer came through the winter in very good shape and this bodes well for a strong fawning season.This will help our deer numbers to start to increase and we sportsmen should be doing everything we can to help them during this difficult period.

I have a very sad report to make in this post and it's one that I hoped I would never have to make.Poor old Whiskey dog was struck by a truck as he went to the mail -box with Wes and sadly,went to his reward.I hunted over Whiskey last fall on what was his best day afield. I wrote about that day in a previous post and I must say,I was very impressed with his performance.Although he was only three years old last fall,he really came into his own and was learning how to use his nose to full advantage when finding the ducks in the tall grass. Needless to say,he was turning into an outstanding hunting dog.But,in life,stuff happens and you just have to move on and remember old Whiskey dog for what he was--a great hunting companion and pet. Jamie and Ken didn't wait very long to find not one pup,but two from the same litter to begin training in the hopes of giving them a good start by next fallThis little guy here doesn't know it yet,but he's going to be living the sporting life all his live long days.Jamie is already playing with him using a wing and the little guy is certainly game!I'm sure Ken ,Dallas and Jamie will have these new dogs in top shape in no time.The boy's really like the Golden Retrievers and I wouldn't be surprised if they start breeding their own line at some point in the future.I really like them because of their easy going nature and their smarts.They are also a very affectionate and somewhat soft breed,so a gentle hand is needed to bring them along.We had a very good year ice fishing on Grand Lake this year and we caught some really nice fish.This photo shows Ken with one of the biggest burbot we got this season.It was thirty-one inches long and weighed about six or seven pounds.We also caught a lot of nice pickerel in one area as can be seen in this photo.Overall,I would have to say it was one of the best seasons we've had in a few years.We caught burbot, smelt,whitefish,pickerel,land-locked salmon and brook trout.Thats quite a few species and all taken within an area about one acre in size. Pretty good ice fishing by any standard and we look forward to doing it all again next year.

With this early spring weather,many sportsmens thoughts are turning to the opening day for black salmon or kelts,as they are known by.This fishery is one of the finest opportunities to catch an elusive Atlantic salmon.These fish have been living under the ice all winter and when the ice finally goes out,they start to feed ravenously in preparation for their migration back to the sea.The smelt run coincides with this annual trek back to the sea and the salmon gorge on this high quality forage fish that will provide them with the strength to make it back to the feeding grounds.A good guide will know the resting areas that the salmon favor during this time and great sport can be had,as long as the weather and water conditions co-operate.A few of the top fly patterns for fishing spring salmon are the smelt,renous special and black ghost,to name a few.These are my personal favorites,but there are any number of flies as good or better than the ones I've named.A good rule of thumb to follow when fishing kelts is to fish close to shore and pay special attention to any pools that provide a break in the current.Also,make sure your fly is down deep enough,as many times the fish are laying in deeper water.This year,many old-timers and outfitters from the Miramichi area are predicting an early ice out.Some sports think this makes for a poor fishing season if the ice goes out too early,as they feel the fish will start moving out as soon as the ice goes.Others feel that the fish will stay around until the water starts to warm up and the smelt start running strong.Personally,I like an ice free opener,that way I can concentrate on fishing and not dodging ice cakes.We take a maximum of three sports per day at this time of the year.Remember,this is a one on one guided fishery and usually the fishing is so good,we have a hard time finding guides that want to work.They all want to fish instead!Many times I hear the month of March referred to as a "dirty month"because of the nasty weather we sometimes get in this part of the country or a "dead month"because there isn't much going on outdoors yet.But I like to think of March as a "get ready"month.Yes,it's time to get boats and motors painted and tuned up and all the rods and reels given a once over.There is just too much to do to leave anything to the last moment.The Mighty Miramichi is not a place to be with equipment that is not in tip top condition and we pride ourselves with having good gear that works well.This is also the time to start preparing bait sites for spring bear.The prospects for taking a trophy bear in our area are very good this year and Ken and I are keeping tabs on a couple of real old smashers.Hopefully,we will have some trail cam photos of some of these trophies so the readers of these posts can see the quality of the animals in our hunting area.Kenny shot one of the earliest bears in our area last year and it was a beautifully furred animal that was a very nice trophy.For our spring bear hunts,we have a maximum of four hunters per week in camp and remember,we will continue to offer a "book three,the fourth goes free"deal again this year.This makes this a very affordable hunt if the cost is distributed amongst the hunters or it's a great incentive for someone to put together a hunt and recieve a free hunt for his efforts! So to you sports who have been putting off that bear hunt or salmon fishing trip,I say get out there and get at it.Just give me a call or send me an e-mail and we'll fix you up in no time at all and we will see you here in beautiful Chipman New Brunswick in 2010.

WHITE-TAILS,COYOTES AND THE BITE

2010-02-19T20:51:00.000-04:00

The month of February is usually another cold one but this year the weather has been very nice.We didn't have any cold weather or snow that amounted to anything and this made for some very good ice fishing opportunities on Grand Lake.Early in the month, we fished Salmon River at Macleods pond and got some perch and pickerel,then we decided to hit Grand Lake.Kenny and Dallas have two shacks out at the light-house at Cox's Point and we made good use of them last week-end. As you can see from the photo,we had some luck with our burbot lines.We fish set lines with live minnows or cut smelt on or near the bottom with good results.Burbot are primarily night feeders and they will move into the shallows in the evening looking for an easy meal.They are not a fussy feeder and just about any type of bait will work but we have had the best luck with the minnows or smelt.We don't like to set up in water that is too shallow,especially for smelt or whitefish but for burbot,we move into the coves with eight or ten feet of water. Many fishermen think burbot are the ugliest fish they have ever seen but when they get served up a plate of fish and chips,with burbot being the main dish,they aren't long changing their tune after the first bite! Burbot have a beautiful white meat that is quite a bit like cod but better tasting.

This photo shows some of the smelt we are catching on Grand Lake.These fresh water smelt tend to run a little bigger than their salt water cousins and although some fishermen don't think they taste as good,we think they taste great and they are a little easier to eat because they are a little bigger.We have found that fresh cut smelt is the best bait for fishing these rainbow smelt but shrimp or worms or any small bait will take them.Morning and evening usually produces the best bite but they can be taken throughout the day.Remember,they travel in schools,so when they start to hit,get ready for some fast and furious action.The pickerel are usually fished in the shallow water and respond best to a spinner and bait that is being worked in a jigging manner.These fish have a tendency to roam about a fair amount and we have caught some nice ones in the two foot range in deeper water while fishing for other species.We have found that it is usually a bigger one that we get in this manner.A set line with a live minnow also works well for pickerel.The village of Minto held a pickerel tournament at the Key Hole at Grand Lake On Feb.13 and from what I hear,there was an excellent turn out,with many pickerel and perch being caught.I don't know what the winning fish measured,but I did hear that Bailey D.caught twenty- five pickerel and an equal amount of yellow perch.Bailey was not entered in the Tourney,but was on hand to drill holes for the participants and give a few pointers.Bailey releases most of his fish and is very generous about dispensing his knowledge and help to beginners and the elderly at the tournaments.Kudos to you Bailey.This photo shows the interior of one of the two man shacks we have on Grand Lake.These huts may not look like much,but with a small propane heater,they will keep any fisherman comfortable and out of the biting wind that usually blows on Grand Lake. We also have bigger shacks that will hold four men,for those fishermen that like a little company while fishing.Our portables come in handy when fishing in other locations,usually for pickerel or perch.These portable ice-huts set up and take down quickly and many times make the difference between a comfortable day on the ice or a day shaking and shivering while trying to have a good time.Ken and I really like them and we will be adding a couple more to our ice fishing gear.

Coyotes have been a big concern right across the country this year and even more so here in the Maritimes.Many groups and individuals have been making a real effort to reduce the number of coy-wolves in their area,many times with outstanding results.I borrowed this photo from one of the hunting forums just to illistrate that fact. This photo shows about half of the estimated take of coyotes by two brothers from the Drummond area in northern New Brunswick.These twin brothers are potatoe farmers during the season,but when the work is done,they strike out after these deer killers with a zeal I haven't seen before.If only we had more individuals scattered around the province that are as successful as these two,we wouldn't be long Knocking down the numbers of these animals in the province.It really upsets me when when the armchair experts get going on about how it doesn't matter how many coyotes we kill,they will just respond by having larger litters and it's just an exercise in futility.Well,according to Gerry Lavigne,New Englands premier biologist,taking ANY amount of coyotes out of the system will have a benefit to the deer population.Mr. Lavigne has studied the relationship between coyotes and deer in Maine and has found some very interesting facts.For example,he found that our coy-wolves don't respond to pressure the same as their western counterparts.He says the animals we have don't respond to pressure by having larger litters,all things being equal.According to his numbers,if we could kill as little as twenty-five percent more than natural mortality,we would see a decrease in numbers.He also found that it is quite difficult for one coy-wolf to take down a deer,while three or more are quite efficient at doing so.Mr.Lavigne also found that taking out the dominant animals really set back the killing efficiency of the remaining pack animals.These facts suggest that any concentrated effort to control their numbers will produce a very real benefit to the deer herd.This is all good news for those of us who are concerned about the shrinking size of our deer numbers.Mr. Lavigne goes so far as to say that killing coy-wolves is the single best thing we can do to help the herd to rebound.This is one piece of the puzzle that we can actually realize an effect at growing our deer herd.I would encourage all sportsmen and concerned citizens to take up the gauntlet and do their part in trying to grow our deer herd back to its former glory days. So far,this has been an excellent winter for the deer.We have very little snow right across the province and the temperatures have been very mild,except for our manditory cold snap in January.This all bodes well for our deer and sportsmen across the province are keeping their fingers crossed for a continuation of this great weather to finish off the winter.In the meantime,we will be doing lots of ice fishing,so if any sports would like a day out on the ice,Ken and I will provide transportation and bait for your own shack for sixty dollars per person,up to a maximum of four.Just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and we will set you up for a day of ice fishing on beautiful Grand Lake.See you there!

GRAND LAKE--A WINTER- WONDER LAND!

2010-01-20T16:18:00.004-04:00

January is usually our coldest month and it signals a time for some outdoor sportsmen to change gears and settle in for the winter beside a nice warm fire,maybe tying some flies while dreaming of spring break-up or perhaps reloading some pet varmint load at the bench.But for many other sports,the season is just getting started.The ice fishing season has started up in full force the past couple of weeks,after finally getting enough ice to make it reasonably safe. Ken,Curtis and myself had a good day on MCleods Pond at the Park last week-end.The weather was pretty good and we managed to catch a feed of yellow perch and one small pickerel that went back down the hole.Ken had the retrievers out with us and they had a great time running around,stealing bait and fetching all the fish back to Kenney!There are many places to fish pan fish and pickerel between Chipman and Grand Lake on the Salmon River.There are numerous coves and back guts off of the main river that hold fish and are out of the current,making these areas very productive.At the mouth of Salmon River,where it enters Grand Lake,you can fish in the middle in the main channel and good catches of smelt and burbot can be had.Ken and I have been using portable ice huts more and more the last few years.For many years,we built a couple of wood and plastic huts that we put out at Goat Island or off the point at the lighthouse in Coxs' Point. These shacks are nice and comfortable but you are pretty much anchored to that area.With the portables,you are free to travel to different locations,such as Indian Lake or Maquapit Lake.Both of these lakes are part of the Grand Lake system and provide some very good fishing for the sports that are hardy enough to venture forth.

The fishing has been pretty good from all the reports I have from friends and fellow guides from up and down the Four Lakes area.The pickerel fishing has been very good on both French and Maquapit Lakes.Fishermen are getting a few nice burbot around Goat Island.Some of the sports that are targeting smelt or white fish are starting to pick up a few in Syphers Cove on Grand Lake and around Goat Island and the Lighthouse.One thing all these fishermen agree on is the fact that live minnows can't be beat for bait.Many ice fishermen believe in chumming the hole with some type of fine bait food to attract small baitfish and in turn,some bigger sport fish.Ken and I both think this helps and we either use some fish- based food or some meat product,such as ground up liver to chum our holes.We like to use our tip-ups for burbot,baited with a big fat live minnow.Many fishermen just use a gob of liver or a chunk of fish for bait and they seem to do alright by just resting the bait on the bottom and waiting for the burbot to vaacum the bait up. When targeting white fish,a swedish pimple with a very small hook[10-12]or even smaller,tipped with a piece of shrimp or clam will often entice a strike but the take is very light,almost undetectable and the angler must pay close attention or the bait AND the fish will be gone!

Some hunters have switched over to hunting coyotes and there is no shortage of dogs to hunt.Bait is by far the best method for taking these deer killing machines consistently.There has been a lot of controversy lately in the Maritime Provinces about our coyote ever since the young lady singer from Toronto was mauled and killed in the Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia.In an instant,the coyote went from a tolerated pest to a feared and hated evil creature that many feel should be exterminated from existince,if it were possible.These killers have been taking many deer and domestic animals ever since they arrived here some forty years ago or so,but were tolerated because of the degree of difficulty in killing these cunning predators.Nowadays,there is a renewed call for bounties and for the hunting community to actively pursue these killers to control their increasing numbers.Trappers have great success using snares around deer yards or a bait,but the value of the fur is so low many are not pursuing them.It's just not economically feasible for them.Great sport can be had watching a bait and waiting for one to sneak in for an easy lunch.We set up in portable blinds with flat shooting 22:250's or .223's and then it's just a waiting game.I missed a huge black colored one on the first day of deer season and I wish I had knocked him over because I know it was pushing one hundred pounds! An exaggeration you say?I don't think so! I estimated that dog was twice as big as my sixty pound female german shepherd and my son Curtis had to agree with me,as he had a very good look at it also. So if you get tired of sitting beside the fire,just give me a call and Ken and I will guide you for a day of ice fishing or a hunt for some coyote/wolves we have travelling the Grand lake area.

TAKING TROPHY BUCKS--HOW?

2009-12-06T19:05:00.012-04:00

The 2009 deer season has now come and passed and for many it was another disappointing season. The kill this year was 5,150 animals.The projected kill was 6,600 deer and if your math is as good as mine,the DNR's projections were off by about 1500 deer taken.Now if we had a larger deer herd,these numbers wouldn't concern me much,but with our deer herd having shrunk considerably the last two years,I was hoping that our biologists had a better handle on our numbers of deer in the province. This is because the number of doe tags increase or decrease in each WMZ according to their increasing or decreasing numbers.If our guy's in DNR don't have the right numbers,how can they make informed decisions on how many doe tags to give out? The easy answer is-they can't! Hopefully,after this poor guesstimate by our biologists,they will err on the side of the deer and cancel all doe tags ,except for the extreme southern part of the province. We must do all we can to help our herd grow after the losses of the last three winters. I want to introduce another "huntin' Hargrove" to the readers in this post.Duane Hargrove is Kenny's first cousin.His father,Morris,was Wes's brother and was a fine outdoorsman in his own right.I can remember hunting and fishing with Morris,even when his health was very poor and Morris would still manage to get himself out doing what he loved most.Duane also has that same spirit and makes the trip down to hunt every year with us. On occasion ,Duane hasn't been able to make it down because he is in the Canadian Armed Forces and has done a tour in Bosnia and Afghanistan and he said it was pure torture to be in those hell-holes during hunting season. I have a photo of Duane and his dog with some ducks he took this year down in the lower Grand Lake area.Also included are photos of two of Duane's biggest bucks.There is a third big buck he took,but I didn't get the photo for that one. Duane will be retiring soon and Ken and I hope he will give us a hand guiding in the future. Although the deer kill was down this year,we found several nice bucks to hunt and I got a nice ten point on the last day of the season. I hunted very hard for this buck and I likely would not have taken him if Kenny hadn't intervened and came and got me from where I was posted and moved me about a quarter mile away to some fresh sign. The plan worked perfectly and forty-five minutes later,I had a nice buck on the ground! This is the second time I have killed a buck on the last day of the season.The first time was when I took my first deer up in Riley Brook near Plaster Rock in northern NB. I have also had chances at two more trophy bucks in the dying minutes of the season on two different occasions. These examples prove it doesn't pay to give up too early. My neighbour,Darrell D. took a very nice ten point buck just before I got mine and his also came from the same general area,although about six km. apart. Darrell has taken some nice bucks through the years and puts a lot of time in driving and scouting in the big woods and when he finds good sign,he has the ability to stick it out and usually this strategy pays dividends in terms of nice racks.In other words,Darrell works hard for his buck,usually.Another friend,Gilbert S. from Minto,shot a great ten point buck on the Immigrant Rd. area near Chipman.Now, Gilbert would be the first to tell you that he is not a serious hunter.Gilbert likes to team up with a friend,grab the twenty gauge and some refreshments and cruise around looking for partridge.That's just what he was doing when his big buck stepped out and stood broadside while he got out of his truck,put in a slug and dropped him right there on the road!This was not the first deer Gilbert has taken,but it's definitely the biggest! Gilbert would be the first to tell you that this buck was taken by "pure luck". Another good friend and salmon fishing buddy,George P.of Chipman,took a great ten point buck on the first morning of the season.Georges main claim to fame was as a moose hunter and his skills are in high demand every year during moose season.But lately,George has been making a name for himself on the salmon rivers and he has taken some nice fish the last few years. George new there was a nice deer in the area he was hunting because he had seen the sign during the moose hunt and he figured his best chance at this buck was to try to get him early before he got running around and was still in a feeding pattern,coming out to the clear-cut.Georgie did everything right and the result was a beautiful ten point buck on the ground!.How did George take this nice buck? By close observation, hard work and perseverance. The estimated dressed weight of Georges buck was 240 lb.'s The last buck picture I am posting is of a buck taken outside of Moncton.This is the only deer taken outside of twenty km's from Chipman that I have included in this post.This buck,taken by Scot C. of Moncton,was a tremendous buck with lots of character and mass in his rack.This buck was estimated to be ten yrs. old and Scot had sheds AND photos of this buck going back SIX years! Again,a trophy buck taken by hard work and perseverance. So how do you take a trophy buck here in NB? Well,if you read this post carefully,you will see the word "luck " is only associated with one of these bucks. The rest of these trophy bucks were taken by serious hunters who worked hard and persevered until they reached their desired goal. Bucks of this calibre rarely come easy.I'm not saying it doesn't happen,it just doesn't happen often.All our deer hunts are for bucks such as those you see in this post and the hunts are conducted on free-ranging ,big woods deer.No hand raised, fenced- in bucks here! If you are looking for an easy trophy buck,you would be better off booking a hunt with one of those mid-west farms that hand raises their deer behind high fences.But be prepared to pay a very high kill fee for a production oriented hunt. If you are the type of sport who likes to hunt the big woods,one-on-one for a trophy buck,give me a call and book your deer hunt for next year. We have the trophy bucks and they are just waiting for a sport to put their tag on one.See you there! Oh,and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Ken and I and our guides at Hargrove and Bauer Outdoor Adventures.

CASTIN' & BLASTIN' !

2009-10-28T16:37:00.007-04:00

We are now done fishing salmon and trout for the year and what a glorious ending we had to the season! As usual,we finished up on the Cains River and once again,we were not disappointed! There is only one other place that comes close to the experience of fishing the Cains River in the fall and that might be fishing in the Cape Breton highlands in Nova Scotia. But here in New Brunswick,the Cains is the place to be in October. Not only is the fishing world-class,but the scenery,with the fall foilage in all it's splendor,is absolutely beautiful. My good friend and fellow guide,Allen Davidson,and I fished the last two days of the season and had some very good luck. Shawn B. of Fredericton also shared some of that luck as you can see in the photo of Shawn and Allen with his 15lb.+ hen salmon.I had just released a nice hook-bill about the same size when Shawn hooked his salmon. I must say,I have never had a salmon fight like that big hook-bill! It just wouldn't stop jumping! I know it jumped at least a dozen times and maybe more.I was holding him quite tight and that may have made him jump more than usual,but whatever the reason,that fish gave me the fight of a life-time!
Shawn and I got these two salmon on the day

before the closing. I returned the next day and landed two more hen salmon almost identical to the one Shawn got the previous night.all these fish were taken on a relatively new pattern called a Slime.These flies are tied with maribou feathers and there is something about the undulating movement of this fly that causes salmon to strike very aggressively when presented properly.Many fishermen were bemoaning the fact that there wasn't as many fish as last year,but there were good numbers of large salmon present and these salmon are a little fussier than a grilse and the Slime is just the ticket for them.I might mention that these fish had been fished over by a few different fishermen and they would only come to the slime. I know my fly box will always have several on hand for use in the fall when those big hook-bills get moving up river to spawn. The two patterns I used were a Pumpkin and a Fireball. A big bonus when fishing fall salmon on the Cains is the fact you usually catch some very nice trout while fishing. This is usually enough to keep even the most jaded of fishermen interested in pounding the water.I got a nice one of about sixteen inches and a few smaller ones as well. We also had a great opening day for ducks.I shot with Jamie and Dallas,as I mentioned in a previous post and we had a great time on the marsh with the three of us taking seventeen ducks.Whiskey,Jamie's Golden Retriever, fetched up all of the birds and did a great job finding the ones in the grass.I must confess,I had my hands full trying to keep up with these two young fellas! Talk about quick reflexes and straight shooters! We sure had a great day and I'm looking forward to shooting with these boys again next year. We are setting up for our deer hunts now and although we will be concentrating on the last two weeks of the season,we will be getting out and hunting over bait for the first two weeks. We are changing our hunting area and are travelling further to the southern end of Grand Lake.Our deer herd on the crown land have taken a beating lately and I will be commenting on this in future posts.I will have some photos of some nice bucks in my next post,including Dwayne Hargroves' two biggest bucks. It's still not too late to book a hunt for white-tails this year,so if any of my readers would like to get out and about,just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call and we'll get right to it!

TIS' THE SEASON!

2009-09-30T19:32:00.006-04:00

New Brunswick held its annual moose hunt last week and by all accounts, it was a success

There were 2,436 moose killed this year and that represents an eight per cent increase over last year. Hunter success rate was also up,at sixty-nine per cent,overall. In my mind,these numbers represent a well-managed moose herd that is increasing in size.If you travel New Brunswicks forests any at all,you will surely have an encounter with one of these giants of the North Woods! The photo shown is of a last minute bull taken fifteen minutes from the village of Doaktown. These guys called the cow out in the last half-hour of the three day season and the bull reluctantly followed her and thats when he was downed.Talk about a happy bunch of boys! Now the bull in this photo is a trophy animal in anyones estimation,but there were dozens of moose as big or bigger taken this year.One of the biggest I heard of was a thirty-three point monster taken outside of Oromocto. Our group only managed to get one tag drawn,so Randy-Micheal,his father and Dallas were the ones to actually go on the trip,but when they needed a hand we would all pitch in as needed.And they did need a hand! The area they chose to hunt had several moose in the surrounding bogs and choppings and for the first day and a half,they listened to a cow call,especially at night.The moose actually started calling the week before the season started. I stepped outside of the house one night and I could hear one cow bawling steadily and one or two more off on the distance answering.The problem Randy and friends had was they didn't have an experienced caller with them.There was lots of moose in the area,they just coulden't get one out in the open.Enter, Kenny to the rescue! Kenny is a very good caller,having many years of moose hunting experience in Ontario,as well as here in New Brunswick with his father,Wes,and the rest of his uncles.Kenny likes to call just with his hands and his cow call is a long,high-pitched whine.His bull grunts are also rather high-pitched,short barks.Kenny doesn't like to call too loudlybecause he likes to go to the moose.Any how,Kenny took a drive out to their area and at the first place he set up to call,he brought out a nice young bull at one hundred yards and coming to them. Randy-Micheal was ready and waiting and up to the task.This photo shows the boys with the moose after getting it out of the bush and on the pole.These boys know how to handle big-game and they make short work of the task at hand.Congratulations Randy on your first moose and kudos to Kenny for bringing him to the gun. Randy is like most local moose hunters in the fact that they just want to get a moose,any moose in such a short season. That young bull will be the very best of eating!Thats for sure! The boys also had a good morning hunting geese in the fields during the early season.They found some birds and set up the next morning and Jamie Dallas and Randy Micheal got eleven honkers by lunch time.The photo shows Dallas and Randy showing old Wes their take for the morning. The geese and ducks are both down slightly this year,but if you did your home-work,there were birds to be taken.Scouting and getting access are the keys to good hunting for honkers in the fields. We are on the eve of the first day of duck season and all the Hargrove clan has gathered for the annual hunt.I'll be shooting with Dallas and Jamie and Whiskey dog,the golden retriever. We will shoot in the morning and then have a big lunch and wait for the night hunt.Then the big supper,along with all the stories and tall-tales and the laughter.Thats what it's really all about.The comraderie,the friendship,the good times.And it's there when we all get together,doing something we all love to do,travelling the woods and waters of the Grand Lake area of beautiful New Brunswick. This time of the year, the trees are ablaze with all the fall colors and some of the sunsets are spectacular,like the photo of the peculiar cloud formation taken from my shore on Salmon River. We finally got the rain all of the salmon fishermen have been waiting for.This past month has been quite dry and many of the fish were waiting for a raise of water so they could move up river.The water is up about eighteen inches and there are reports of large fish moning in the Miramichi and there has been some movement on the Cains River and the word is the annual fall runs of salmon have begun.There is some fantastic fishing to be had during this late season and its one of the prettiest times of the year to be on the water. Although the trout season is done,some large brook trout are caught while fishing for salmon and they must be released but they are still fun to catch! So if any of you sports would like to take a trip to the woods or waters of our beautiful area,just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call and we'll get out there and do it!

DOG DAY'S OF SUMMER

2009-08-30T17:56:00.003-04:00

The Grand Lake area of New Brunswick has just gone through a couple of weeks of very hot weather. When the hot summer sun beats down relentlessly for days on end in the month of August,it's commonly called "the dog days of summer.When this weather hits,the salmon fishermen normally take a break and go golfing or try to catch up on some chores around the house or camp.The salmon will lay in at the cold water pools and are very hard to bring to the fly.Persistent anglers using small size #10 wet flies or big bombers with white tails will sometimes entice one to take,but normally there is a lot of fishing and very little catching in these conditions.Brook trout,as well as sea-trout,will also hold up in front of the spring brooks.Many times they will lie in the same pools as the salmon

but when they do,they will usually lie up closer to the mouth of the brook,ahead of the salmon. These trout will take many times early in the morning or the last thing in the evening.We usually use small white Wulffs or a Muddler Minnow pattern and we usually manage to hook a few.Sometimes when conditions are slow for one species,conditions can be very good for other species.During the "dog days",the water is usually low and this concentrates the pickerel in their habitat and makes them much easier to catch.This is the time to haul out the top water lures and treat yourself to some really exciting fishing for pickerel.They will absolutely smash a surface lure at these times and I must admit,we really enjoy fishing for these great fish.The first photo in this post is one of Mcleods Pond at day-break looking from the park out towards the small island.I was driving by and I thought it looked so nice with the sun coming up and the rising mist,I had to get a photo.That's the nice thing about this area of Salmon River/Grand Lake,there are dozens of photo ops.around every corner! Not only are you GUARANTEED to catch fish,you will be doing it in some of the nicest scenery around.If anyone takes a day trip with us ,you will get great photo ops.for eagles,osprey,many species of ducks and shore birds as well as beaver,mink and sometimes the larger mammals such as moose deer and bear. You will get a historical overview and explanation of the fishing and logging that used to take place on the river in days gone by,as well as how some of these professions are worked today.Guests will also be treated to a delicious shore lunch and Ken and I will make sure everyone leaves with a full belly! Half-day trips in the morning or evening for two people is $130. All inclusive. Any one interested in one of these trips or a hunting or fishing trip for any of our native species,just give me a call or send me an e-mail and we will make the arrangements in no time.I will be making reports on fall salmon fishing and the moose hunt in my future posts.I will also try to post trail cam photos of some of the deer and black bear we will be hunting this fall in my future posts in the coming weeks and months.Until we meet again.....Tight Lines and Straight Shootin'!

PICKEREL---TROPHY FISH OR TRASH FISH?

2009-07-30T23:00:00.004-04:00

Summer is slowly rolling along,with the weather being very similar to last year-WET! This is good news for the salmon and trout,as the high water conditions and cloudy days helps to keep the water temperature down to a very comfortable level for these two species of fish.But that doesn't necessarily mean such conditions are good for the fishermen! The salmon have a tendency to run right on through to their spawning areas,without stopping to rest in the pools and perhaps,with a little luck and skill,be tempted to take a fly.The trout also will be free to move about in their habitat and not be forced to hold in front of the spring brooks,where the temperature is a bit cooler and more to their liking.This makes both of these species of fish a little harder to take. The rule of thumb in these conditions is to fish longer and try to cover more ground. Being in the right place at the right time was never truer than in these circumstances.There are lots of salmon and grilse in the system and more coming on the tides each day and there are some nice fish being caught,its just been a little harder fishing. The high water conditions has been making the pickerel fishing a lot tougher, too

Again,the fish are more dispersed throughout their habitat and you have to spend a little more time to find them,but when you do,some nice fish can be taken.The photo in this post is of my son,Curtis, with a trophy sized pickerel he caught while introducing his girlfriend to the pickerel fishing in our area.
He caught a few good sized ones and then he hooked the one in the photo.He missed it on the first take,which is quite common with pickerel.He knew it was a good fish and he told his girlfriend to watch as he cast to it again.This time the water parted from a distance of about six feet and the water exploded under the lure as the fish struck with such ferocity and violence that it shocked Curtises' girlfriend.After landing the fish and measuring it,Curtis carefully released this great fish to catch another day.Curt explained to his girlfriend that this pickerel was six or eight years old and it's a shame to keep them,especially if you aren't going to eat them.Take a photo and release the fish.At least then you can have bragging rights and provide some other angler the thrill of catching a trophy sized pickerel. Around our fishing area,a nice pickerel is one over twenty inches.One like Curtis caught,twenty-five and a half inches,is considered to be trophy size.We regularly catch ones over twenty inches and we will catch several over twenty-four inches throughout the summer.Now there are people who think you should kill every pickerel you catch and the only reason they would ever fish for them would be for that very reason. Usually these fishermen are hard-core trout and salmon fishermen who are convinced that pickerel will ultimately destroy all their trout and salmon fishing because they will prey on these species.Pickerel will feed on these species,but they usually occupy different habitats and don't impact much on each other.I had a chap tell me the other day that smallmouth bass fought better than a salmon and he called them the "king of gamefish".I had to fetch him up at that point and I told him I would rather fish pickerel than sm.bass any day.He asked me why I felt that way and I told him I liked the way pickerel took the bait and the fact that they were usually easy to catch.Also,pickerel are right in my back yard,so I don't have to travel to fish them. So,if you ask me my opinion,I will tell you every time that pickerel are trophy fish and I'll argue the point until I'm blue in the face! I have included a good picture of a Luna moth in this post also. They really are quite beautiful! The deer and moose are busy caring for their young and trying to stay clear of the flies,which are very bad this year because of all the moisture.There are lots of moose in our area and the deer are making a slow recovery from the devastating winter of two years ago.It is encouraging to start to see more deer in some of the areas that were hard hit with winter kill.Our government should be doing more to help both the deer and salmon in the Grand Lake area,but that is for another post.We do full and half day fishing and sight seeing tours on Salmon River during the summer and early fall for pickerel and perch and we can guarantee you will catch fish,period.So if anyone would like to spend some time on the water with us, just send me an e-mail or give me a call and we will make the arrangements.Tight Lines!

PUFFINS,THE BITE AND LUNA MOTHS

2009-07-16T04:46:00.003-04:00

They say time flys when you are having fun and here it is the middle of July already! Ken and I have both been right out straight for the last couple of months,as both of us had an unexpected work load to contend with. I haven't been able to post anything lately because of computer problems,as well as being away on vacation for the last week. I know that puffins are not considered game birds,unless you are from Iceland,where they are still hunted,but I had to mention the colony I visited on Machias Seal island near Grand Manan.
Just having a colony of these delightful birds here in New Brunswick is something all of us native sons should be proud of.Being able to visit them in their mating season in their only nesting colony is a priviledge everyone should try to participate in at least once in their lives.We landed on the island after a boat ride of about an hour and a half on a beautiful day and we were able to visit and observe and take pictures for another hour before we had to leave.There are very strict rules for visiting these birds while they are mating and raising their young and we were very happy that we were able to visit the island and watch the birds from the blinds that the students and biologists use when studying these beautiful little birds.We were also able to observe razor billed auks and common murres in the same habitat. I can only say if you ever get the oppportunity to take this trip,you will never regret it. It truly is a once in a lifetime event. The salmon fishing has been off to a rather slow start this year compared to last year. There have been some very large salmon entering the Miramichi river system,but the grilse run has not come in yet leading some to wonder if we will get anything close to the numbers we got last year.Usually when we get a good run of grilse one year,the following year there is a good run of large salmon and this pattern seems to be holding true.That being said,we should still get some good numbers of grilse coming in as the water conditions a near perfect.Lets hope for the best and pray that last years fantastic run of fish wasn't just a fluke! Last month Ken and I had the priviledge of guiding two fine gents from Darthmouth,N.S. Ed Clarke and his uncle Bob,came up for a little trout fishing and they managed to catch some pan sized speckles,as well as some nice sea trout.Now the sea-trout

that the boys caught were not the huge lunkers that traverse our better streams because these fish typically run early in June up to their spawning beds and will stay there in these protected waters until fall when they will spawn.But we did manage to catch up with some smaller ones that run a little later and will hang around the mouth of the spring brooks.Ed and Bob fished the Gaspereau,Cains and the MSW Miramichi rivers over the course of the day and were into fish on all three rivers.Ken and I wanted to try to give them a taste of what the fishing was like on these different sized rivers because these boys usually fish small lakes back home.I think Ed and Bob had a good time visiting with us and I know Ken and I both really enjoyed guiding them as they are both great guys,as well as being very good fly fishermen.They are also very conservation minded,having released all their trout to be caught another day. We really hope to fish with these two gents again,perhaps in the spring for black salmon.We would love to put together a trip to the Miramichi for these two guys and perhaps a friend or two. Ken called me up the other night quite excited and told me to come over with my camera,as he had something he wanted to show me.When I got there,he pointed to a rather large moth on the side of his porch and asked what it was and I told him it was a Luna Moth.Although these beautiful lime green moths are fairly common,Ken had never seen one before and was quite fasinated by it.I can understand why he had never seen one because in this part of the country their life span is only seven days long and they only produce one generation per year. They are fairly large,having a wingspan of 3.5-4 in. wide,so if you see one,chances are you will know what it is because of its size and lime green coloration.The pickerel bite has been very good lately,as the gaspereau have gone out,so the food supply is dwindling.My son Curtis was out guiding a couple last week and they caught some very nice ones in the 24-26 in.range.If you would like to get out on the water or out in the bush for a trip in our beautiful neck of the woods,just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and Ken and I will have you into the fish or on the game.See you there!

Trout N' Fiddleheads,the Bite and the Rules

2009-06-01T16:44:00.004-04:00

This past month really flew by,with the weather finally starting to co-operate,the fiddleheads started to pop out and the trout started to take a little better after the water warmed up a bit. Ken and I got out for some pan trout and we got a nice bunch of fiddleheads at the same time.We usually go all out when we go for the fiddleheads,but we had quite a few left over from last year,so we didn't hit them as hard this year.Those pan size trout really go good with a feed of fiddleheads and we always try to have a cook-out along the stream to start the season off. The sea-trout are starting to run and there have been some huge specimens taken in the last week or so.A five lb.er was taken in the Bartholemew R. and a couple of three and four pounders have been taken in the NW Miramichi. One of the outfitters on the main SW Miramichi took a huge sea-run brookie,over five lbs.,this past week-end and he says it is going on the wall.I can't say I blame him.A fish like that is a catch of a life-time,even for an outfitter that is on the water most of the season.The sea-trout are starting to run in the Cains River,and we will be fishing for them in the evenings this week. These fish many times will travel through quite quickly,so you have to get right on them when they are moving or you will miss them. These trout are on their way to their spawning grounds in the headwaters of their home streams and if the water is a good height,they don't fool around,they will run right through and are easily missed.I have one report of a Rocky Brook salmon being taken,but it's still a little early for them,but they act much like the sea-trout,running right through,given good water. This strain of salmon is quite hard to catch,but if you do hook one,you are in for a great fight! These fish are short and thick and very strong,so if you happen to hook one,hang on and hope for the best! The other photo is one of myself and my grand-son,Tyler, with a nice bunch of white perch we caught before dark last nite. The river is full of them right now and we were catching them on every cast.White perch require a very light touch in order to hook them.We just cast into a deep hole and let the worm and spinner slowly sink to the bottom and one will usually pick it up before it hits bottom. If you cast and reel in too quickly,you won't get a nibble and you might think there are none present.So if you go after this species,think SLOW. The bonus with white perch is the delicious fillets they provide.I actually like eating them over a trout. We usually try to get enough that we can do up bags of fillets while they are running.That way,we can enjoy them all summer long. This species is considered a game fish and is subject to bag limits,so make sure you have your licence and know what the limit is,so you don't get in trouble. On that note,I would suggest ALL sportsmen familiarize themselves with the rules governing the water AND the species you are pursuing. Sometimes this can be a little complicated,but it is up to you to know and understand the laws because ignorance of the law is no excuse! I know many of the local DNR guys and for the most part,they are a good bunch of guys that will usually give you a break,especially if it's a minor offence AND they think it's a dumb mistake,but don't look for any favors if you are breaking major laws or repeatedly breaking minor laws.These guys have a job to do and they WILL charge you.So be smart,know the rules and if you aren't sure ,ASK,because taking a chance just doesn't cut it. The bear season is in full sweing and some nice bears are being taken,but no real monsters yet.There is still three weeks left,so I'm sure someone is going to take one of those sneaky big boys. These bigger bear require a little more patience,they've been around for a while,so they are a little more cautious.But with some perseverence,they can be taken.I guess that goes for most of the fish and game we pursue. So get out in the bush or on the water and have at it.Just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in some good fishing or hunting in the Big Woods of New Brunswick and we will have you on the game,pronto!

BRUINS,THE BITE AND OLD MAGAZINES

2009-05-12T04:45:00.001-04:00

After a rather long,protracted spring with not one,but two freshets,the water has finally started to receed and things are starting to bud back to life.Ken and I,as well as the boys,have been busy placing our bear baits the past couple of weeks.We have been seeing quite a bit of action the last few days as the weather has moderated and this has put the bears on the move.Now Ken really likes to hunt bear and he usually tries to take one early before he starts guiding and as you can see from the photo,he had some pretty good luck this past week-end! I should re-phrase that because when it comes to hunting,Ken doesn't depend on luck very often.Nobody takes the number of animals and of the calibre that Kenney does with such consistancy without just being plain good in the woods.Ken loves what he does and that is what makes the difference when he gets down to business.I am proud to be associated with such an outstanding woodsman as Kenney and I hope he feels the same way about me. You just can't go wrong having Ken for a guide.That doesn't mean every hunt is a slam dunk,but you can be guaranteed he will give one hundred percent to try to make your trip a memorable one.The bear Ken took was an outstanding specimen,with a coat of pure black,fully furred and plush as a carpet.I commented to Ken that in all my years I had never seen a bear with as nice a coat as this one! The reason this bear was in such good shape was because he hadn't been out of the den for very long,so he wasn't rubbed at all and his belly fur was still nice and full. Ken's trophy will make a beautiful rug when the taxidermist finishes with it. The spring salmon fishing is starting to wind down,with most of the fish having made their way down to the lower part of the river.There was still some good fishing in the Quarryville area last week-end.Frankie T. from Minto landed five and lost several more,including at least one very large salmon.Frank caught his fish by trolling a long line and was using a Pink Lady for a fly.I just can't bring myself to use this fly,but the fish do seem to like it,especially later on in the season.I've also been getting reports of some very nice sea-trout being caught.Most have been ten to twelve inches,but there have been some three and four pounders taken also.The other photo shows an old Outdoor Life magazine from1918.I collect all kinds of outdoor related items,but these old magazines hold a place near and dear to my heart.I can remember going to the local barber shop with my father at a very young age and hoping that there would be one of the outdoor magazines available for me to look at while I waited for my turn in the chair.I know I was very young because the barber had to put a special board across the arms of the chair so he could cut my hair.It was during these sessions that my window to the outdoor world was opened and I could explore the hunting and fishing in the many different areas of the world.This started a love affair with both the outdoors and outdoor magazines that lasts to this very day.I love to read the old magazines and look at the advertising to see how things have changed and progressed,mostly for the good.It is very interesting to see how fishing has gone from taking home large stringers of fish to mostly hook and release today.It is also interesting to see how much the equipment has improved as well as the techniques used when hunting and fishing as compared to todays world.One thing that stood out to me while going through my magazines is how much things change in a relatively short period of time.Twenty years makes a huge difference in the outdoor world when you have some way to guage it by referencing these old books.I would encourage all of my readers to indulge yourselves and check out some of this great reading any time you can.It is sure to give you a new perspective on the outdoor world and the natural wonders it holds.Ken and I are looking forward to another great season this year both in the bush and on the water,so give me a call and we will get hooked up and get out there and do it!

A PERFECT START TO THE 2009 FISHING SEASON!

2009-04-21T17:36:00.002-04:00

With about a week gone by in the new season,the fishing on the mighty Miramichi has never been better! Everyone who cast a fly caught fish.It didn't matter if you were a beginner or a seasoned veteran,the fish were co-operating! The first day,April15th,there was a fair bit of ice running and the water was a bit dirty,but the fish were still taking.The water level was fairly low and I'm sure this helped the fish find the flies and there were a fair amount of fish taken,especially in the lower part of the river around Blackville. After the first day,the ice cleared out and the water cleared up and then the fish were taking up and down the river with a fervor not seen in years.Some of the numbers of fish caught were nothing short of astounding. Many sports had several days when they had hooked their limit before lunch.The new rule of ten fish hooked is proving to be good for all who participate in this great fishery.The paying sports are usually satisfied and it takes pressure off of the guides and outfitters,as well as the salmon.After all,ten Atlantic salmon landed in a day is nothing to sneeze at! All the popular flies produced well.It didn't really seem to matter what was thrown at them,they snapped right on.I came down with a terrible cold,of course,and just fooled around casting from shore and caught fish everyday I fished.I didn't feel well so I wasn't really fishing that hard,just trying to enjoy myself,and I was literely hooking fish on the first cast many days.The photos in this post are of the boat launch under the Doaktown bridge and me with a grilse I tagged for WW2 vet Bill Pollick of Minto.Now Bill is in his ninties and can't get out much anymore,but he likes to have a spring salmon each year so I try to accommodate him,if I have any luck.Many sports and outfitters frown on tagging any salmon,let alone a spring salmon,but I believe it is a personal decision and I don't judge any fisherman whether he keeps a fish or not.Most of the grilse are males anyway,so it doesn't hurt the fishery much. We are getting some rain right now ,so the water will come up and be dirty for a few days,so the fishing may be slow for awhile.But when the water drops and clears up,many of the large salmon will be moving down river and will be taking flies. This is a good chance for a sport to break into the "over forty"club.There are many large salmon over forty inches in the system this year,so the chances are good that a sport might land one. As the season progresses,we will be putting out our bear baits and will be baiting well into June when we will start going after sea-trout.So whatever your fancy in the outdoor sporting life,just give me a shout and Ken and I will have you on your way to a great outdoor adventure in the Big Woods of New Brunswick!

Photos for last blog entry

2009-04-11T22:25:00.003-04:00

GET READY FOR THE 2009 SEASON OPENER!

2009-04-11T21:32:00.002-04:00

The ice has been clearing out of the Miramichi river system for the past week and this should make for a very good opening of the fishing season on April 15th. As most local fishermen know,the Miramichi River and it's tributaries experienced some of the strongest runs of salmon in many years.This will translate into a very good black salmon fishery for those sports who enjoy getting out on the water on the first day of the season. Sometimes the weather doesn't co-operate and the season is delayed because of ice conditions,but this year this is not the case! This type of fishing is not for the faint of heart,as the weather conditions can sometimes be quite harsh,as well as high water to contend with.That being said,there is no better time to catch an Atlantic salmon.It's almost as if the salmon are happy the long winter is over and they are eager to take the fly,if presented in the right way,in the right spot.The key to catching black salmon is to get the fly down near bottom in slack deep holes or near to shore where the current isn't as strong.This is where the fish will hold and rest while backing out of the river on their way to the ocean.A sinking line is a must in high water conditions.Only after the water has dropped and cleared up should you switch over to a sinking tip or even a floating line.It would also be prudent to go to a smaller size fly.Many sports turn their nose up at black salmon,or slinks as they are sometimes called,but I love fishing them and have always found them to be great sport,especially at such an early time in the season.Depending on the water conditions,good fishing can be had well into the month of May.The photo of the salmon flies in this post are the standard go-to flies for fishing salmon this time of the year.Everyone has their favorites,mine happens to be the Renous Special.That's the top fly in the photo to the left.The Black Ghost is also a favorite of mine,especially after the water drops and clears.The Smelt pattern,the bottom fly is also one of the old standards.The top fly on the right is a relatively new fly,a Green Slime.This fly has been growing in popularity recently,both in the spring and fall.The bottom fly is a pattern tied by the late Guy Silliker,of Sillikers on the Miramichi.I purchase this fly from Guy shortly befor his death and I had such great sucess with it,I had several more tyed up for future use. You really can't go wrong with any of these patterns.The other photo is one of Salmon River,both Ken and my home river.Salmon River always has its ice out after the Miramichi because it is a slower moving river.As you can see from the photo,there is still quite a bit of ice left to go. This is causing the river to raise to dangerous levels and as I write this blog entry, the water is lapping at the top of the banks in front of my home.This can be a stressful event but it goes with the territory.All we can do is be prepared and wait it out.ken and I will be busy preparing for our annual trip to the Miramichi and I would encourage anyone looking for a great fishing trip to get ahold of me and we will arrange an exciting fishing trip you will remember for a lifetime! I want to tell all our readers and sports that we will only be taking a maximum of four sports per week on any of our adventures,except under special conditions,so we can ensure a quality experience.I would also like to say that anyone who books a trip with us and doesn't take their game,can book again and they will NOT have to pay for the guiding part of their trip!This is just Kens and my way of giving something back to the sports who are good enough to book with us.Cheers and tight lines in the coming season.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-18T10:00:00.003-04:00

We have been having some pretty good weather here in the Grand Lake area this past week and the first signs of spring are starting to show.The edges of the rivers and streams are just starting to open up and this is starting to draw the different species in for a drink or perhaps an easy snack for one of the predators. I watched ten local town deer file down to the river to an open spot and each had a good drink before heading back to the evergreens along the edge of the river. They seemed to be walking on the crust,for the most part,but every few steps a front or back leg would go through and they would stagger a bit.They didn't seem to be breaking through as bad after they got back in the woods a ways. This makes sense,as the edge was catching the sun and was much softer than the snow cover deeper in the woods. We have been getting a lot of reports of deer kills by cars and coyotes,especially in the southern half of the province.One 3 km. stretch of road between Sussex and Saint John has had 11 deer killed on it so far this winter .That's quite a few deer to lose,even in an area of New Brunswick that has pretty good numbers of deer,as compared to the rest of the province. As usual,the coyotes have been picking away at the deer in the yards,but we know of several hunters who have been picking away at the coyotes in these areas and have been reporting some very good success.This is a good thing and hopefully more sportsmen will take advantage of this opportunity to thin out the numbers of these deer killers.If we can keep their numbers in check,our deer herd will rebound that much quicker.I talked a bit in my last post about the other part of the deer equation,that being managing our crown lands to better accommodate our wildlife,more specifically,our deer herd.I was very happy to hear that the first regional citizens "Forests Management Council" has been struck by the French in the northern part of the province.This is a very important first step in getting some sort of input for change,ie. improvement in the way our forests are being managed. After all,Crown Lands DO belong to the people of New Brunswick.I think this fact has escaped some of the large corporations that operate in our province.Governments seem to be unwilling to exercise some sort of control over these large forestry companies,so it is up to the citizens to make sure their voice is being heard loud and clear as to what we think are acceptable actions and what are not. One does not need a degree in forestry to see what is going on.Just look at population numbers and go for a drive and look over the habitat that we are expecting to harbour our wildlife in and make up your own mind about what you see.And if you don't like what you see,get vocal about it,in whatever media you are comfortable with. This is the only way to effect a change and the times are ripe for this kind of action.As you can see from the photo in this post,it's not just coyotes and cars that kill deer in the off season.This large bobcat made a kill practically in a door yard up on the Nashwaak River.There was once a bounty on these animals before the days of coyotes because of predation on deer.Of course their numbers plummeted and there was no need for a bounty.Now that their numbers are rebounding,we are starting to see the odd kill done by a cat. But don't despair,cats don't take anywhere near as many deer as coyotes do.Cat kills are usually done by a large solitary animal,whereas coyotes hunt in a pack and are much more successful at killing deer,especially in the deer yards. The other photo is one of Ken and my son Curt and his girlfriend catching some pickerel and perch close to home,on McLeod's Pond.Erica had never gone ice-fishing before,so we spent a few hours on the ice and managed to get a half-dozen pickerel and a few perch for our efforts.It was a great day out and when you're doing it with family and friends,it's that much more enjoyable! We are looking forward to the Spring Salmon opener and it is sure to be a good season because of the numbers of salmon in the river system.We are also anticipating a good spring bear season and we still have some prime time slots available for any hunters interested in some good hunting,for a good price.Just contact me by e-mail or phone and I will be happy to arrange your hunting or fishing trip to the Great North Woods of New Brunswick!

'THE TIME'S THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

2009-02-19T10:23:00.006-04:00

This is my first post in the new year and I can't help but comment on the current state of affair's in the financial world. The mighty USA has shown once again it's capacity to rise above it's differences and has elected a great,historic leader at a time in it's history when it most needs him.Oh yeah,did I forget to mention he's black? This new president has challenges that will quickly test his mettle and I believe he will meet these challenges head on. The corporate money-mongers have thrown the world into a mess not seen in a hundred years. Now you may say "What does this have to do with sportsmen here in New Brunswick?" Plenty.It just proves once again that human greed within souless corporations do not have the moral compass that is needed to guide them in their never -ending quest for increasing profits. We are seeing the results of this mind-set in the way our forests are being managed. The newly released "Erdle Report" on how we should manage the forest on our crown lands suggested several options on how to proceed,but the government bent to the will of the large forestry companies and chose what has been called "Jaako-Poyre Lite",which means the government chose that report,but added in some diversification in a feeble attempt to pacify the citizens of New Brunswick.The Jaako-Poyre report was soundly rejected by the citizens of New Brunswick and still the government went against the will of the people and adopted it as the best plan for the people.NOT! Until we have a plan that eliminates huge clear-cuts of single species and the spraying of herbicide to kill the young hardwoods that the animals require for forage,we will continue to see many species struggle to survive and increase in the type of environment the government is providing for them. I can only hope I live long enough to see the people of New Brunswick rise up,as did our neighbours to the south,and elect someone who will do what's right,something for the animals,the environment and ultimately for the citizens of our province.Until then,I would encourage all sportsmen to join your local wild-life organizations and be vocal in what you want and be organized in your endeavours for change! I had promised myself I wouldn't use this blog for political dialogue,but January and February are typically very slow months up here in the Big Woods,and this year was no exception. January was such a cold harsh month we barely ventured out at all.The pickerel fishing has been good,as usual.The white fish have started to bite, along with some nice Burbot being taken.We are starting to see some winter kills by the coyotes and we are just starting into their most vulnerable time of the year.Our deer herd needs two things to happen in order for them to increase their numbers on crown lands.First,something has to be done to control the numbers of coyotes and secondly,suitable wintering habitat must be cultivated for the deer.If these things are done,our deer numbers will increase,relative to the effort put forth in these two areas. Although this post has a lot of doom and gloom in it,I would like to point out the black bear population is high and this years spring salmon season should be one of the best in memory.Ken and I are offering some very good deals on both of these adventures,so just shoot us an e-mail or give me a call and we will provide you with all the information you need for a trip to New Brunswick's great North Wood's!

End of year wrap-up

2008-12-17T13:58:00.003-04:00

As 2008 comes slowly to a close,I wanted to post a few pictures of some of the tremendous bucks killed this fall.Although we had a terrible winter last year,as you can see there were some survivors that were true trophies in anyones eyes! First of all,I would like to congratulate Steve Eldridge on his mind-blowing accomplishments both in the field and on the water here in New Brunswick.Steve is a forest ranger in the west central part of the province and in September of this year he caught the new New Brunswick record Muskie in the Saint John River.In doing so,he became the first fisherman to break the 50 in. mark.His Muskie was 52 in. long and this fish has been accepted by Musky N.B. as the new provincial record! The irony of this story is that the Dept. of Natural Resources doesn't recognize muskie as a game fish and here we have a DNR officer setting the NB record.As if that wasn't a big enough story,Steve turned around and killed a mammoth buck that is reported to score in the 190's Boone and Crockett! If his accomplishments aren't formally recognized in some way,then we as sportsmen here in this province are truly missing the boat. The other photos in this post are one of George Chase's new N.B.archery non-typical record buck taken this past fall.Now for those of you that don't know George,he was responsible for introducing our potential for trophy bucks to some very influential American sportsmen associated with White-tail Magazine back in the 1980's. George was also responsible for putting together the first book of N.B. Record Bucks.Again,we have a sportsman taking it to the next level,as George new full well what kind of a deer he needed to break the non-typical record and he absolutely shattered it! The other photo is one of a Mr. Prosser,a 75 yr. old farmer again from the west central part of the province with a huge non-typical he killed this past season.I don't know the official score,but as you can see,this buck is trophy calibre all the way. I have photos of a few typicals that were taken this past fall that are equally as impressive,but I don't have the space for them in this post. We are between seasons right now with rabbits occupying most of our hunting time,while we are getting ready for ice fishing to start on Jan.1st.We will have our fishing shacks all set up on Grand Lake and Salmon Harbour,complete with bait.Target species will be smelt,white fish.burbot and pickerel.Please give me a call or send an e-mail for more info. on any of our adventures and we will arrange your trip in no time. Ken and I,as well as our guides,would like to take this opportunity to wish our friends and sports a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,so Tight Lines and keep the wind in your face! We hope to see you all in the New y Y!ear

N.B. SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR?

2008-12-17T13:50:00.002-04:00

Ken's Last Minute Buck

2008-11-25T20:17:00.003-04:00

The 2008 deer season is now over and the projected kill was pretty much right on the money. The DNR had predicted a kill of around eight thousand deer and the tally is around seven thousand eight hundred,with two stations yet to turn in their numbers. The accuracy of the projected numbers means that the DNR has a good handle on what is happening with our deer herd and this translates into better management of the herd. We were blessed with a snow-fall the last day of the season and many hunters across the province hit the trail hard and were rewarded with some nice bucks for their efforts. As you can see from the photo in this post,Ken was amongst those lucky hunters to harvest a buck on the last day,actually in the final minutes of the season.Now many of you are probably thinking Kenny tracked this deer in the snow and bagged him on the trail. Not so. In the previous post I said the best way to get one of these Big Woods bucks is to wait for him to cross when he gets running around and thats just how Ken got him.Now if you know Ken at all,you know he has trouble sitting.But he played himself out the two weeks prior to the final day,so he decided to sit on a crossing where this buck had been travelling with some consistency during the season.I had told Ken that this buck would be killable when he got running and sure enough,Ken had only been there for about ten minutes and he blew his deer call and the buck walked out about ten yards from where he was standing.What a great way to end the season! The other photo is of Jamies buck he got this year.Now both of these bucks were the same age and weight,but Ken's had a little bit bigger rack,but they both were nice bucks. The biggest buck entered in the local big buck contest was two hundred and twenty -four lbs. Although this is not huge by New Brunswick standards,it is still a pretty nice buck. I'd like to congratulate all the successful deer hunters and hopefully this year our winter will be kinder to the deer and us two legged critters,too!

2008 Deer Season Winds Down

2008-11-19T12:54:00.002-04:00

The 2008 deer season is slowly winding down and it has been a real roller-coaster of a season.The season so far this year has been a constant mix of warm,rainy weather mixed in with the odd cool frosty day.This constant fluctuation in the weather conditions did not help to get the deer moving and for the most part,up until the last couple of days,the deer have been in a regular pattern of feeding in the choppings and fields by night and bedding in the heavy woods and on the ridges next to the brooks during the day-light hours. A full moon last week did not help the hunting much either. Ken and I both agree that under conditions like these,a big bait pile will take a buck as easily as any other method of hunting. The photos in this post are of the Tolosky group from New York State and a picture of Glen Tucker,local meat shop owner,with a nice eleven point buck brought into the shop on Nov.15. Mike Tolosky and his extended family were up to New Brunswick for a deer hunt with us last week and it was very tough hunting. Their group managed to tag two small bucks,with `Pick`Tolosky,the family patriarch,getting his first deer in eleven years,as well as grand-son Josh getting a small buck also.Now these fine sportsmen came up here to hunt big North Woods bucks and Ken and the other guides put them on these big bucks but it just didn`t happen for them.I could go on at length about weather,the moon, last years winter and so on,but the bottom line is these big woods bucks are hard to get under ANY conditions. We have found the best way to get one of these old bucks is to sit and wait for him to make his rounds.If he`s not rutting,that could be a long wait. Unfortunately,the third week of the season was not a good week for the big bucks to be running. Now many paying Sports would have been very disappointed in the hunting last week because of the lack of movement and no doubt the Tolosky`s were also,but the difference with the Tolosky`s is they didn`t take their frustration out on the guides or the outfitters and tried to enjoy their hunt under the given conditions. Ken and I both agree that this group are not only true sportsmen and hunters,but a very nice family to boot! So I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike and his family for choosing to hunt with us and we would certainly like to hunt or fish with you boy`s again some time in the future. There has been a few nice bucks killed this week locally and I`m sure there will be some more nice one`s taken before the season ends on Saturday.The predicted deer kill is just about on the mark for this year,according to the DNR.Of course the kill is down from last year because of the brutal winter we had,but that was to be expected.It`s funny how Nature changes and can provide either feast or famine conditions according to her whims.This year was the best I have ever seen for bright Atlantic Salmon,while the spring fishery for salmon was the worst in recent memory.Next spring promises to be an excellent spring for black salmon because of the large runs of salmon in 2008,IF the weather co-operates. So as it stands right now deer,grouse and rabbits are down a bit right now and moose,bear and salmon are up in numbers.Whatever species you are after or if you would like a soft eco-field trip,please contact me and I will arrange to get you out there in our great North Woods and experience the beauty of this great province we live in.

Up-and-Comer Buck and Little Doe

2008-11-02T19:37:00.002-04:00

The first week of the rifle deer season is done and by all accounts the tally was down a bit from last year,but there were still a few nice bucks taken.One meat shop in Fredericton reported a very slow start to the season,but at the same time a shop record was broken for the heaviest buck,at two hundred and seventy-three lbs.Ken and I have been really travelling the bush and although we are seeing enough huntable bucks,there is a definite shortage of younger age deer.Most of the sign we are seeing is of larger animals and this falls in line with what I had predicted earlier this spring,that our brutal winter last year took a toll on the younger deer.They are just not as strong and they cannot forage well with the bigger animals.It's just natures way of ensuring the stronger breeders perpetuate the species.Ken and I flagged a couple of deer just as we were locking our guns up last nite on our way home and I bumped a monster buck first thing this morning,just as I was leaving the truck.This buck wasn't spooked bad because the wind was with me and I wasn't making a lot of noise.He just trotted away from me.He didn't blow or flag me,so he wasn't spooked.I tried my darndest to spot him,but I just couldn't pick him out of the stuff he was in.I had found this deer's track earlier in the week,after not noticing his track at first.The reason I never noticed was because I thought it was a calf moose track! This buck was crossing in the same spot as a bunch of moose and I thought he was one of them.That's how big this buck is! I told Kenny that this is the biggest deer track I have ever seen in my life and Ken said he had to agree,as he said he had only seen one other track that compared to this buck.When bucks get to this size,they are very hard to kill.The hunter must do eveything exactly right or you will miss your opportunity.These big bucks are not like their younger counter-parts.They just don't make the mistakes that a younger deer does.But when they get running,they will make mistakes and the hunter must be ready to capitalize on the opportunity when it is presented.Ken and I are also seeing a lot of moose,including some real trophies.I saw two cows this week and Ken saw four,including a bull with about eighteen or twenty points.There seems to be about the same amount of hunters out in the woods,with mabey a few more migrant hunters from the northern part of the province.Last year we had a pretty good crop of deer,so naturally we have a few more hunters in our area looking to take a deer.Many times these hunters come under strong criticism,but they don't have a huntable herd in their home territories and these Frenchmen love to hunt.So until our government figures out what to do with this situation,we all have to learn to share the crown land so we can all enjoy this great sport of deer hunting.I'll be making more posts as the season progresses,so Good Luck to all the hunters out there and hunt safely.

2008 rifle deer season opens Monday,Oct.27

2008-10-25T11:15:00.002-04:00

The 2008 deer season is fast approaching and Ken, Jamie,Dallas and myself have been scouring the woods in our hunting areas looking for big buck sign.We are seeing lots of sign and there doesn't seem to be any shortage of nice bucks around.These big woods bucks are very sensitive to human activity and Ken and I found this fact out the hard way.After seeing a buck open a scrape in one of the breeding areas,we decided to load up the area with bait,thinking we could eventually entice that buck to come in for a snack.Well,guess what.That buck wouldn't come near that site again after we set it up.But you can tell by the trail cam photos,we had a visitor.An unwelcome visitor at this time of the year.Now this is a nice bear,but that's not what we are looking for right now.Ken and I have never used trail cams before to try and get photos of some big woods bucks,and its proving to be quite a challenge.These bucks typically travel over quite a large area and its much harder to get them pinpointed for a photo.Thats why most trail cams are set up on a food source.We now realize we need multiple trail cams in order to even begin covering some of the areas we hunt.Again,these bucks are covering an area of at least four or five square kilometers and you have to cover large areas of forest to figure out where they live and how they travel.We have most of our areas all figured out,but it's called hunting and you have to cover a lot of ground when hunting these brutes of the North Woods.If any readers are familiar with the Benoit's of Maine and their style of hunting,then their style can be seen to be very similiar to how we hunt the big woods up here in new Brunswick.Ken and I feel we have a real advantage when hunting these big bucks because we know our areas so well,we can predict with some certainty where these bucks will be travelling.I will try to post on a more regular basis if I can in the coming weeks.I hope to have some nice deer to show in the coming weeks,so stay tuned!

Salmon season is over for 2008.

2008-10-25T10:47:00.002-04:00

Just a short post to show the readers of this blog one of the grilse I got during the last ten days of the season.This fish is showing the typical fall colors of a bronze body with red spots.Summer fish typically are a silver color with black spots.Notice the large kype or hook to his bill.This is a sure sign that the spawning ritual is coming very soon. Tight lines to all and you can look forward to a spring salmon season like we haven't seen in years,providing the weather co-operates!