Muskoka Outdoors

A fourth sweet buck has been added to the Muskoka Outdoors ‘Most Wanted’ list  photo contest. It is another local buck that looks very similar to the brow tine buck. I believe the difference is in the right G1 as it branches off at a different spot. The buck photo was submitted by Kyle.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural resources has made some changes to the 2010 hunting regulations. These amendments are in response to efforts to ensure that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) does not impact Ontario deer herds.

According to the Ontario MNR website, the changes are as follows:

• Prohibits the use of natural attractants that contain parts or bodily fluids of a member of the deer family for the purposes of hunting in Ontario (e.g., natural deer urine/by-products)
• Restricts the possession of certain higher risk carcass parts (e.g., brain, spinal column, antlers, etc.) of moose and caribou that were killed outside the province. This regulation is the same as the existing regulation that applies to the carcasses of all other members of the deer family which came into effect in 2005.
• Restricts the transportation of live white-tailed deer, American elk, moose and woodland caribou into Ontario unless accompanied by a provincial permit  (Source: Ontario MNR website)

I am somewhat skeptical over the need to ban deer urine attractants especially since no apparent CWD case has been linked to any these products. Perhaps when more is known about the actual transmission vectors of CWD – this could be re-evaluated. The synthetic products are cheaper anyway.

At least, they were.

UPDATE: The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) has since posted a media release about the changes. To summarize their media release,

“Unfortunately, these half measures fall far short of what actions should have been taken, and not only fail to address the problem, they leave outdoors retailers on the cusp of hunting season with inventories of natural deer attractants that can be sold, but no longer be used by hunters, at least in Ontario.” Entire OFAH Press Release Here

Chronic Wasting Disease Fact Sheet

2010 Ontario Hunting Regulations Download

Over halfway through 2010 and one could argue that bears are trying to destroy their teddy bear image through various bear attacks and snarling close encounters.

For or against, these occurrences have many people talking about the cancellation of Ontario’s spring bear hunt. A lost hunting opportunity that many hunters felt was politically motivated. It was a management tool that developed a healthy fear of man in bears and helped to minimize encounters like those shared in this post. It did NOT mean the end of Ontario’s bears. Nobody wanted that!

Black Bear Photo: HBarrison from Wikipedia

Those against a bear hunt are being ‘treated’ with more bear sightings, bear attacks, property damage  and other close encounters.

Anecdotally, through sources close to Muskoka Outdoors, some Huntsville residents have been having some close encounters.

One man was working outside his house when he came face to face with a bear. After repeated attempts to scare the  bear off, the man went back inside his house, with the bear following, to get his firearm. When the man exited his house with gun in hand – the bear bolted away.

In a second, different encounter, one woman returned back into her kitchen to find a bear in her kitchen. It had come in through a screen door.

Then, there was this past spring.  In less than one month, three separate aggressive bear encounters have been reported in the area of Orillia, ON. One of the attacks was nearly fatal, while the other two were ‘charges’ and acts of aggression.

Listed below are accounts of the encounters from various sources:

1. Mauling victim gives chilling account of bear attack

2. ATV rider charged by black bear

3. Woman on bike chased by black bear near Orillia, ON

Recently, there have been other bear attacks in Canada and internationally:

1. Canadian woman recounts bear attack (Montana)

2. Bear killed after biting man’s arm (Colorado)

3. Port Alberni bear attack sends two to hospital (BC)

4. Yellowstone Bear Attack KILLS Camper, Injures Two

It’s getting more difficult to buy into the ‘rarity’ of hostile bear encounters and attacks. Clean BBQ grills, bear ‘proof’ garbage containers and call lines might fool humans into a sense of safety, but ‘Smokey’ the bear’s identity is lost in the reality of the Canadian rural setting.

Live trapping bears might make sense – until they end up in your back yard or mine. If we are going continue with this tool – I hope those involved are getting DNA samples of the bears that are re-released to make sure they are not repeat offenders. It will also give human victims a means to trace who released a potential risk to back to the wild.

At some point, increasing hunting opportunities, in conjunction with a science-based management plan, will need to be considered to start minimizing risks to humans. It could be a tough pill to swallow for anti-hunting groups.

It is more heart breaking for me to see a human become a causality of the ‘business-end’ of a bear.

Hunter orange. It is not exactly good camouflage. I mean, if it was, I would think you would see Mossy Oak and Realtree (and many others) producing rack fulls of the latest in Hunter Orange ‘stealth-ware’.

You know its rifle season when you start to see orange vests, orange hats, and orange jackets light up our forests like citrus-colored beacons in a wild ocean of grey, brown, and green. It can be a bit of an identity crisis for many hunters. It’s tough heading out into the wilds as the man trying to be stealthy – yet still seen by all.

This conflict would begin every time I would ‘suit-up’ and make the trek to my favorite deer stand. I would laugh inside over the irony of my hunting wardrobe when I would try to find a group of evergreens to mask my ‘presence’. Once there, the observant hunter would notice that green does not hide bright orange. Try it for yourself!  Attempt to hide an orange on an evergreen branch.

Sure, I have read the ‘science’ about the physiological make-up of a deer’s eyes. Researchers claim, that orange is not seen by deer. I am not buying it. If that is the case, somebody better tell the camouflage companies.

To resolve the conflict that exists in so many hunters, I have developed a hunting system that can be easily followed and adapted to any hunting camp scenario. I call it, The Art of Non-Camouflage.

Don’t be something you are not.

It begins with the principle that any hunter will be visible to man or beast when wearing hunter orange.

All components to my system flow from that one simple principle:

• It does not matter where you store your orange hunting gear during your hunt. Wear or hang it by the fire during breakfast. You might as well head out to your watch with a warm jacket smelling like bacon because the deer are going to see you anyway.
• Scents and other lesser animal urine sprays won’t hide your orange garments. Save your money.
• Become more visible at camp. Wear your coat whenever you venture outside. It will let your camp buddies know where you are during target practice and an orange coat hanging on the outside of an outhouse door can be seen from miles away. Everyone will appreciate knowing that the ‘Biffy’ is occupied before they make the long trek out there themselves.
• Tree stands are now optional. Orange is as glaringly obvious up high as it is down low. Again, save your money folks.
• Blue jeans are allowed. The staple of many deer hunting clothes, blue jeans are thought to attract a deers attention more quickly. I say, if they are going to see the orange anyway, what does it matter if your pants are blue? We have all seen Blue Jays. Blue is a ‘natural color’. The denim stays!
• Meet the safety requirement and enjoy the moment. In Ontario, you need 400 square inches of hunter orange on your upper body. Brand name, or generic name, or new, or old it does not matter how much the orange costs. Buy it or borrow it – the obvious nature of hunter orange is still the same with a $2 price tag as with a $200 price tag. Just get out there and enjoy the view – and bring a kid with you.

In case you were not able to determine if I was serious or not. I am totally kidding. That being said, my initial post today triggered some other train of thought that I hope we all can take ‘to heart’.

I think that in our everyday relationships with the people we come in contact with, we frequently wear camouflage. We are afraid to be honest with people who ask our opinions, thoughts, and ideas. How many times have you responded with a, “Everything is fine in my life.” when a concerned person asks?

It’s just like camouflage. It hides what really is there. Unfortunately, hunter orange is not a requirement in everyday relationships with people. How many times today have you camouflaged your answers? I wonder if we would be better friends, workers and employers if we more honest in the relationships we nurture every day?

I would propose to you that one step on the journey to being a better person will taken by those who understand the Art of Non-Camouflage.

*My reloaded blog posts are some of my favorite previous posts made current again.

I get excited when I am about to hit the publish button on one of my blog posts because I enjoy sharing my outdoor experiences with my visitors. Today’s blog post is particularly special because it highlights recent hunting memories of a father and two of his daughters.

Virginia, Dad, Josie (middle knees) and family

Virginia and Josie are two siblings, of a larger family, that I know and have learned to appreciate through my current job at a local public school. When I found out that they had recently been turkey hunting with their father, I could not wait to pull them aside and hear all about their hunting adventures. I quickly found out that the two girls not only loved the outdoors as much as I do, but they can’t wait for the next opportunity for their father to take them out hunting!

The hunters were kind enough to answer a set of interview questions that I submitted to them. Here is what they said:

Q1. (For Dad) I was excited to find out that Virginia’s and Josie’s dad took them hunting. How have your hunting trips impacted your family and relationships with your daughters?
I believe our hunting trips together allow us to spend some quality time together at a slower pace. It lets us break away from the hectic and busy grind and spend some father daughter time together one on one enjoying the simple things like watching the sun come up – I believe it brings us closer together and it is important the girls spend time participating in something their father enjoys and expanding there own interests. Hopefully one, if not all, will want to take up the sport of hunting so we can continue to enjoy our time together a field.

Q2. (For Daughters) What is cool about hunting with your dad?
(Virginia says) Hunting with my dad is cool because we just get to hang out and have some bonding time. We get a lot of good opportunities to learn good skills which will be with us forever. When I go hunting, I love the adrenaline rush that comes with it and it is fun to track the animals!
(Josie says) I like seeing all the deer and turkey with my dad. I just like sitting quiet and looking at my dad – like this is so cool! I also really enjoy eating the meat after all the hard work!

Q3. (For Dad) What ‘life lessons’ do you think your daughters learn from hunting with you?
I think the girls start to learn the importance of teamwork, respect for the great outdoors and hard work. Virginia has experienced the moose camp and learned to four-wheel and scout at the camp. She has seen that hunting is a lot of hard work. I think she will learn that the rewards of the hunt are worth all the hard work and preparation. I hope they will learn that when you work hard you will be rewarded in all aspects of life.

Josie (left) and Virginia (right) inspect dad's deer

Q4. (For Daughters) Please tell me about your favourite hunting trip with your dad.
(Virginia’s Story) One of my dad’s and my favourite hunting trips was one morning when we were hunting turkeys before school. We were sitting in our little hunting tent and there were probably around three or four hens in front of us. They were eating and two big toms were just out of range. Well, there was one bearded hen that was legal to shoot. My dad has his gun up and I started whispering, “Dad shoot, shoot! Come on dad. It’s right there. Shoot it. Shoot it! He never did shoot it, I think he should have since he still had one tag left at the end of the season!

(Josie’s Story) One hunting story was when me and my dad were out and we were going into the forest. We were just entering the forest, when a deer jumped in front of us. We had spooked it and it ran away. Anyway, after that, we just kept on walking to our tree stand. When we got there my dad told me to just stay at the tree while he went out to place scent markers. As he was putting out the scent markers, I started walking towards him.  He saw me and he waved at me to go back, but i just kept walking toward him. When I finally got to him, he asked me,  ”Josie what is it?”. In a hushed voice I replied, “Dad, Dad the deer came back! I just thought I should let you know.” The deer was standing about fifteen yards away!    -End of Interview-

I would like to thank Virginia, Josie and their father for taking a moment to answer my questions. It is encouraging to know that outdoor skills like hunting and fishing are still be shared with future generations. Kudos to you (Josie’s and Virginia’s), dad. Would love to hear your buck story sometime.

I can’t wait to introduce my daughters to hunting when they get older! It will be time well spent.

Congratulations to Craig, Jeff and the Cavers brothers for going ‘out of their way’ to make sure their wives did not have to get a turkey for thanksgiving this year. Nice Ontario turkeys gentlemen!