We used to go to thunder bay. Fracken 900 degrees below zero and never saw a moose.
So I declared that I don’t have to drive 17 hours to not see a moose. I can not see moose at home.
So we switched to going to Cochrane Ontario,.about a 9 hour drive. We’ve taken two moose there in 5 years.
I’m not doing moose camp this year. I don’t care if i.shoot a moose (I have once). I’d prefer to hunt grouse. But my buddy gets wild because he thinks hunting grouse scare the moose away.
So instead, this fall I’m taking two of my student buddies up to timmins for grouse hunting. Plus taking my dog, which will be fun.
We explored Balmoral Castle on Monday (long weekend) as they opened it up for outside folks (they do this when the Royal Family is not around usually circa end July/Aug only)
It’s nice to have a check for that, but mostly I don’t care. I’ve never shot a turkey or a deer despite having hunted for them many times. I’m generally driving the bush for others or something else that lets others do the shooting.
The moose, that was his own damn fault. I sat down on a stump on a ridge, and the moose stood up 75 yards below me in the meadow. Turned sideways and stood there. Meanwhile my buddy is a few hundred yards down the ridge going completely unglued.
If buddy wasn’t there to see it, or the moose was moving, or it wasn’t sideways I probably wouldn’t have taken the shot. But all three together, not much choice.
Honestly, when I sat on the stump my first thought was whether I should have a cigar or not. The moose ruined that.
I still hunt that same ridge because it’s a beautiful spot. But I go there so I can alternate naps and cigars and watching the woodpeckers and other birds.
Fri: After work went to the Beach club. Temple service was on the beach about a half mile away. Ate an early dinner, then walked to the service. After, walked back to beach club, for a concert. Late dessert and home around 10.
Sat: Early to beach, then evening Met’s game
Sun: River kayaking, then back to friend for grilling, pooling and hot tubbing
Had an interesting weekend. I had a walleye charter on lake Erie booked. Got up at 430am to make 1.5 hour drive. Showed up and they had 3.5 inches of rain the night before. The channel the boats launch in was flooded and running like crazy. Boats that launched were spinning around and out of control. It was like bumper boats. We watched three boats hit other boats while we were waiting and lots of other near misses.
The two boats we had chartered refused to launch, so no charter. The third boat at the charter place did launch with a different group did get out. I spoke to the guy, they got 42 fish :(.
So I packed up the one student that came with us, drive the 1.5 back home, got.my boat, and drive another 1.25 hours to lake Simcoe for a couple hours of perch fishing..did pretty good.
Also notice my sweet fish cleaning table I got for my birthday. Last time we went fishing, I went to bring some fish inside to wash them and got told ‘i bought you that table so you wouldn’t use my kitchen’. Oh, so it was a gift for you, not me? Lol.
Overnighted on Friday in one of the prettiest towns in Ontario (Perth) at the home of a former university buddy. Spent Saturday and Sunday in our ancestral Ontario farmhouse.
Canoeing on Saturday morning: cycling in the pm. Hiking and cycling on Sunday.
My brother, who owns the farmhouse, went to a reunion on the weekend so my wife and I had my childhood home all to ourselves for the two days. Stayed in the room I grew up in: you can go home again after all.
