Shaun_300

Sounds like an exciting hunt! Way to go Bentley!

Feeling bad for you folks down there regarding the election! Was at the camp all last week for the second and final week of our rifle season. It was 70-80 degrees until the Thursday when it cooled off. Deer were not moving at all!! First year our camp got skunked in a long time. Hopefully I'll connect between now and the end of December with the bow. Forecasting 10-14 inches of snow over the next 4 days, hopefully that will kick them into gear!

What a bummer! Dad showed me a spot in a page wire fence he hit with the .308 about 35 years ago when shooting at a deer. Luckily he can handle his BLR like John Wayne and smoked him on the second shot.

Saw a few flurries here already in the past week. No accumulation though. Northern Ontario was supposed to get 6 inches today.

Sorry to hear that Dave! I know where you're coming from with the back pain. I hurt myself from falling down the stairs when I was maybe 10 years old. Hit my back on a ledge when I landed and I have had issues since. My profession doesn't help either. I was off from Labour day weekend until yesterday when I returned for work. No idea what I did, but my back was screwed! I am as stubborn as a mule when it comes to getting help from chiropractors, doctors, etc. I broke down and reached out to the chiropractor. He did X-rays on me and turns out I have some arthritis in my lower back. Can't remember what joints or disks, but belt line and slightly below on the left side, and also my sciatic nerve bothers me too. Could barely take my son to daycare which is only a couple miles from here. Was quite the process to get out of the truck! My work place is about 45 miles from here, no way I would be able to drive there at the time! Let alone work when I get there. I started out my career in automotive as a mechanic from 2005 to 2013, then switched to marine and powersports, now strictly marine. Some of the positions I have to fold my 6'3" frame into to reach things is pretty mind boggling. The rest of my body is as strong as an ox, but my lower back makes up for it. I wouldn't think twice to unbox a brand new Bravo III outdrive which weighs about 175lbs and lift it out of the box myself and throw it on the cart to install on the boat. Did a set of head gaskets on a 8.2L big block during the summer, exhaust manifolds weigh 180lbs a side. Didn't think twice about manhandling them myself. I sure do now though! I second guess every move I make, have slowed down quite a bit, started asking for a lift when needed etc. I have to, if not I'll cripple myself. I'm only 33 years old but feel like a 80 year old sometimes! I try my best not to take pain meds. I'm on enough meds for other things that aren't good for my kidneys. But lately in the morning I'll take two Robax Platinum, really knocks the edge off. The past couple days have been rough at work for the first hour or so after the drive in, but loosen up pretty good and can get through the day with bearable pain. Another thing that really helps the pain is cannabis products. I have never been a drug user in my life. But now I put some cannabis infused coconut oil in a cup of coffee almost every night, within an hour I'm pretty well pain free and can sleep like a baby. It's not enough to get overly "high", sure you can feel a little bit of it, but the body relaxes and the pain goes away with the CBD. Cannabis is totally legalized now in Canada. We can grow up to 4 plants per household. Which I decided to try this year so I can make my own ointments and consumables for my pain. Wow this turned into a long post, sorry about that! LOL. Best of luck Dave, hopefully you can find some relief and still be able to live your life. Good luck this hunting season!

WOW! That is cool! Reminds me of some of the shacks we build up here to drag out on the lakes and rivers in the winter up here for ice fishing. I was just telling the wife that I'd like to build a little blind and elevate it maybe 6 or 8 feet off the ground our so, with a set of stairs and a railing, so I can take the kids with me, or if it's raining, snowing and blowing, super cold, etc. The treestand I built with my father in law a few years ago has a fairly big platform, nice ladder going up, but no railings or anything. At 18 feet up, I'm just not comfortable taking my 5 year old up there just yet. I'd be more pre-occupied keeping an eye on her than hunting lol.

Had an awesome time this weekend up at the hunt camp. My fiancee had to work this weekend, so I headed up to the camp to enjoy the beautiful 75-80 degree weather with the kids and my parents. Was almost too hot actually. Especially after a week or two of having frost every morning, and highs sometimes barely breaking the 50 degree mark. The leaves sure are beautiful up here now after that! Went out this morning for a little bird hunt carrying my new little Stoeger Condor 20ga I won in a draw. Came up on a flock of partridge (ruffed grouse). They scattered fairly quick but 3 lagged behind. The two in the back were one behind the other. And the other was off to the right. Shot the first two in one shot (first time I've done that!?) then quickly swung at the other who was already lifted off and getting the heck out of dodge! Missed it, knew it was probably pushing the limits of my shotgun. Oh well, go a little ways further and got one more! Emma's first attempt at cleaning one! Saw a nice sized moose track, cow or small bull likely. Kind of kicking myself for not applying now! A few more pics I took over the weekend. Patrick, my 14 month old was very happy to see his cow buddies when he got home.?

Lmao!! I forgot about that.??

Congrats on the new grandson and house, Al! Enjoy! Nice hearing from you. Good luck hunting this fall.

Today was the opening day for grouse here. Luckily I'm off for the week. Woke up this morning to ice on the windshields. Thermometer was reading 33°F. Perfect morning! Loaded up the shotgun and headed out to some beautiful nearby country. Found some new trails, a couple new lakes to trout fish and put just over 5 miles on the boots! Spooked one other bird, was too thick for a shot though. Ended up getting this one! First one for the new Remington 1100 Sporting 28ga I got back in the spring. Been waiting for a long time to get out in the woods with it. Also saw a HUGE buck bedded down. Just as I got my phone out to get a pic he spooked and bolted off. He would have been in big trouble if it was in November. Also stumbled across a good sized moose track. My 5 year old girl watched me clean it, had to know all the organs. I told her it tastes like chicken but better. When she tried it she said "This is WAY better than chicken, dad!!!" ?? wasn't much left for ole dad to eat!

Wow, great story and beautiful buck Ruth. Congrats!!

We still do it in Ontario! Lots of camps around. In this area (Ontario is about 670,000 mi² so it varies by area) we are guaranteed a 1 antlered deer tag, and put in to have it valid for antlerless or antlered. Each WMU has a different success rate based on the previous years mandatory survey we have to do after the season of how many deer we saw and what we killed etc. Party hunting is allowed. So if my brother has a doe tag and I don't, I can kill a doe and he can put his tag on it. We generally have 5-8 guys in our camp the second week of November for rifle season. We usually do drives in the morning, return for lunch and sit in the afternoon til dark. Most of the deer we get are on the drives.

Hey Ruth! Nice to see you around again. There's a few of us that visit regularly but it is pretty quiet around here.

I'll probably end up getting a rack for the back eventually. But honestly, where we hunt 95% is within dragging distance to the truck, or where we can get the trucks to, and they just get put in the bed. Most of my riding is ripping around on the trails and taking the kids for rides around the farm. Its great for that. Great suspension for a smooth ride and a nice gentle giant when you want it to be, extremely smooth power with the V-twin. And with almost 90hp under your posterior, when you want to squeeze on it and have some fun. Not much if anything will pass these little rockets!??

Picking up a new to me ATV this afternoon! My poor ole 2004 Kodiak about had enough, and I didn't have the ambition to rip the engine out to fix it, so I sold it at a very discounted price to a guy that wanted it. Almost went down to the other side of Toronto on the weekend to get one, but my back ended up going out on me and couldn't fathom the thought of doing a 10 hour round trip in the truck. Came across one last night for a good deal that was only 10 minutes from here and went over to have a look at it. Turned out I know the guy selling it, so that made it a little easier. I used to work at a Can-Am/Seadoo/Skidoo dealer for 6 years so I know them very well. Had a 2008 Can-Am Outlander 500 that I had bought brand new. Gave me 1000 trouble free miles before selling it since I didn't really have a spot to use it without trailering it when I lived at home. A couple months later I met my fiancee, wished I had never got rid of it then since we live on a 100 acre farm LOL! Anyway, always wanted one of these little rockets since the first time I drove one at the dealer! They are great machines, most power in the industry when you want to play, they look sporty and also have selectable 4x4. They are basically an Outlander with a sporty body on it. Here she is. 2014 Can-Am Renegade XXC 1000. I may take the wrap off and put the stock wheels back on so it looks like the second picture. Haven't quite made my mind up yet.

There are doves and a season for them up here, opened on the 1st, but I never hear of anyone hunting them. But my coworker is originally from Florida, he loves doves! He ended up getting one last year while grouse hunting and was all excited. We are going to try and get him some doves while out grouse hunting.

Sounds like fun Will! Other than getting up at 3am, that is a LONG wait! LOL. Corey, the guy that you met when we had dinner down there, likes doves. They aren't all that common to hunt up here but they are in season now. Ruffed grouse is what we mainly go after when it comes to small game birds. Season opens on Tuesday. Corey and I are planning on getting out on weekends when we are both free. Also going to duck and goose hunt after work on the river pretty soon!

The 16ga is a nice little shotgun. I'm sure you'll love it. I've shot them before, almost picked up a Stevens 311 SxS 16ga a while back I saw on our local gun site, but someone beat me to it. This year I'll be using my Remington 1100 Sporting 28ga

Shaun Bailey Shaun_300 33 Ontario - Oct 1 - Dec 31

Woohoo! I'll go sign up.

I can't remember the last time I've watched anything in TV. Last time I watched an outdoors show was at the hunt camp last November. All the old Realtree DVDs we got as mods years ago.

Howdy Gary. Nice to see some older members gather round our small camp fire. Wish more would come back and get these forums booming again!

Hard no for me. I've never got a flu shot, think the last time I had the stomach flu was when I was out at your place, Martin. That was what, 12-13 years ago? Think I'll stick to my normal routine besides washing my hands after going to the stores etc.

Feels so good to be back to work. It's a little different with all the protocols in place, but at least I can actually earn a good paycheck again. Now we just need the weather to get better. It actually snowed while I was on the water today lol. I see 60s and 70s in the forecast once we get through the weekend!

Awesome story Don, nice tom, congrats!!