Stories, opics and information about hunting in North America, Canada, Ontario and Muskoka.
A nice Ohio Buck photo was submitted to our 2011 Most Wanted Photo Contest by Josh. The patient hunter shared this about his large beamed buck:
"I harvested this beauty on Oct. 14, 2011. He is a main frame ten point with a split G1 on his right side. He has a 22in. Inside spread and 26.5in. Main beams and is by far my biggest buck to date."
I appreciate you taking the time to submit your photo Josh. Nice Job!
A second Most Wanted photo was submitted. This unique photo comes from Mitch who harvested this piebald buck in at the end of October in 2011. Last year, he had submitted a game cam photo of piebald fawn triplets. Piebald deer have irregular 'brown' and 'white' colouring in their fur due to an uncommon gene expression. They are not true white albino deer.
Thanks for the photo Mitch and hope you enjoy your winter venison.
You hunt too much when...
Some thoughts from my perspective anyway. I won't tell you which ones I am guilty of.
1. You wear your camo or hunter orange jacket out for supper with your spouse
2. When someone asks for directions and your response includes your topographic map and wind direction
3. You watch Wild TV in your living room (from inside your ground blind)
4. You come home from work and the kids don’t recognize you without your camo gear and face paint on
5. Your spouse begins to ‘enjoy’ your favorite cologne (or perfume) called ‘Essence of Buck’ or ‘Doe in Heat’
6. Outside play time with your kids becomes a Marco Polo type game with you in your new camouflage saying, “Can you see me now?”
7. You constantly test the effectiveness of your Scent-lok jacket by walking past your dog with a juicy T-bone underneath your shirt.
8. Your spouse says, “C’mere Dear” and you respond by instinctively reaching for your bow and asking, “How many points does the deer have, Honey?!”
9. You wish you had an outhouse.
10. You take the family portrait with your game cam in complete darkness – just to make sure the night vision setting works.
I put my compass on the table and tried to focus on the choices dad was trying to give me about where I was going to spend the next several hours of the hunt.
The planning phase ritual at our deer camp had just been started. This is an evening ritual at our camp that involves clearing off the dinner table and taking out a large photographic map of our hunt camp property. We follow the aerial map up with a large topo map, a bag of peanuts, and ice old cokes. I took a look at the maps and my mind wandered and reflected on an old memory for a moment...
“Bill, we’ll put you on the Snell’s road and after I have finished walking through Grandpa’s lot I will come back to get you.”
Simple enough plan, I thought to myself. It falls in line with the crumby deer watch I was about to spend the next 2 hours standing on. This stand was a just slight clearing on a logging road that was surrounded in evergreens. A deer would have to ignore the hunter in the clearing and walk on to the road for me to get a shot
It stunk.
That’s what I get for not speaking up quickly enough during the camp’s planning session the night before.
Don’t get me wrong. Being able to spend anytime hunting at any stand is a privilege, but I am just calling a spade a spade. This watch ranked low on my ‘Top 10′ Most Probable Buck Watches List.
At, 16, I thought I knew it all.
After about 30 minutes (maybe more) our hound ran past me in the clearing while sniffing at the ground.
My chances sunk even lower with the smell of dog, now, in the clearing with me. I would be better off clanging metal pots with wooden a spoon in the middle of this clearing. I never got the chance to find out.
Within a few seconds of the hound entering the evergreens, I heard leaves crackling and branches breaking towards me. I almost called out to the hound to end his parade in the leaves, but before I could, a buck walked out of the evergreens! One vital shot later and I had killed my first buck.
The sound of the shell exiting the chamber of my gun, brought my mind back to the table, the maps and the watch assignments taking place in front of me.
“So, where do you want to watch, Bill?” my father asked for the second time.
I replied and smiled, “I don’t care. I’ll take whatever watch is left - just make sure it has some evergreens...".
I would think these 'boys' are getting ready for the big dance called the 'rut'. With the presence of this mature buck nearby, I would suggest they have some serious training ahead of them. I have the entire show on video - but I lost the footage. Anyway, the rut is coming. Be ready...
Win Tickets to the Outdoor Canada Show
In case you have not heard, The 2011 Great Outdoors and DIY (Do-it-yourself) weekend is set for November 25-27, 2011 at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The uniquely Canadian 'flavored' Outdoor Show is the combined effort of four media leading, Canadian magazines: Cottage Life, Canadian Home Workshop, Explore, and my personal favourite - Outdoor Canada. The end result is a show that will appeal to a huge variety of outdoor enthusiasts. One ticket gives you exclusive entrance to all 4 venues!
For more details about the Outdoor Canada Show read my blog post here.
3 Ways TO WIN ADMISSION TICKETS:
1) Simply Retweet or share this post on twitter
2) Share or like this post on Facebook
3) Comment on at the end of this post, "I want tickets!" *UPDATE - Visitors reported difficulty posting comments because of reCaptcha. It is has now been disabled. Comments are still held for moderation.
On November 9, 2011 at 4PM the contest will close and I will randomly pic 3 people to win a pair of admission tickets to the 2011 Outdoor Canada Show. Winners will be announced on this blog and contacted via their email, Twitter direct message or Facebook message. Many thanks to Outdoor Canada Magazine for providing tickets to the show
I asked Kyle to send me the photo of his nemesis buck. The large brow-tined giant has recently been captured on a game cam. This Muskoka buck has been evading Kyle for several years. Maybe this is your year Kyle! Thanks for the photo and our first entry to the Most Wanted Deer Photo Contest.
To Enter:
Email your deer photo entry with details about your photo and why it is on your 'Most Wanted' list to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If you drive on an old road out of town, just over the bridge that crosses the big east river, you will quickly begin to climb a large hill. The hill is probably not of any significance to most people. I call it Buck Mountain.
The rocky crag of a hill was so named because of an event dad and I witnessed while driving home from his cottage on Vernon Lake. This setting, to this brief story, begins with a beautiful muskoka sunset behind the peak of the 'bouldered' Buck Mountain. Halfway up the incline, a huge, monster buck stepped out of the hardwoods and onto a rocky ‘outcropping’ of the hill. It towered above us on its rocky throne and watched from the side of the road as we continued to drive by it. I think it had 6 to 8 points on each side of its rack. Dad and I were amazed by it’s size and proximity to our moving vehicle.
Time slowed as we drove by the buck. The gears of anticipation began to turn in our heads as we thought of the upcoming hunt and the slim chance that this crowned, kingly buck might actually venture over to our hunting realm several kilometers away. I imagined the discussions around the camp stove and the laughs they would have in store for us. I tried to picture what my reaction would be if I actually came across this buck on my deer stand. It is amazing what can go through your mind in the fraction of a second. When the deer disappeared from view, our minds returned to reality and to the very important task of driving. To this day, I always slow down when venturing over Buck Mountain.
Why am I telling you this story?
I recently remembered the day, my wife pointed out, that our 11 week year old daughter was almost starting to turn over onto her stomach. Apparently, this was one of those developmental milestones parents are supposed to watch for. I did not understand the full extent of what that actually meant – until I saw it for myself.
Then, just like that moment at Buck Mountain, time slowed. I remembered changing her first diaper, changing my shirt after experiencing baby burping without a ‘receiving’ blanket and trying to put on those ridiculously buttoned ‘onesies’. I thought about the next 11 weeks, 1 year and 10 years and all the memories that lie ahead. It seems to be passing by so quickly. It really is amazing what you can think about during a second or two in real time.
As my daughter rolled back over on to her back after unsuccessfully trying roll on to her stomach, most people in the room did not realize the significance of this event. Like Buck Mountain - only two of us did.
Time passes quickly for all of us. Hope you are all able to find some memories on Buck Mountain this fall...
How to sound 'educated' in a hunt camp
I had a brainstorming session while driving home last night. To help you bring some 'colour' to the dinner table, or camp stove, while at the hunt camp – drop some of these wordy mouthfuls and tell me how they go over...
When referring to your rifle/shotgun: “Do you like my lead propulsion device?”
When referring to the woodpile: “The location our primary combustible fuel source has reached minimal levels.”
When referring to Mom’s chilli: “The potential explosive force that exists in this food source exceeds daily recommended limits.”
When referring to tracking a deer: “My attack vector is parallel to my target’s current angle of retreat.”
When referring to the amount of snoring at night: “Did you notice the concerted expulsions of random forced air movements in the bunks last night?”
When explaining why you got lost: “My internal geo-positional mechanism experienced a brief session of environmental interference from my primary mapping sensor array.”
When explaining how you missed a deer: “the expected path trajectory of my bullet was slightly altered by a sudden onset of a physiological manifestation of tremors radiating quickly to my outer extremities.”
2011 Most Wanted Deer Photo Contest
It is year 2 of the Muskoka Outdoors 'Most Wanted' Deer Photo Contest! You could win a $25 Bass Pro Shops gift certificate by submitting a photo of the buck or doe (big or small) that:
1) You have captured on your game camera (or regular camera) and that is currently 'At Large' in the area you hunt OR
2) You have successfully and legally harvested in 2011 with a bow or firearm
To Enter:
Email your deer photo entry with details about your photo and why it is on your 'Most Wanted' list to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
When the deadline for photo submission ends on December 31, 2011 - I will randomly (using a random number generator) pick 2 photos and email the winners a $25 Bass Pro Shops Gift Certificate. Validated photos will be featured on my blog and discussion forum with a 'Wanted' logo. You will also be able to track submissions by following Muskoka Outdoors on our Facebook Fan Page or our Twitter account. To view some of last year's entries, visit this section of our website.
Good Luck!
*Bass Pro Shops has not sponsored NOR officially endorsed this photo contest
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