Ice Fishing Ham

Ontario Puma Foundation web sight http://www.ontariopuma.ca/sightings.htm

The following article was published in the The Bancroft Times March 22 2012. I contacted the author Barry Hendry for an e-copy and permission to post it. He was quite pleased at the interest in his article and granted me permission along with the Times publisher/owner Dave Walker. The author asked to add the following paragraph before his article. Since 2004 I have written 3 or 4 articles a year on puma sightings around Bancroft and on two separate sightings right in the town (one tan, one black). Most articles covered multiple sightings. I began by working with Stuart Kenn of the Ontario Puma Foundation who read my first 2004 story about a tawny, adult puma walking on the ice of Marble Lake 3 km south of Bancroft. Stuart assisted the local MNR and I in setting up the first hair trap up here in 2004 and he and I set up a second one near L'Amable Lake in '05 or '06. I checked my map today and there are 39 sightings pinpointed on it which does not include sightings from the past 3 years. I estimate I have logged over 50 sighting calls and been at the scene of most of those. As I recall, about one third of them were big black cats, one of which the father and son who watched it each swore it was a black panther because its teeth were longer. They watched it fight their dog for 10 minutes from 10 meters away before the cat gave up and ran off. regards, Barry Hendry MNR Releases Cougar Study by Barry Hendry The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' lead cougar investigator Dr. Rick Rosatte released a nine page cougar study on March 16, the culmination of four years of research. His key conclusion will validate the reports of many rural residents who have been lucky enough to spot these elusive big cats in and around Bancroft. Quoting Rosatte, "The present study confirms the presence of Cougar in Ontario." Rosatte states that one reason for the study was the increase in sightings in Ontario since the 1930s. From 1935 to 1983 there were 189 "credible sightings" of the total of 318 reports. From 1950 to 1959 there were 28 sightings, then it jumped to 103 from 1980 to 1983. The Ontario Puma Foundation (OPF) reported it had received 500 sighting reports from 2002 to 2006. Rosatte's admission that puma are here did not come with a conclusion of how these cats arrived here. He noted the possibility of a resurgence of a remnant population that outlasted the apparent decimation of puma here. Then he surmised they could have come from Manitoba or the northeastern United States. He also notes that some cats could be escaped or released exotic pets. He supports this latter statement with his opinion there are "likely a few hundred cougars in captivity", but this number, he said is "unknown" and the study did not attempt to determine the validity of the opinion. Large cat owners and zoo keepers, of course, dispute the likelihood that responsible owners would ever release an animal into the wild since it would amount to cruelty and be, at least, negligent. Finally he states, "In my opinion the majority of cougars in Ontario are most likely a genetic mixture of escaped/released captives (or their offspring), immigrants (or their offspring) and/or native animals." Neither did the study determine what subspecies of cougar is existent here. That would require a DNA study using samples taken with darts from captured or treed cats and a huge amount of research money. There are six subspecies of puma and it is generally believed that there is one of those that is resident to North America. Rosatte suggests that such a study would prove inconclusive because of the possible mixture of animals in the population. He does conclude, however, "If one agrees with there being one subspecies of cougar in North America, then it does not really matter whether a specific cougar is a ‘captive’ North American genotype or a ‘wild’ free ranging genotype, in terms of managing this species in Ontario. "What is important is that there are ‘free ranging’ North American genotype cougars in Ontario that have originated from an unknown combination of released, escaped, native or dispersing animals." The study's author backs up these long awaited and remarkable conclusions of the existence of cougars with 497 pieces of evidence collected between 1991 and 2010, most of which were collected during his study period from 2006 to 2010. Also remarkable is the fact that the largest sampling of evidence (295 pieces) came from southeastern Ontario, a territory described with borderlines from Oshawa to Parry Sound over to Cornwall and Pembroke. In fact, the southeast produced the highest number of each type of evidence. Rosatte's opinion on this anomaly is that it "is likely a reflection of the reporting system than of cougar density." He explained that detailed records of sightings were not available for all areas of the province and in the more remote areas sightings may have been reported but not tabulated. Class 1 evidence included tracks, DNA from scat, hair or photographs. One photograph from the Orillia area appears in the report, but it was determined to be "consistent with a cougar", not a conclusive piece of evidence. In that case The President of the Ontario Puma Foundation (OPF) Stuart Kenn investigated and he determined the photo was authentic. Kenn and the OPF are acknowledged by Rosatte for assistance during the study. The Bancroft Times is aware that the OPF provided numerous pieces of evidence to the MNR when this study began and Kenn often consulted on track identification and analysis. A second photograph taken in the Gowganda area was also less than scientific and deemed to be "consistent with a cougar."Rosatte, along with the 89 MNR biologists or wildlife technicians in the MNR's internal "Cougar Network" tried hard to get a conclusive photograph using multiple digital trail cameras all over Ontario. They logged 17,000 "camera-nights" between April 2008 and December 31, 2010. They took 154,736 photos of every native animal, except the elusive "ghost cat", the cougar or puma. The study did acquire one infrared image from a trail camera that was "morphologically similar to a cougar." The Class 2 evidence included sightings by trained witnesses such as biologists and these totaled seven in the study period and 13 in total from 1994 to 2010. This number gives insight into previously unknown records. Nine of the 13 were in the south east. Class 3 evidence were sightings by "knowledgeable" members of the public, of which there were 463 between 1991 to 2010 with 82 per cent of them logged during the four year study. Again, the highest number of these sightings were in southeast Ontario at 278." Rosatte even included the anomaly of the equally elusive big black cats which people around here seem to see in 30 per cent of the reported sightings. This study logged 52 "credible 'black cougar' sightings" between 1991 and 2010 and 27 of them were in the southeast. Rosatte's own research could not find "any records or published literature documenting the capture, killing or photographing of black cougars in North America." He did note that "a few black cougars were found in South America during the 1700s." Rosatte's study for the MNR is the most extensive one ever conducted in Ontario. It was done in conjunction with the Wildlife Research and Development Section at Trent University. The nine page report is in the current edition of the Canadian Field-Naturalists magazine.

Space Oddity ..... Austronaut Chis Hadfield http://www.wimp.com/bidsadieu/

The problem might be in the pump switch you are turning off and on. The contacts in it might be burnt and opening and closing the switch re-seats them and there good for awhile. To check this, next time it happens rather then cycle the pump switch turn the circuit breaker for the pump off and on. If the pump does not start by doing this go and cycle the pump switch, if the pump starts its a good chance its this switch. Hope this helps. One more thing if it is this switch replace it with one that is designed for motors.

I have a 2008, Outlander 500, I replaced the belt this winter, it had over 8000 km on it. They do last along time.

Looks good MM. How did you prepare them before smoking?

There was sure a lot of action at the fish ladder Friday evening. Its good to see they have hung belting on either side of the ladder. The rainbows and salmon in the fall can really smack the concrete when they miss the entrance.

I was down to the creek today and got a few photos of rainbows challenging the fish ladder. If all goes according to plan this ladder will be replaced by a new fish way in time for the Salmon run.

Looks good on them.

I made one for my hut. It has a spring setup similar to what you have drawn. I like your idea of the second spring to cushion the ride. It would eliminate the occasional thump you get with a single spring. Before you buy any metal, see if you can scrounge some bed rails for the angle iron. I got some for another project at a new & used store.

This is a recipe I use it was copied from this guy in the You-Tube video. The fillets were dry brined (rub) in a mixture of 2 parts kosher salt to 1 part dark brown sugar for about 3 hours. Then rinsed and dried, then left uncovered over night in the fridge to dry further. They were smoked for 5 hours at a starting temperature of 150 and increased to 165 for the last hour. Hickory was used for the smoke wood. The results were great. The guys at work loved it. One of the best comments was from a fellow worker who grew up on the Rock, who said he really liked it and he liked the different texture dry brining made. Start Halfway All done

Looks like you had some fun Purenewf. Nice hut!

"Will do, does he carry Batson stock?" I don't know Kemper. My only connection with him was last year when he build me an Ice Fishing rod for Lakes and White Fish, which I did'nt get to use because of conditions. Like I said give him a call, he works shift so you might have to leave a message.

Give this fellow a call, he's not far from you. http://www.rovicrods.com/index.html

This might help you in your trouble shooting. I'm not sure if all electric water heaters work this way but the two I have do. The water heater has 2 thermostats: one at the bottom which controls the bottom element and one at the top which controls controls the top element and power to the bottom thermostat and element. It is set up in such away that only one element can be on at a time and the top one is the lead. Lets say you start with a cold tank, the top thermostat will supply power to the top element and cut power to the bottom. Once the water in the top of the heater reaches the top thermostat temperature setting it shuts the top element off and applies power the the bottom thermostat. Now the bottom thermostat will apply power to the bottom element until the water in the bottom of the heater reaches the bottom thermostat setting and will then shut the bottom element off. If at any time the top temperature drops below the top thermostat setting it will turn the top element on and shut the bottom off. As mentioned the top is the lead.

My first bike was a Sportsman 500. I never removed the boot guards when I used it for Ice fishing. However occasionally I did check for build up of ice/ slush when I stopped. I do the same thing with my Outlander 500. I can't recall if there was any time when I need to clear any build up. I would suggest you make a few trips, check on any buildup before you decide to remove the guards. Ice conditions such as slush and temperature will also have to be taken into account.

There are many Christmas songs I like. Here are two I track down each year. The Gift by Aselin Debison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgpkSxO950 Christmas Eve The Trans Siberian Orchestra http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHioIlbnS_A

Emotional work Bushart, stirred a few memory's. I can relate to the kid looking back under the dock. Keep up the good work.

Very nice, something to be proud of

Hello SB I'm not cold smoking how ever it's something I'd like to try. When I mention cooler temperatures I was comparing the electric smoker to the propane one I have. The lowest I can do with the propane unit is around 200F.

A electrician friend gave them to me. They were used to heat electrical cabinets. Since they were not guarded they were considered unsafe and were replaced with shielded ones. I could only guess were you could get them, maybe an electrical supply house. No idea on the cost. They are made by Chormalox here's the link. http://www.chromalox.com/productcatalog/Component+Technologies/Strip+and+Ring+Heaters/product-family-router.aspx?f=64

I like your smoker GBW. Have you used it much? How do you control the heat? I have attached some photos of the heat source as requested. As mentioned there are are three 500 watt bar heaters, they are mounted in a metal box. The wood around the box is lined with sheet metal. Above the box is a cookie sheet to catch drippings it also deflects the smoke and heat around the perimeter. Wood chips are placed in a small steel fry pan which is placed on the middle heater which is always on when smoke is needed.

This is a smoker I made. I use it for making jerky and smoking fish. It was made with salvaged parts, the box is wood create, the heat source is three 500 watt bar heaters, The temperature control was at first 3 switches to control each of the heaters, then I used a dimmer switch on one of the heaters, now I have two thermostats controlling 2 of the heaters. I can keep the heat just where I want it. As mentioned the Little Chef is a great smoker a friend had one and made some great smoked fish with it. Bradley also makes a nice unit (more $), it uses wood chip pucks. Whats good about these 2 smokers is you can keep the heat low. This is a You tube link to a fellow who uses a Little Chief, it looks like its been through a war! When I did my first salmon smoke I followed his instructions and used his rub, it turned out great. What ever you get make sure you can keep the temperature low, some of the propane units have too much house power! This the smoker I made. It isn't pretty but it works great. Making Beef Jerky Smoke Salmon, First Try Propane Smoker I have its great for ribs, pulled pork etc but you can't turn the heat down enough for jerky or for smoking fish. Macon Bacon Pork Butt & Picnic for Pulled pork. Hope this helps bcd, post some picture of your first smoke! .

We will be attending the ceremony's at our cenotaph. I have attached a link to a song which I listen to at this time of the year. “A Pittance of Time” by Terry Kelly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo

Looks good Fang. I've seen those kits and wondered how they would work. Thanks for posting your results.