Author: Chris

Hi folks.  Catfish Chris here in soggy Northern Ontario with this week’s report.  The hot weather continued as Shirley and Jim Young fished on White Otter Lake.  The Young’s worked hard, braved the heat and caught Pike, Walleye and Perch.  Water temps during the day ranged in the upper 70’s but as the sun set the temps quickly receded about 8 degrees making fishing a bit more difficult.  Fish continue to hang in the weeds as well as some on the drop offs tight to the bottom.  Happy Camp also had a handful of Hydro One guys working in Hillsport and they too took in some fishing in the evening.  They also caught Pike and a few walleyes.

In talking to some hunters in the area, the bears have slowed feeding as the heat has been so intense, reaching around 90 2 days this week.  Hunting was difficult but Dave from Michigan shot a bear late Tuesday evening.  Way to go Dave!

Friday dawned with clouds and temperatures in the 60’s and that is where they are now, around 60 at 4:00 p.m.  The rain did hold off until about an hour ago and now it is a steady heavy rain with sporadic booms of thunder.

Bird season is right around the corner and Jim Young reported seeing the first flock of Canada Geese, about 10 of them flying towards the dam on White Otter.  Magoo is eagerly waiting to chase the birds and our waterfowl season starts with Geese on September 1, Duck on the 10th and Grouse on the 14th.  The weather forecast is for frost Sunday night and that may help ease the bugs who have become once again very intense.

Brook Trout season will end at midnight Monday and Magoo said we have to go out and try to catch some specks in the next couple of days.

Thanks to all of you for an exciting 2013 to date and with hunting right around the corner, many more people will walk into Happy Camp and we can not wait to share the beauty of the north with them.

We have some room in September and fall fishing, hunting and the weather can be fantastic, so whatcha waiting for, Come On and Catch the Good Life with us in Beautiful Northern Ontario at Happy Camp!!

Hi, folks, from Sultry Semi-Sunny Happy Camp in Northern Ontario!  Today is August 25th, and the temperatures have reached into the 90’s with high humidities.  We had heavy rain last night, and it seems to be fueling more storms on the way later today, but onto the most recent report!

WOW, what a week it has been.  The cool weather greeted our bear hunters with heat and humidity building to a high on Tuesday in the upper 80’s.  We did receive some relief but as I wrote above, the heat is back.  Bear hunters went out in earnest, and Happy Camp had its FIRST KILL at 5:55 p.m.  Mike Fuge shot a beautiful 300 pound Bear on Bait#6  in the Happy Camp BMA after seeing two other bear in just about one hour of hunting.  After returning to camp, we got to sleep around 4 a.m.  Mike Schaefer saw two smaller bears that he decided not to shoot at.    The camp was buzzing as the hunters shared their evening’s hunts with each other.

Sunday came, and it was Mickey’s turn.  He shot a beautiful bear with a large white chest patch with his 45/70 Rifle, dropping the beast in its tracks.  Again the buzz of bear hunting filled the airs until the wee hours of the morning. Keith had a bear right below his stand near dark and noticed it as he was lowering his bow.  He quickly tried to raise his bow back up, but unfortunately it made a noise and the large bruin took off into the boreal forest!  No bears were seen at any other stands that evening!

Monday dawned and my how the heat came, with the sun beating down on the hunters.  Happy Camp hunters went out early to the woods with Donna at Bait #4 and Keith at Bait #5.  The phone rang at Happy Camp shortly after 5 p.m.  Keith had hit a bear and Chris headed out to assist.  Upon arrival at Bait #5, Keith came over and gave me the biggest hug I have ever had in my life, they had found his Bear!  Keith’s bear was the largest one taken at Happy Camp this year and weighed around 350 pounds!  Keith indicated that Donna had chirped him on her walkie talkie, and she would only do this if she had hit a bear.  Keith, Mike and Chris headed into Bait #4 where Donna was sitting.

After a short track, DONNA HAD HER BEAR!  So the first time bear hunters  husband and wife team of Donna and Keith had scored on the same day!  While other hunters had not seen any bears that evening, Happy Camp was filled again with talk well into the next morning.

The next few days were quiet as the heat put the bears a little slow.  Mike Schaefer and Jason were having tough luck while the others had filled their tags.  Friday morning came and the last day.  Jason and Mike went out fishing with Chris and each caught their first Walleye.  Could their luck be changing?

We returned around 1:00 p.m. and had a great fish fry.  Jason asked Chris to go fishing, but Tammy, Jason’s soon to be bride, insisted he go hunt despite Jason’s attempts to change her mind.  Shortly before 3 p.m. the two hunters went to their stands.

Night fell on Happy Camp, Mike was the first to come in.  Mike had seen a Bear but not been successful.  Jason came in shortly after this, came into camp and started telling his story.

Jason missed a 290 pound beast at about 3 yards from his stand.  The brute walked about 15 yards away and turned. Jason stuck him with his exploding broadhead and brought him down in about 50 yards!  Once again the camp was buzzing.

A great crew of trackers including Jason, Roger, Tammy, Conan, Doug and Chris headed out and brought back the last of Happy Camp’s hunters bears at 11:00 p.m. Friday night.

Scott Fitzgearald from Missouri  spent some time at camp with his son Brenden after he shot a Bear near Bound Lake.  Thanks, Scott, for your assistance in skinning and cutting the bears!

So as you can see the week was filled with much excitement, and the camp was blessed with 10 of the best people we could ever ask for.  Not to forget, Roxy, Dan’s German Sheperd was a great play mate for Magoo during Happy Camp’s 2013 Bear hunt.  And Savannah had an awesome game of Yahtzee with four yahtzees in one game!!!

Sadly last night Happy Camp was silent.  Our hunters and new friends had departed and a hush has fallen over Happy Camp!

From Chris, Jamie, Magoo, and Roger, we want to thank you all for a memorable, fantastic Bear Hunt 2013.  We were blessed to have you as customers and hope you find your way back to Happy Camp soon!

We hope that this if the first of many exciting, memorable hunts at Happy Camp!  So what you waiting for, come on and catch the good life with us in beautiful Northern Ontario at Happy Camp!

Hi, folks!  It is the eve of the 2013 bear hunt and the cool, wet weather has continued.  By the way, our baits are being clobbered each day.  We are excited to see what how the hunt develops.

Weather certainly is showing signs of fall.  Leaves are changing and the cool nights as well as days are not helping.  We did reach 70 the other day, followed by an all day rain and a high of 51.  Today it did not rain and was 60 for the high, hope the dry trend continues!!

The first migrators have showed up from the north. Flickers, nighthawks, robins and some kestrals have been seen along with our loons that fly over twice a day, morning and night to say Good Morning and Good Night as they soar over the lodge!

Fishing continues to be up and down, and we hope to get out fishing yet this week to give you a first hand update.  Reports have been spotty at best, but a boat has been seen at Ichi Lake the last two times I went bear baiting, so they must be catching something!

Our garden is in full bloom, and we have peas and a few small beans!  If it stays warm until December, we might have tomatoes, but we think that will not happen?

Magoo is anxiously waiting for the bird season which opens on September 10.  She is excited to put her teeth around some fresh feathers!!

Check back in hopes of some new exciting pictures from our bear hunters as well as fall fisherman, bird and moose hunters!  We have a few openings left for this year, so what are you waiting for, come on and catch the good life with us in beautiful Northern Ontario at Happy Camp!

Greetings from soggy Happy Camp!  As Larry Stein would say, ah come on man, enough already!  We have received over 10 inches of rain in the last 2 weeks.  Yesterday it did not rain until 8 p.m. and today only a brief shower so maybe things are improving?  Temperatures last week did not reach 70 but not to worry, the fishers last week braved the wind and rain and caught fish.

The Kern bunch from Tuskalo County as well as the Przekurat’s from Portage County blessed Happy Camp with fish and stories and were wonderful customers!  We fished, cleaned and ate fish, played cards, laughed and enjoyed their company.  Thanks for choosing Happy Camp.

Certainly not to be outdone, Dixie Przekurat, a 2 year year old dog from Portage County, is now Magoo’s BFF.  They played like there was no end, and they are missing each other terribly!  It has only been 2 days, but Magoo still is looking at Cabin 2 in hopes of Dixie showing up!  Hope they return soon, and Magoo has insisted on a few winter rendez-vous are a must!!!  After all, life is too short to stay away from your BFF for too long, don’t you think?

The dock has been moved all the way to shore and we have added 20 cement blocks to walk out to the dock.  It seems that the water has stopped rising, and the road flooding is becoming less every day!

With the high water, fishing has been slow, but John and I found a bunch of nice walleyes off a hump in White Otter about 25 feet down.  Our customers this weekend from Manitouwadge used our information and also caught some walleye, pike and perch and will have a darn nice fish fry really soon!!

Bear hunting is quickly coming, and we have seen some beautiful bears during our baiting runs. Just today I saw my first chocolate bear along with a bear that stood about 25 feet from me as we went into the bait.  That made me a little nervous to say the least!

Moose are still seen in the area and hunting for them should be interesting this year.  Blueberries are ripening quickly, and we hope to get out by the end of the week and get some fresh ones for pies, pancakes or just popping into our mouths fresh!  Magoo has learned how to raid a bush and is quite good but does not like to share her berries. What’s up with that?

Sadly our moose hunters from Hearst did not draw a tag for the rifle season in 2013 and had to cancel, so we have an opening on October 12th for a week if anyone is interested?  We also have some spots available for fall fishing and Magoo’s and my favourite time of year is quickly coming, BIRD HUNTING!  It should be another fantastic grouse year as the 2nd broods are showing up on the roads now.

Take care and come on and catch the good life with us at Happy Camp in beautiful northern Ontario!

Hi, folks, what a wet roller coaster ride we have had!!  After Sunday’s nice afternoon (we even got out and fished a bit–Jamie caught and released a 25″ walleye to swim another day), it has rained all  week.  Heavy at times as well as high temperatures in the 40’s have put the fish in a tail spin.  A very cold,strong northerly wind even sunk our boat while docked at the shore’s edge.  Thanks to the ingenuity and compassion of our good friend and neighbor Roger, we were able to bilge out enough water to get the boat’s nose turned out before loading her on the trailer and bringing her back into camp to dry.

Last night, we feel asleep to torrents of rain on the rooftop.  Just this morning, the rain has stopped,  and the wind has quieted.   It is a much appreciated 60, and the sun even poked out occasionally in an otherwise gray, gloomy sky .  Forecast is for a nice Monday followed by another 5 days of rain.  Rain, rain go away, come back in November!!

Bear baiting is going well, with a lot of activities on every bait.  Moose are still being seen, a mom and twins on Thursday followed by a big mom on Friday.

Blueberries are ripening nicely and should be a good crop.  When the rain stops, it will be time to get out and fill the buckets.

Magoo has completely healed, running and just today she took her first “Dock Jump.”   She also had visitors from Manitouwadge.  Mike and family brought his labs Benito and Cha Cha up for a visit.  We also spoke to our young friend Teegan from the east.  Magoo made such an impression on Teegan that his new pup, a chocolate lab, will be named after Magoo in honor of her!

The Kern crew from Michigan is in camp and another group with a friend of Magoo’s will be coming from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, tonight.  Hopefully the weather will straighten out and the fish will cooperate!  If not, we have Tom’s sweet homemade wine to pass the time!

Magoo says time to go out and play since the rain has stopped.  Take care and Come On and Catch the Good Life with us in beautiful northern Ontario at Happy Camp!!

Hello from sunny Happy Camp.  The first strawberries have ripened and although small, they certainly are tasty!

Thanks to the family who ventured north to Happy Camp for our annual Fishfest.  We had a great week catching up and sad to see you go.  But alas, a new crew arrived today and the Indiana boys are here, quickly unloaded their stuff, caught a quick nap, then went out to catch supper.  White Otter Lake did not disappoint them, and they came back with a handful of nice Walleye, Perch and one chubby Pike.  The smell of fish frying certainly is wonderful, isn’t it?

The Bears appear to be active eating the baits that have been out.  In our travels, we saw a Big Bull Moose down the road and my what a majestic sight.  Other sightings have been many Loons, a young Bald Eagle with its parents, young ducklings and grouse scurrying around the Canadian wilderness.

Fishing has been a little slow, with lots of mayfly hatches, weather changes and the explosion of food for the fish.  While walleye are still plentiful, they seem to be slowly shifting into their summer patterns one day, then slide back to the mud, rock or sand the next.  Water temps average about 68, well behind last year as well as the weed growth is lacking behind this year.

We are happy to have our first local customers coming for a return weekend trip from Manitouwadge.  Rooster and Elaine treated us to dinner tonight near the campfire.  We had burgers along with some fresh grilled Speckle Trout, very tasty, thanks a bunch.  Elaine stated at the fire tonight that she will be coming back next weekend with guitar in hand and putting on a concert for all of you who wish to attend!!

Many thanks to all who make Happy Camp a wonderful place to enjoy the beautiful Ontario wilderness and we look forward to meeting many of you in the future.  We have some openings for a bit until we get busy for the Moose season, so Come on and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp!!

Hi Folks.  We spent the day in our Bear area and found some fantastic spots and set 8 baits.  We had sign everywhere and the Moose sign was unbelievable!!!  Time will tell if the baits get hit and we have some cameras looking for the hungry critters.  Check back soon to see if we have any pictures from the Baits.

A HUGE mayfly hatch occurred this evening on White Otter and may have slow fishing for a few days.  We usually can find enough fish for a wonderful fish fry and those secrets are kept in the Happy Camp vault reserved for Happy Campers!

Cooled off tonight and beautiful sleeping weather and so peaceful and quiet as the Loons sang and soared over the top of the Lodge  as we played Pinochle this evening.

If anyone has an extra deck of Pinochle cards, ours could use could use replacements, so come on and take in a game with us and catch the good life  in beautiful Northern Ontario at Happy Camp!!

Good Morning from cool, windy Happy Camp.  Summer heat followed by heavy rain and now the traditional strong wind and cold front have found their way to Happy Camp.  We were in the upper 80’s, but this morning we bottomed out at 40!

Fishing has been good as the walleye are setting up in their traditional summer spots now, edges and some deep mud fish being caught. Yesterday some guys from town, Rooster and John, caught some nice Walleye to 19″ while trolling a deep trough.  When they went into the shallower water, they indicated that the Pike were “INSANE”.  Rooster is the local guy who grades the roads in the area and does a wonderful job, thanks Rooster!

Bear bait arrived late last night, was unloaded and put in the storage.  A licorice bag fell out while unloading, broke and my does it taste great, Magoo and I will attest to that.  This week we will be setting up some baits so maybe some good pictures coming, only time will tell.

The berry crop is still lagging, no strawberries or raspberries as they are the first to arrive.  Many wild flowers are bringing beautiful colours to the countryside and the sight of bears and Moose continue for us and people choosing to stay at Happy Camp!

We look forward to everyday bringing us new adventures in the north and invite all of you to join us and come and catch the good life with us in beautiful Northern Ontario!

Greetings from Happy Camp with this week’s update.  Our good friends and neighbors Roger and Bev finally tied the knot late this afternoon and all of us were treated to deep fried turkey, salads, desserts and of course lots of cold Canadian Lager!  A great time was had by all especially Duke, the newest member of their clan,  who is  a 6 week old bear hunting pup!

Congratulations, Bev and Roger.

Fishing continues to be strong for pike, walleye and some big perch mixed in.  John had a beautiful 35 inch pike, Neal had a 25 inch Walleye taking top honors this week, and Leonard was happy bringing in a limit of walleyes while fishing with Chris.  Not to be out done, the crew from Wingham, Ontario, brought back a fantastic catch of Speckled Trout with the assistance of Roger and his wisdom of the Ontario bush!

We were successful in obtaining our first BMA and will be exploring this in earnest this year.  This allows us to provide bear hunting to non-residents, and we are excited for this opportunity.  Stay tuned for this exciting hunting opportunity at Happy Camp!

Many sightings of moose continue to add to the wildlife tally.  As of today, moose numbers are over 20, bear at 22, wolf at 3 and birds (including three baby rough grouse) are very numerous as well.

The explosion of flowers has included many wild roses in the area while the black flies are working hard to pollinate the wild blueberries.  Timely rains have kept them going so far this year and hope they continue.

Last night the Northern Lights were observed during a beautiful orange moon.

We will be offering our first Happy Camp T-shirts soon; they should arrive in the next week or so.

Thank you for all who are making Happy Camp a success for 2013 and many years to come.  We have been blessed to meet many wonderful people and we have some room left for this year, so come on and catch the good life with us at Happy Camp!!

Hi, folks, here is today’s update from Happy Camp.  Today is June 20, 2013, and it is mostly sunny and 60 degrees at 8 PM.  We have had nice weather with temperatures in the 70’s with rain on the way for tomorrow.

After our late ice out, the fish all had great spawn, and the dock and boats were put in.   The high water is starting to recede, and fishers have taken to the water in earnest with much success.   Shirley Young put a big 13 inch perch to the frying pan this week, and Tom Fischer caught a dandy 27 inch Walleye weighing about 8 pounds.  Not to be outdone, Jimmy Young caught a beautiful 42 inch Northern Pike weighing around 20 Pounds that was also released back to swim and bite another day!!  It’s wonderful to hear the frying and smell of fresh fish being cooked for supper!!  While checking the creeks, Roger put a couple of nice Speckled Trout in his creel for supper.

Way to go everyone, and the bar is set pretty high for the season but certainly reachable for those who venture up to Happy Camp.

Weeds are starting to develop, and the fish are setting up in and on the edges.  Pike are very active, and perch are following along nicely.  Jig and minnow or crawler as well as crank baits are catching fish.  The mayfly hatch is in earnest and should continue for the next few weeks.

Eagles and loons have made their way back to Happy Camp and can be found all over the lake. With the onslaught of bugs, moose and bear have also been active.  A mom and 3 cubs were seen down by the beach and numerous moose are wandering the area woods.  We have put up a tally board for the critters and numbers are going up almost everyday!

The logging continues on the Fry and Flanders Road.  It looks like they are completing the Fry road soon and have taken a lot of the timber out and much more area for the moose hunters this fall!

We shall see how blueberries develop with the late spring, and check back often to see updates from Happy Camp.

We are looking forward to having a wedding in the area on the 29th then more outdoor lovers spending time with us this season.

Thank you to everyone.  Now, what you are waiting for?  Come on and Catch the Good Life with us in Beautiful Northern Ontario!!!