THE BITE, THE HUNT AND VINTAGE OUTDOOR STUFF

    The weather has turned a little colder here at home on Salmon River and the grey days of November are fast approaching. The salmon fishing is pretty much done and it's time to put the boats and gear away for another year. This is a busy time of the year for us. Putting boats up and storing gear, rods and all the related equipment The seasons overlap for a short time in the spring and fall and it just seems there is hardly enough time to get geared up for the hunting but we always seem to manage.
    The 2013 salmon season was certainly an improvement over last season. It was a  good year for the salmon because they had lots of water but the catching was very trying for most of the season. The water stayed high for most of the season and when we did get good fishable water, we were fishing over stale fish that were black as a boot especially towards the end of summer and into the fall. These fish that have been in the system for some time are very hard to catch. This can prove exasperating for guides and sports alike but if you fish salmon you know what the deal is on these great fish. I had the pleasure of  fishing with Malcolm McCormack for a day on the Cains River this fall and I asked him if he ever got mad at the salmon and he said yes but only for a moment. I told Mac I once got so mad at these finicky salmon that I quit fishing them for ten years! I still fished spring salmon but I snubbed the brights just as they had snubbed my feathery offerings. After a test of wills that lasted ten years I finally gave in to the salmon and was drawn back to its waters. The thrill that this fish provides when you do hook one is not easily forgotten. I guess that must be the reason I started fishing them again because they proved to me once more this fall that they haven't changed their ways. The following photo is one of Malcolm and his lady friend Elva S.

 I really enjoyed my day out with Malcolm on the Cains River. The fishing was tough but Mac's stories of his years on the river and the many sports he guided staved off any boredom that threatened to slip in. One story that I found quite interesting was the crippled lady whose husband had a lodge at the mouth of the Sabbies River that Malcolm guided for a few years. He said she had to be carried in and out of the boat and special arrangements were made if she had to do her business. He said it was a tough job at times but she was a good sport and loved to fish and by all accounts she did quite well, hooking many salmon and trout on her outings with Malcolm. The next photo is one of Malcolm and Donna A. fishing the stretch of water in front of his families camps.

 We fished hard that day and there were fish showing everywhere but they were being very fussy about taking a fly. Three of us fished everything we had in the box but we didn't find a taker. I usually try to fish smaller flies over these dark fish especially when the water is at a normal level but even then you want to have some luck on your side if you expect to feel a tug. As I said,

we fished all day and never hooked a fish but after two or three hours Tommy K. of Blackville stopped in for a visit and said he thought he would fish a bit before going partridge hunting. I almost said he would be better off chasing birds but I bit my tongue. I'm glad I did. Tommy made about three casts and hooked a salmon right where all three of us had been fishing for hours. That's salmon fishing for you! It was great that someone hooked a fish and provided some entertainment for a time. Tommy landed the fish and released it quickly and was up over the hill and on his way bird hunting in two shakes of a dogs tail and never let on. I hope his luck held out while he was hunting partridge. The next photo shows Tommy landing his salmon.

 Although we finished the day fishless, I thoroughly enjoyed my outing with Mac and Elva and I told Malcolm that I wanted him to come and visit me sometime and I would take him out  on Salmon River and try for some pickerel.

    Mac told me he had never fished for pickerel and he wanted to know what flies to bring. I told him to just bring his salmon rod and I would have some flies he could try. I explained that big bushy dry flies worked well in the summer but at this time of year when things are cooling off,  it would be like fishing for salmon with bombers at this time. You might hook one but the odds were against it. I told Malcolm I would have a spin-cast outfit with the necessary hardware for back-up so we were good to go.

    We took a short boat ride from my place and pulled into a cove and I cut the motor and slowly paddled in towards where the weed beds should have been. I say "should" because the high water had flooded the area since the last time I was out. I told Mac that this would make the fishing a little tougher because the fish would be scattered and harder to target but we would probably hook a few. Malcolm tried his salmon rod for a bit but wasn't having too much luck so I said let me try the salmon outfit and he could try the spin-cast. I made a couple of casts with that big orange dry fly and a pickerel rocketed right out of the water and swallowed that fly! I could hardly believe it! I could see that Malcolm was getting excited after seeing the way that fish took and it wasn't long before he landed his first pickerel.

 We fished away and I told Mac some of the local history of the area and we continued to hook fish over the course of a couple of hours. Malcolm caught three or four and I caught a few so we did quite well under probably the worst conditions for fishing pickerel. That's one thing about pickerel fishing-you can usually hook a few if you are persistent. Here is another photo of Mac landing one.

 I got a kick out of fishing pickerel with Malcolm. He really likes to fish and he commented to me that it was as much fun catching pickerel as it was catching a grilse. That's something coming from a dyed-in-the-wool salmon fisherman! I told Mac he would have to come back next summer when the fishing slows down for salmon during the dog days of summer because that's when the fishing is best for pickerel. He said he would be back again for another round next summer and I'm looking forward to getting out with him again.

 

 

    The moose hunt went well for those lucky enough to draw a tag this year. The weather co-operated for the most part and although the kill was 3331 moose,  down by 216 animals overall from last season, it was still the second highest tally historically. Unfortunately, none of our crowd drew a tag so we were shut out but there were still some nice bulls shot in our area. The number of moose registered in Chipman was down slightly this year but there was still a good tally at over fifty animals. I didn't get any photos of local moose this year but I did scavenge a couple of photos from a hunting forum of two monster bulls taken in zone 6 in the northern part of the province. The first photo is of a tremendous bull with over thirty points and a 66 in. spread. It scored over 200 B&C points.

 The next bull was taken in the same zone although in a different area. This bull was also over 60 in. also

 I believe this bull scored less than the other because it had a weaker left side but it was still a true New Brunswick trophy bull moose. Our moose herd is doing well and the numbers are holding steady and increasing in some zones. One alarm bell that has been raised is the number of young moose taken by bears recently due to an increase in their numbers. The number of bear sightings and encounters has risen dramatically the last year or two due to rising bear numbers and less non-resident hunters coming from the south. There is certainly no shortage of bears around our area and they are becoming pests in many areas by tearing camps apart and hauling off garbage, strewing it all over and making a big mess. Most residents don't bother hunting bear because they don't like the prospect of eating one, so many times they get passed over in favor of other species. Non-residents are advised to choose their outfitter and guides carefully because some areas have been pounded quite hard over the last few years and while there may be good numbers of bears around,  there may be few trophy sized bruins left. It is getting quite expensive to bait and hunt bears now because of the price of fuel. It makes it harder to travel farther in search of those big boys that most hunters want. We are lucky in that regard because if you look at a map you will see our hunting area borders large tracts comprising thousands of acres of wilderness that hold many trophy sized bears. Nearly every bait site we have seems to have at least one old boar over 300 lbs. and many times there will be an old female that is the same size. I don't have any recent trail cam photos because the bears have destroyed a few expensive cameras on us but if you look back at previous posts you can see the calibre of animals we have in our area.

 

    The duck hunt was a bit of a disappointment this year because of the high water flooding the meadows but Jamie and Dallas managed to get a dozen or so ducks with their group on the first day. In conditions such as these the flooded meadows don't grow duck food like they usually do and this causes the ducks to come inland to feed in beaver ponds and small marshes where the food has a chance to grow. I follow reports from the Grand Lake area and lower Saint John River and the information was the same across the board. Poor shooting and fewer ducks in the bigger meadows. This situation has improved with the colder weather getting some migrating ducks moving in. A couple of hunters who frequent Grand Lake Meadows said they have had their best hunts in the last week with new birds coming in ahead of the cold front dropping down from the north.

 

    As predicted, the grouse numbers seem to be down a bit this year. Many hunters are seeing birds but they are flushing wild. This is indicative of older, more wary birds rather than young of the year dumb ones. The spring nesting season for grouse was wet and cold so this could be a factor as to why there may be be less birds around. Some hunters seem to be getting more spruce grouse than birch and the only guess I can make is the habitat they use had offered more protection during the critical nesting period. The hunting should get a bit better now with the leaf cover pretty much gone. For some reason, woodcock numbers seem to be good this year and the flight birds are here in abundance. If you have a good dog now is the time to be hunting them.

 

    The rifle hunt for white-tails starts this week and all indicators hint at higher deer numbers this year. This should make it a little easier to find a deer with hard horns to harvest. I say "should" but we all know how tricky those bucks can be. In our area of the four lakes district we are definitely seeing more deer than in the previous half dozen years. Ken and the boys are all set up and ready to go after some nice bucks that have been spotted the last few months. A lot of this early pre-rut hunting is simply setting the stage for the rut when those big boys get running around chasing does with their tongues hanging out. That's when our crew gets real serious about hunting big bucks and it has paid dividends over the past several years. We have taken some nice bucks in the past if you check the photos in previous posts. As I said before, the bears have been destroying our cams on a regular basis so I don't have any pictures for this post but we are watching several nice bucks in our hunting area. The next photo shows a great New Brunswick buck that was taken in the southeast by an archer that has hunted this buck for a few years now. I don't know of any greater accomplishment than taking a trophy buck with archery gear and this hunter did it in spades. This 11 pt. dressed out at 240 lbs.

 

 

Wild turkeys have been at the forefront in hunting news with several new chapters being formed in New Brunswick. This is good news for all hunters in the province and the sooner the government recognizes the fact that these birds are here to stay the sooner we will have a season. The numbers I have heard bantered about is around 1000 birds in the province. An old friend of mine has been releasing birds for about ten years now and we have thriving flocks all around the Grand Lake area. These birds are from wild Pennsylvania stock and seem to be surviving and spreading from our observations. We are also getting birds migrating from the state of Maine. This is a good news story and many hunters are excited about the prospects of a future hunt for wild gobblers here in New Brunswick.

 This is a nice flock sunning and feeding on the side of a mud dump from a few years back in the Midlands area.

 

    I am finding some nice vintage pieces of outdoor related items in my travels. A lot of the stuff I pick up displays well in a man cave or camp and smaller items such as this wall pocket depicting a trout can be bought at a very reasonable price in todays market place This wall pocket is marked Japan and dates to the late 50's or early 60's.

 The next item I found is an aluminum serving tray that has been etched to depict Canadian game birds. I would date this item to the 60's.

 Finally, I am including a photo of a magazine cover from my extensive collection of vintage outdoor magazines. I collect these old magazines based on the eye appeal of the subject and the condition of the cover. I also try to buy ones that feature the date prominently so the viewer knows the age of the magazine at a glance. I thought this cover was timely since deer season has just started and most hunters would love to get a deer like this one in their sites.

 This magazine is seventy-three years old and is in great shape.

 

    Time has a way of slipping by quickly and before you know it spring will be here again and all the outdoor activities that go on at that time of the year will be upon us once again. If any sports would like to come and hunt or fish or sight -see with us just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. I will personally help you arrange a visit to our beautiful part of New Brunswick. You can stay at the  Pioneer Lodge http://www.pioneer-lodge.com/ in Cumberland Bay or the Queens County Inn here in town. Visitors can also look into local rentals or bring your own lodging with you. I always recommend staying at the Pioneer Lodge because of the great atmosphere and the world class food served up by Barb Neumann. I can help you plan any visit to our area according to your budget and your wants. This will ensure your visit will be a happy, successful and safe one.

 

    This is Dale Bauer saying " Happy Trails to You.....Until we Meet Again!"

 

   

                                     

FALL HAS ARRIVED!

    The air is taking on a chill at night  here at home on Salmon River and this heralds the coming of hunting season. Normally the height of the water in Salmon River and Grand Lake is at a decent level for most outdoor activities but this year Mother Nature has blessed us with an over abundance of the wet stuff. This can really make life difficult for guides and sports alike but you have to play the cards you are dealt. I know most salmon fishermen won't complain too much about the high water because at least it helps the salmon with their spawning ritual by allowing the fish to reach the best spawning areas. I took the following photo from my shore after yet another downpour.

 It's been a big job just keeping the boats bailed out and secured this past month. There are still hopes for a good fall run of salmon and one of my buddies is off to his camp on the Tabisintaque River. He tells me that this river is starting to prime up and he wants to be there when the first good runs arrive. Some reports are coming in suggesting the fall run is starting on the Miramichi and the lower Cains River so don't put your salmon gear away just yet because you could miss out on some very good fishing if the weather starts to co-operate.
    We have been trying to get in some more pickerel fishing between the rain storms but if I told you the fishing was good I would be lying. Pickerel fishing is very dependent on the water level and if the water is too high the fish will be scattered about and hard to find. That being said, if you have the patience and the right gear you should be able to hook a few. It's kind of an iffy thing in these conditions but I have seen the fish attack anything thrown at them and then stop just as suddenly as it started. Sounds like Atlantic salmon doesn't it? Here is a video clip of me landing a pickerel on my last outing.

 Pickerel are feisty little fighters that attack the lure with a savage rush but they tire easily and can be landed fairly quickly IF you can keep them on because they are notorious for throwing the hook back at you and swimming away at a leisurely pace. I love to fish salmon but if I want to have some fun and just catch fish, I grab my box of lures and head for the pickerel beds. The next photo shows me landing an average sized pickerel.

 

 

The moose hunt is coming right up as I'm writing this and unfortunately we don't have any tags this year. I won't complain though because I've been on the hunt the last two years and harvested some very good moose meat both years. As most people who read my blog knows, I'm not a trophy hunter, per say. I like taking trophy animals as much as anybody but I like wild meat and you can't eat the horns! So I will usually take the first adult animal I am licenced for. If I am trying for a specific animal I will sometimes let other animals walk but that would be the exception rather than the rule. The next photo shows me with the young bull I harvested last year.

 

    I had a brief stop at the cache in Chipman to see how the count was and one ranger told me that at the half way point in the season there were four more moose registered this year than at the same time last year. Cory Shirley registered the first moose in Chipman. My neighbor up the hill, Greg Best, took a nice twelve pt. bull from the Mountain Brook area in Gaspereau. A large bull was harvested by Sam Williams Jr. in the Bronson area that had eighteen points and went over 800 lbs. At this point the season is shaping up to be a good one.

 

    With the start of duck season just around the corner, many hunters that I have been talking to have expressed disappointment in the high water causing a dearth of food in the larger meadows this year. Usually, on a year such as this, the best hunting will be found by jump-shooting the smaller back guts and beaver ponds because that's where the food will be found. When the migration starts the bigger meadows will start producing as the big flocks will use these areas as resting and staging areas. The jury is still out on how good the duck hunting will be in our area this year because although we had good nesting conditions the ducks are feeding in the smaller areas so they can find more food. The next photo shows old Maddie with the ducks we harvested on the first day of last years duck hunt. I always enjoy the camaraderie that accompanies any of these hunts and my good friend and long-time guide Allen Davidson has accompanied me on many different hunts over the years. Many times Allen will act as the chief cook and bottle washer if he isn't guiding or shooting and the next photo shows him and I taking a break on one of our duck hunts

 

 

    I have been checking some areas lately that I hadn't visited for many years and I was surprised at how quickly these old abandoned farms had grown over. In places where there had been open fields in many cases they were choked full of brush and small trees. The apple trees and thorn berries were still there but the patches of clover were getting scarce where there used to be fields. After finding the perimeter of the fields where the old homestead used to be,I took a walk around the edge following the large piles of rocks that had been removed from the fields many years before. From the amount of rocks in these piles someone did a lot of manual labor removing these obstacles to their ploughing efforts. The next photo shows one of these piles with a large tree growing from their midst. My guess is these piles were made 75-100 years ago. 

 Although I was checking the area for grouse, I did come across a huge amount of bear sign. This didn't surprise me because these old abandoned homesteads are a food source for just about every animal in the woods. Since our bear population is quite high now, they have been hitting the apple orchards hard. There are a lot of thornberry bushes and cherry trees mixed in with the apple trees and this is a veritable smorgasbord for many animals that frequent these areas. The next photo shows one of the many piles of bear dung we found in the area.

 While scouting the perimeter of the fields my buddy called me over to see a large deer scrape from last year that was located on an old tote road. After taking a closer look I mentioned that the buck had been back already this year because there was a fresh track in the middle of the scrape. He hadn't opened the scrape up yet but he was definitely was still travelling the same route. This looks to be a good sized buck by the size of the track and we'll be keeping a close eye out for him in the coming months.

 

    This has been a great year for wild mushrooms and I always watch for any edible ones that might be popping out. I happened to spot a patch of chanterelles growing near my house. These mushrooms are delicious but caution must be exercised when eating them because they can be too rich for some palates. I really like them with steak or eggs when picked fresh off the stem. I like to cook them up crisp and I try not to gorge on them when having them as a side to the meal. The next photo shows the patch I found.

 This variety of mushroom is usually found in the company of others so look around a bit whenever you find one. I also came across another variety of edible wild mushroom while travelling the woods this month and this colorful shroom is called a lobster mushroom because of its color and taste. These aren't quite as common as other varieties but are highly sought after all over the world. The next photo shows a small patch with a variety of shapes.

 

 

I have been finding some nice vintage outdoor related items and I can't resist buying this stuff whenever I come across it. Although some of the stuff I find isn't strictly related to hunting and fishing, it is usually related to the outdoor world somehow. If you have read any of my previous blog posts you know I am partial to all things ducky and for this post I want to show a photo of a beautiful gold trimmed plate with a picture of mallards in flight. I believe this plate is Canadian made and dates to the Fifties. My son Curtis picked this plate up for me during his travels and gave it to me.

 The next item I have to show is a small shelf decorated with a duck in flight. I'm not sure of the date of manufacture of this item but I feel it may be from the Sixties.

 Finally, I have a photo of some very nice dry flies that were tied by one of the well known guides who lives at the mouth of the Cains river and has guided for about fifty years for various outfitters and mainly for Black Brook  at the mouth of the Cains. I'm not sure when Malcolm McCormack tied these flies but at eighty-three years young I wasn't going to question the vintage of these flies. Thanks Mac for passing these flies along. I almost hate to fish them but I think at least one or two will get swung through a pool somewhere. I'm hoping to get out for a fish with him in the near future and see first hand how he fishes them. He tells me he  

 fishes these flies exclusively for salmon and says the trout like them too. I'll take you at your word Mac and thanks again.

 

 

    Ken and I have been out and about every chance we get and if there are any folks out there that would like to travel with us in the woods or on the water in our beautiful part of New Brunswick just give me a shout and we will arrange a trip in whatever style you would like for whatever species you would like.

 

This is Dale Bauer saying " Happy Trails to You.......Until we Meet Again"

   

NO DOG DAYS THIS YEAR!

    We are now in what is supposed to be the dog days of summer but another large rain storm and lower temperatures has kept rivers and streams higher than normal. This type of scenario was played out in 2011 and it proved to be a godsend for Atlantic salmon returning to New Brunswick's rivers. There are good numbers of salmon in the Miramichi system and the water conditions are great for the returning salmon but these fish are proving to be very hard to hook. Many times they are passing by and you may only get two or three casts over them and they are gone on their way. This can make for some tough fishing in circumstances such as this but the fish are there and perseverance will usually be rewarded with a tug if you stick with it.
    One peculiar thing I noticed this year is the leaves on the maples that line Salmon River near Chipman have taken on a blush of red. Normally we don't see this coloring until the middle of September but I think this premature reddish color is due to the prolonged high water flooding these trees for days on end in the middle of summer. They must have been starved for air in the root zone and that is what caused the leaves to turn red early. Here is a photo I took of the maples on Moon Island and you can see the effect the high water had on these trees.

 As I've said before, when the water is high on the Miramichi it is usually blown out here on the lower Salmon River. That is what we have been faced with for most of the summer this year. This makes for some very difficult pickerel fishing because it scatters the fish and makes it harder to target them because they are all over their habitat. It also gives them access to more food sources and makes it harder to get them to strike. We're hoping the water will continue to drop because some of our best days on the water can be in the fall when the conditions are right. The next photo shows me with an average sized pickerel. Note the rig I use in higher water conditions. The larger sized spinner helps to get their attention. In more normal low water conditions I exchange the large spinner for a smaller one and might modify the leader set up to match the spinner size.

 The next photo shows Donna A. with a nice trophy sized pickerel she landed just at dark.

 This is a great shot of one of our spectacular sunsets here at home on Salmon River.

 

    I've been seeing a nice mix of ducks and geese in our area on Salmon River. We had good nesting conditions last spring and I noticed many of the young survived the gauntlet of predators that prey on both eggs and ducklings. On a year with high water, many times the best hunting will be in the back guts and smaller coves because the larger meadows are flooded and this makes the food harder to access. In a situation like this a half dozen decoys out front and a good natural blind with good personal camo will many times have ducks dropping in your lap. When we are out fishing pickerel during the summer we keep an eye out for flocks coming and going to their feeding and resting areas. Like most game species, ducks live on their stomachs. They feed and rest sometimes in different spots so you have to pay attention to the flights in the area you are going to hunt. One thing for sure, they won't be far from a food source like wild rice, duck oats or duck potatoes. Find the food and you'll find the ducks or geese. Sometimes we will pass shoot a spot if we see the ducks are squeezing through a spot while travelling to their feeding and resting areas. Many times these spots remain good for years as long as conditions remain unchanged. Unfortunately, many good waterfowling spots have been taken for years by generations of hunters and this can make it difficult for beginners or a hunter not familiar with an area to find a good spot on the marsh without ruffling someone's feathers. After the first day,some spots will start to open up and a determined hunter can usually find a decent spot with a little scouting. As a matter of fact, scouting is paramount to success when waterfowling. Things change quickly as local birds are pounded and dispersed and migrating northern birds begin to show up. Those big, orange legged blacks can provide some great shooting later on in the season here in the Grand Lake area. This is a photo of a nice male wood duck we got on the first day last year

 The next photo shows me walking a meadow checking for ducks back a couple of years ago. We had a great hunt that year with my son Curtis and my old friend Allen Davidson and a few others. Allen didn't shoot that day but he cooked up a great feed for the crowd. The next photo shows Curt and Allen getting our lunch ready. As you can see from the photo we try to eat well when we are in the bush.

 

    We've been seeing good numbers of partridge while travelling the back roads and fishing for trout. The nesting conditions this year were mediocre at best.  This spring brought a lot of rain and cool weather and that caused a higher mortality rate in the chicks. Still, the numbers are as good as last year or maybe a little better. I've always held the belief that a partridge hunt is a great way to start off young hunters when introducing future hunters to the sport. It's usually a relaxed outing with either family or close friends and grouse will many times hold long enough to give novice hunters a good shot while under the tutelage of a mentor. This is an important first step and provides the foundation of how future hunts will be conducted. Safety first and the fun and excitement will follow. Our area around Chipman has a vast network of woods roads and bike trails that passes through good bird habitat. This makes it easy to drive around in a truck or bike and get lots of opportunities to take birds along the trail. Bird hunters can also take a more traditional route and walk old portages and overgrown apple orchards. Be forewarned, these birds can get very spooky as the season progresses. Odds are, if they have been fired at or bumped, they will bust out at the first hint of danger. I like to hit these spots early in the season before they get too much hunting pressure.

 

    The last couple of winters have been kind to our deer herd and survival rates have been better in our hunting areas around Grand Lake. There seems to be more yearlings around this year but one thing we are concerned about is the fact we aren't seeing as many fawns as we would have expected. When we do see a doe she usually only has one fawn with her. I don't know if this is a localized thing or not but we will know better as we get closer to the season. On a positive note, a prominent member of the New Brunswick outdoor scene,Kevin S. AKA"Grey Ghost" of Fredericton put together a very good proposal for the Fredericton Fish and Game Club on changing the dates for our annual white-tail hunt. I don't know if it made it to the right government people or how it was received but I read the proposal and it was well researched and provided persuasive reasons why the hunt should be shifted to a later date. It's high time DNR officials respond to good, forward thinking proposals and start implementing these ideas in order to enrich our outdoor experiences here in New Brunswick.

 

  The annual moose hunt is coming up in a few weeks and anyone lucky enough to draw a tag should have a great hunt. There is certainly no shortage of moose in New Brunswick but some areas are better than others and there is competition for these areas so it pays to get out and scout around a bit and try to get a spot that won't get disturbed after the first morning. There were some tremendous bulls shot in our area last year but I took a very fine eating four point bull. Those big horns are great but I talked to one hunter who knows how to handle meat and he told me you could hardly cut the gravy on the big bull he took last year. My personal viewpoint is on a three day moose hunt you can't be too fussy. I will gladly take any moose I see on a hunt except a calf. The next photo shows me with the bull I took last year.

 

 

I continue to pick up some nice vintage items and the next photo shows a nice cocktail shaker for mixing drinks. It is decorated with pheasant and dates to the Sixties.

  The next item is a moulded plaque depicting ducks in flight. This item also dates to the Sixties.

 

 

As summer winds down and we start to switch gears towards fall and hunting season I would encourage anyone looking for a day or a week afield to contact me to make the arrangements to come for a visit to our beautiful part of the world. You won't be disappointed. This is Dale Bauer saying "Happy Trails to You......Until we Meet Again!"