akaShag

Halibut. I've been out for them several times, never caught one. Had two very heavy fish on, but in one case a rubber hook, and the other he took me onto the bottom and broke me off......... I even own a halibut rig, which resides on Vancouver Island and awaits my return! And yes Sinker, fresh halibut is VERY tasty. Doug

back to Rod Caster..........the HUNTERS who spend their time money and effort to go hunt moose are saying that there aren't a heck of a lot of moose around where there used to be. It is surely possible that the moose have moved or are thriving in different areas, but there are not a lot of eyeballs saying that they have seen this.....as far as I am hearing. Doug

back to m2b2: YES moose populations are in decline across most of their traditional Ontario range, and have been for some time now. If you are not now a moose hunter, this might be the time for you to start if you have a healthy population up there! Doug

I think that was a typo and he intended to say "CAMO" pattern.................. ..........or not..............in which case I am also curious.............. Doug

back to grt1, nope not at all, I think what is probably happening is the 1 millionth generator machine is stuck and so all of us that are the 1 millionth are all going to get a cool Apple prize. In fact, since this is the Internet, I am sure of it!!! I am going to give my Apple prize to the 1 millionth poster on this thread, in fact. Doug

Hey I might not have been very good at math, but it seems every other time I ring up this site I am the lucky one millionth visitor. This is not a scam, it is for real!!!! All I have to do is click on the ad for my FREE Apple product. But how many times, I am thinking, can I be the ONE-MILLIONTH? I mean, after all, there are some responses in between my posts. So if I was number 1 million a few weeks ago, by now I should be the 1 million six hundred thousand four hundred and fifty-sixth, or whatever? It cannot possibly be a scam, since this is the Internet!!!!! Maybe they are just having trouble contacting me to give my prize?????????? Doug

Back to TJQ.............yep, pretty much the same as my experiences, nobody was judging their fellow hunters by the value of their kit........... Doug

well Gerritt I guess we can agree on some things and disagree on others, and I am sorry your family hunting experience was not one that you seem to want to continue. All of the outdoor sports are expensive these days. Take a look at what a pair of snowshoes costs!!!!!! But yes for sure it is possible to hunt on a limited budget, just as it is possible to fish on a limited budget. LICENCES are much more money for the hunter, but travel expenses are similar and really so are gear expenses if a person knows what they are doing. YES I can buy a firearm for fifty bucks, and less (for example). But let's agree to disagree about bling. The guy with the hundred thousand dollar bass boat has quite a few more shekels invested that the guy with the fancy ATV and hunting clothing. And bless them both!!! Doug

Thank you Steve, I deeply appreciate that. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Doug

back to Steve............yes that is also why I fish, and (when I was still able to do so), did cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, back-country camping, etc. It is all about connecting with the land and with "Mother Nature," in all her glories. I have not done a guided hunt, but have no philosophical objection to them. The extreme which you mention does sound that - very extreme, and I wonder if it is what most of us might call a "canned" hunt, ie one behind an enclosure where the "wild" animals really are not so wild at all. Most hunters have a personal boundary of what constitutes, for them, fair chase and by extension, for them what is "sportsmanlike." I suppose the gender-neutral term would be "sporting." Baiting is a pretty emotional topic, even amongst hunters. For example: If a person wants to hunt black bears in Ontario, his or her chances of even SEEING a bear on a give day afield, without baiting, are maybe one in a hundred thousand in most areas of the province where there is an open season. It might be one in ten thousand or one in a million, in other words an order of magnitude one way or the other. Regardless, that's pretty slim odds. Consider, if you will, my own experience. I am a pretty good hunter and have taken over a hundred Ontario white-tailed deer, with bow, rifle, shotgun and muzzle-loader. I hunt MANY days every year in pursuit of deer. In my Ontario hunting experience, I have hunted roughly half of my days in areas that also hold black bear. I have never seen a single black bear whilst hunting. Not one, in hundreds of days afield over many years. In the last few years I have been hunting with a camp not far from here where bears are present, and where bait is put out for the bears. In three years of hunting over bait, I did not see one bear. In that camp, one bear was shot this year, and one three years ago. Hunting over bait also allows hunters a chance to see if the bear is a boar or a sow, and whether there are any cubs around. Virtually no hunter will shoot a sow, and especially one with cubs. So baiting has its place, IN MY OPINION, for hunting Ontario black bear. Baiting for other species has its pros and its cons, and of course is illegal for some species. But in general, if baiting allows a hunter to take a humane shot at an animal the hunter determines to be legal and one that he/she wants to kill, yes I am in favour of baiting. To use a fishing analogy, I also used to put chum down for whitefish, since my own experience fishing for whities without chum was not exactly spectacular. Sorry for the long-winded response, but it seems to me that anglers and hunters have enough "ANTIS" arrayed against us that those of us who hunt and fish need to stand together and not bicker at each other over perceived differences. We need to correct thinking that we think is wrong, as I was trying to do in my response to Gerritt - but at the end of the day we need to stand united. JMOYMV Doug

I am unable to do a "cut and paste" or "quote" on this board, which can be a PITA............... But ANYWAYS, back to Gerritt............I do not agree at all with your premise. I have been hunting for almost fifty years, and I can tell you that, in Canada, in the modern era, hunting is MUCH, MUCH more than "putting food on the table." That may have been one of the primary reasons that past generations hunted, but I am certain (having read books from long ago) that mere food is just one of the reasons our ancestors hunted, and just one of the reasons why we modern-day hunters go out. It is about connecting with the land and nature in a very primeval way, taking everything in with all of one's senses, sometimes (but not often) having an opportunity to take an animal, and then taking that animal and making it into food. The experience is far more than killing something for food. "BLING" might be part of some people's experience, but I guarantee that MOST hunters do not hunt for the opportunity to show off their toys. Do YOU hunt? (If you don't mind me asking?) Doug

Like the OFAH says, THIS government only wants to handle licenced and law-abiding moose HUNTERS, not the moose populations per se. As long as licenced hunters continue to bear the brunt of ALL moose population rehabilitation (or even stabilization) efforts, the plans are doomed to failure. I admit I do not like the moose calf harvest, but it is about the most palatable alternative for hunters who look forward year by year to their annual hunt. If there are not enough adult moose to sustain the population, killing calves is not likely to help. BUT! I don't think that many calves are actually harvested, so at least hunters have an opportunity to get out in the moose woods. I am going to hunt moose this year in the Yukon.......................and know lots of guys who are hunting moose in Quebec and Newfoundland instead of Ontario. Lost revenue for lots of central and Northern Ontario communities who depend on moose hunters for some of their income. Doug

back to glen.................................... .......................to whom is your question (without a question mark) posed, if indeed it is a question: "How good is your free spool." If that is a response to my last note, I am afraid I am not following you. Of course, an "All Knowing Angler" might speak in riddles, which us lesser mortals may not follow. If that is the case, fire away. Doug

Well glen, that is an interesting perspective, and might come as news to a couple hundred thousand West Coast anglers. Including those folks in the Tyee Club. But I see from your picture that you are an "All Knowing Angler" so perhaps you can expound somewhat on your pronouncement? Just curious........... Doug

West Coast mooching rod and reel, buzz bomb, classic set-up out on the left coast. Fishing with John Slade many years ago on Lake Ontario, various ports, if we were downrigging and marking fish, but they weren't hitting, we'd stop the boat and jig spoons straight down with the rigger rods and reels, they worked just fine. No need to buy new gear..............unless you WANT to! Doug

Hit Loughborough Lake again yesterday. ATV travel was just barely possible, and when we packed it in, our tracks had already snowed over and with not much more snow we'd still be shovelling........Since then another six inches or so has fallen. You want to ride your ATV out there, it had better be equipped with tracks. Buddy caught one nice fat lake trout and missed two. I missed two. Rubber hooks? The End. Oh yeah, and came back to my perfectly legally parked truck to find some dimwit had left a parking infraction notice on my windshield.

Tagged for interest, hope to make it down there. Doug

back to porkpie...............I keep important stuff in that special place where I can always find it. If I can only remember where the heck that special place might be. It has to be BIG, judging by the amount of stuff I have stored there.......... Doug

that sled: Google Yvon Martel MIT-136 and you'll find it. Doug

back to Terry..... ......the upside was the guy who wrote the ad getting some practice with his Engrish........ Doug

I wonder what the first language is for the person who wrote that ad.............

But I see that Happy Day have a contest which closes on November 31st, that would be special..............

I do not usually take pictures of my food. I don't have a smartphone, I don't do the Facebook thing, etc etc. But anyways I figured what the heck I can take a picture at least once. Here you go: Doctor Doug's Duck Soup with Wild Rice and Pear. Very tasty, even if I do say so myself. (But recall the philosopher's advice: "The guests, not the chef, judge the meal."

Yeah, I forgot about my spud. I had one hell of a good ice spud made for me by a buddy in Owen Sound. I met a couple old buddies on Lake Clear up by Eganville, and loaned my spud to "SKIP" who promptly spudded a big hole and about what would be the second last strike, away it went into deep water. I was unhappy............ After that I always put a lanyard on my spuds! Fisherman, that was when I found out that Marcel was back in the outfit, he was there with Skip G. Doug

back to Fisherman.............was I with you on the day the guy was going to swim between the huts? And was that me? Doug