Brrrow!
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Brrrr and Good Morning Happy Campers!  It is -50 this morning in Northern North Dakota, quite a wild ride so far this winter and it is only early February!  But alas, soon the sun will melt the snow and we will be gearing up for Happy Camp 2019, and hope you are too!

As we look to the new year, we are excited about the wilderness, fishing, hunting and most of all seeing Happy Campers again!  Some old friends have made their reservations as well as the Patriots and Bowlers will be coming to enjoy the wilderness.  With much snow already, there is excitement for the spring thaw to bring water for the birds, bears, berries and fish to make their wonderful journey to their spawning grounds!

As noted on our lodging page, our rates will be $250 per person per week.  As of now, other prices will remain the same.   As many of you know, we appreciate our freedoms and all that we have as US citizens and realize that freedom is not free.  So with that, all veterans (US and Canadian) will receive a 25% discount on their weeks stay at Happy Camp.  As you know our customer service is second to none and we will do our very best to make your stay the most memorable one ever!

Additionally, we have had some inquiries for duck and wolf hunting, as well as ice fishing and snowmobile lodging.  I have reached out to the OFSC to inquire about the old trails that connected Happy Camp to Hornepayne and Longlac, but that is slow in going!  If any of you have ideas of how to get this going, give us a shout!  As I see it, a winter wonderland makes much water accessible that is next to impossible during the summer months.  Many interesting items to ponder and just got off the phone with someone from the Indianapolis Sport show in hopes we would come and show this year, sorry not in the cards for 2019 but maybe in the future.

Happy Camp has been in much discussion with the MNR on many issues to include the fishery,  Bear, Land and Law Management.  We have interesting news to share with you on 2 of those issues and hopefully will on all 3 by the time we see you up in the Happy Camp area this year!

So time to shove off for today’s adventure and just like Happy Camp, never know what the day holds!  As of now, some of our fishing weeks are full and we have a couple of Bear hunt spots left.  Moose hunt has 1 spot left for the last week.

2019 is full of twists and turns, laughs and excitement at Happy Camp, so shoot us a message or call today to discuss your spot to Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

 

Happy New Year
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Happy New Year, Happy Campers! May your new year be filled with new opportunities to make everlasting memories. Who knows, Happy Camp might offer wolf hunts and ice fishing excursions in the new year? You know Chris.  He is always thinking of new ways to spend time enjoying the peace and quiet of the Great Outdoors with old and new friends alike!

Take care, everyone. We’re looking forward to our visits with you in 2019!

Happy Holidays!
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Hi folks, seems like forever since I had some time to shoot a message on here!  We are at the end of November and it is the Holiday season, Happy Holidays Happy Campers!

As we near the end of 2018, we again can not thank you enough for spending time at Happy Camp!  From the Fishermen to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, we truly appreciate all that bless Happy Camp with their presence!

2019 will bring us new optimism as we continue to explore new ways to obtain new Bear hunt areas.  I did get word that some roads are being closed by tree planting or digging ditches, so we will have to see what that does?

We do have some openings for fishing starting in Mid June, and Moose hunt is filling fast so don’t delay if you want a spot, contact us today!

There has been some interest for us to go after some duck hunting opportunities and we shall explore that, so if that is your passion like it is Magoo and mine, give me a shout and let’s talk.  While we don’t have the open areas as the prairies, we do have ducks and lots less hunters making for a truly enjoyable, relaxing hunt.  Could there be anything better than a morning duck hunt, followed by a Mid day Grouse hunt and evening fishing at Happy Camp?

From Happy Camp Ontario to your camp, have a wonderful season and we look forward to seeing you in 2019!

Roller Coaster
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Hi Folks, Roller Coaster continues here.  One day it is 47, next is 87, the only 2 constants are rain and extremes in temps!  But alas, fishing continues to be excellent with many fish tugging on the lines.

Blueberries are in full swing and we have a sweet spot near Happy Camp that you can pick for hours and hours and hours, maybe see a Moose, Bear or Wolf walk along the clear cut.  But beware, a double striper has visited the patch and thinks he can rule the roost, thing again say the Black Torpedo and her sidekick Sadie Lou!

Bear hunting is quickly coming, baits are being hit regularly and some nice ones as well.  We do have a couple of Momma’s with twins that are rumbling around the area filling their bellies at the baits as well as nearby Blueberry Patches.

Fishing seems to be doing well, the neighbor chap stopped in and said that they were biting so well the other night he had his limit in 15 minutes and only 2 casts!!  Now that is a fish story if I ever heard one!  We caught some nice chunky Pike and plenty of Pickerel the other day, maybe after the Brewers win this afternoon we might go after some for supper!

As I write, the wind is whipping the trees around and it is in the mid 80’s, rain coming tonight, looks like another wet baiting session tomorrow.  Oh well, such is life right.  We are starting to fill weeks for 2019, so if you are looking to come and catch some of the best fishing in Northern Ontario, breath taking wilderness and awesome Loons that sing all night, shoot us a message or give us a call to save your spot and Come and Catch the Good Life with Us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Moby Dick
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Hi folks, check out the Moby Dick, the Monster Pike, that Chris(Woody) Woodside brought to his side on July 25, 2018.  The Behemoth was lurking when they got to their Hot Spot.  Woody tossed out his jig and crawler and WHAM the fight was on.  After a few minutes, Woody knew this was a fish of a lifetime.   Gary, Woody’s dad, was in the front of the boat, quickly lifted the anchor as Woody’s drag was smelling of burnt gears!  The Jumbo Pike pulled the boat around and around, Gary became dizzy from all the circles!  AWE Come On Man, What’s Up With That.

Woody rose the Hog to the surface and Gary tried to net it, but TOO SMALL for the big net!  So Woody, being the awesome fisherman as he is, brought the 18 pound plus tooth filled critter to boat side and lowered his hand under the fish and with one big sweep, lifted the monster into the boat!

Gasps, oohs and aaah’s filled the lake as the Indiana group were in awe of the fish. Woody flexed his muscles, pumped out his chest and roared in Victory over the fish.  Woody and Gary  fired up the Yamaha and sped the Lund Boat back to Happy Camp with Moby in hopes of reviving it!

Woody, Gary and Catfish Chris tried to revive the fish for about 20 minutes.  Sadly the fish was not revived and Moby Dick lay in Woody’s arms.  Moby measures just short of 39 inches and weighed 18 pounds with a girth of over 18 inches.  Moby certainly is a monster that would make anyone proud and we guess over 20 years old!  As of this writing, Moby is frozen awaiting his trip to the taxidermist, then to Woody’s wall for fond memories of the event on White Otter Lake!

So what color did Woody use?  A secret only known to Happy Camper’s!  Fishing, just as the weather, has been up and down.  Some days the bite is pretty good, while others with hot, no wind and sun have shut the bite down.  Rain has come in over night and much cooler, only in the upper 50’s now.

Soon Bear hunting will begin and baiting continues to go well, Magoo and Sadie are the best taste testers of bait in the world.  Don’t fret Happy Campers, they do work off those tasty treats  at the lake swimming then trotting back to the lodge.  Berries are doing great, we found a bunch the other night and if rain stops, maybe more later today.

Time to get some soup going for the day.  SOUP you say, what is up with that it is July!!!  But it is chilly today and will warm the tummy later, haha!!

Until next time, thanks to all Happy Camper’s, you make each and every day unique and special, take care and keep in touch!!

Salute!
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Good Morning everyone from sunny and cool Happy Camp Ontario!  The heat and humidity have left the area for now and hopefully for the rest of the year!  Temps up near 100 made it very icky the last few days.

Salute to the Patriots who blessed us at Happy Camp last week.  From Don coordinating everything, cooking and being the jack of all trades, to Wes and the Ternary Toast, Walt and his chats of his canoe adventure to Tommy and his antics, it was truly a special time for all!  From starting with a flat tire on the Fry Road, to working as a team unloading the beast Deck Boat, to fish fries, shore lunch and the Potato Bomb, words can not express the fantastic time we all had last week.  As I sit trying to find words to write, I notice the picture you all gave us at Happy Camp, thank you for that as well.

On Monday the 9th, Ed saw a picture on the computer and said who is that?  I said that is my dad who I lost 18  years ago to which Ed responded, “He was a good man if he raised you”.   The 9th is always a tough day for me, but seemed a bit easier that day with the Patriots thank you for all you brought to camp.

Fishing was excellent, even perch showed up all over the place.  Mayflies continue to hatch, but seems like fishermen got the ticket to get them to bite during that as well.  As you all know, our weather patterns are weird, no other way around it!  With that said, we are now picking Blueberries!  Saskatoon berries are barely deep red, Raspberries are green, but Blueberries are ripening all over the place.  Last week when I took some boys to a lake, Scott said, BLUE!  Yes the bluff was blue and Scott, Zak and Jeremy ate and ate and ate!  We did get back late for Steak night, but hey was it worth it guys?

If you are a Happy Camper, you know my travels have led me to many interesting characters and yesterday was no different.  I went to Timmins to meet  chap and he was interesting to say the least.  Przemyslaw Pelichowski is the fellow and we did a little business.  Speaking of Przem, he shared knowledge of his bear outfitting, very interesting to say the least.  If anyone is interested, Google his name and you can hear his interview on CBC radio and his dog Yamaha!

Speaking of travels, yesterday CBC radio 1 along with Wisconsin Public Radio had a joint phone in radio show to discuss the Trade war and some interesting thoughts were shared, but the one resounding fact is very clear, people from Canada and the US are being hurt.  Aren’t our governments suppose to be working for the People, so why then is the family farm in the Midwest being destroyed. So from Trump, to Trudeau to ScottHole, my good buddy Larry says, AH COME ON MAN!!!

For anyone traveling this way, stop at Pancake Bay and get some white buckets with covers, we sure could use them for berry picking.  While the berry crop is busting, the black flies have lessened to where no bug nets are needed for the most part, even in the cabins you can leave them off while you eat or watch tv.

Time to get the girls out for a little bit, then off to work.  So my mom has made her way to Happy Camp for a few days to rest, read a book, fish, berry pick or just unwind, always nice to see family stop up and see what is happening and hear the wind!

Take care, thanks everyone for making Happy Camp your summer spot and SALUTE to all who made last week so special!

Remember!
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Hi everyone, time for a brief update while I remember a few thinngs.  The camp is quiet but soon will be filled with the Healing Patriot Group, our hope is that the peace and quiet of the wilderness, songs of the loons and wind whispering through the trees will be just what the Patriots need, thank you for all you do and for everyone who does a service to our freedom, never can say thank you enough!

We finished patching our roofs, cross your fingers that it will not leak, guess we will find out when it rains which could be any day as the weather is erratic.

Days start out sunny and cool, in the low 40’s, then heat up quickly, gets very windy and into the upper 80’s, evenings clear out and next day repeat.  As I write it has got very overcast, winds about 30 mph, and looks like thunder?

Fishing continues to be excellent in various depths and techniques.  Many people looking for large walleye ask where are they?  Remember a few years ago folks the MNR gill netted large fish from the lake as they were doing a “study”.  Still haven’t seen results from the study, but hey that is government for you!  Try to also remember that we are in the far north, growing season for everything, including fish, is much shorter than down south.  If given a few years to grow, we will start to see Walleye again over 25 inches and some 20 pound Pike, but the fish need the opportunity to grow.

Bear baiting is going and they are hitting well.  For those of you who were with us last year and Remember the Humper Bear, I ran into that big boy yesterday in my route.  He is just as chubby and black as last year.  Also saw another fellow, but much smaller, don’t think he is a humper?  I opened a new vein and it looks fantastic and the baits have been set.  As I drove down the trail, in the distance I saw a brown object laying in the trail, I thought it couldn’t be?  As I got closer, it reminded me of my first one and AHA, it was, a glorious Moose Shed.  For those coming to camp, you shall see first hand the sheds that are gathering in the lodge, certainly a sight to behold.

My how time flies, and although sometime during every day I am reminded, early July reminds me of loss of my Dad and tomorrow will mark the 17th anniversary of his passing.  Does anyone know that every 17 years the days of the week line up and July 9, 2018 will be a Monday, just as July 9, 2001 was a Monday.  Man Dad I wish you were here to play in the wilderness, I think you truly would have enjoyed the adventures at Happy Camp Ontario, I miss you!!

With that, time to watch the storm as it is thundering over head, so we shall see what the next adventure is.  Take care and Whatcha waiting for, Come and Catch the Good Life with Us at Happy Camp Ontario!!!

 

Sweateee
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Hi everyone, wow what a difference a few days make!!  Just was saying brrrr, and now the 3 H’s have found their way to Happy Camp!  That’s right, Heat, Humidity and Heavy Rain have showed up.  Just yesterday it was almost 90, now rain, rain and rain.

Yesterday Magoo and I went to bail boats from the rain, and it had rained so much it was up to the bottom of the bench seat and the bilge pump ran steady for about 15 minutes, holy moley!!

With the onslaught of heat and now rain, I suppose we will have a new hatch of bugs, just what we did not need.  But the first Mayflies have started on White Otter and the fish will enjoy them for the near future.

Fishing continues to be good with many summer spots and patterns starting to settle in.  One head scratching issue is where are the Perch, not too many of those husky fellows showing up lately.  Gotta keep looking until we find them, maybe the fishers from Michigan will unlock that this week?

We did see a couple of Bears this week, one nice one while moving some trees in the bear hunt area, the other out and about.  Also, a nice Bull is seen south of here, boy if he grows more he will be a real dandy come hunting time!!

We have started our busy time Happy Campers, with vets coming in soon, thanks for all you do.  In a few short weeks the Bear season will be upon us so lots to do and time is ticking.

So time to get to work and if you are wondering what’s all the chirping about at Happy Camp, shoot us a message or give us a call to save your spot to Come and Catch the Good Life with Us at Happy Camp Ontario!

Take care everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

Brrr!
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Good Morning from Chilly Happy Camp Ontario!  The last 2 days have not reached 50 and rain has pounded the area, but alas this morning is crystal clear blue skies, light winds and the sun is shining!

The 1st week of summer is now upon us, and the berry crop is looking fantastic, many bushes are full of berries.  In fact, the other day at a lake in the bush with some people, one said they had never seen so many berries in the patch along the lake!  I guess I overlook some things, but then stopped to look and oh my, yes there are a ton and a half of them!

A big Thank you to Ray and Dale whom spent a day last week helping me, or should I say, I helped them fix the porch roof.  The fish gods were good to them, they were basically fished out after the week of action.  In fact Ray, who has been coming to the area for over 20 years stated, fishing has never been better!  Weeds are growing quickly and the minnow hatches have filled the shallows.

Now onto wildlife, to those coming up the Fry road, watch out as there has been a large Bull Moose stopping to graze in a pond adjacent to the Fry as well as a Cow with twins closer to camp.  Yesterday there were some tracks down the trail to Echo Lake headed towards, maybe they were out of supplies looking for some pancake mix?

The only animal scarce this year is Bear and although we had one trying tip over the bait trailer, he has not returned since we put out the camera.  I suspect it was Tom Kern wearing his Yogi outfit, but one will never know unless he fesses up, but we all know how hard it is for the sheriff to tell the truth(haha).

As I close this report, I want to stop and say a prayer for a couple of our campers who are dealing with their health issues.  To the Sheriff and the Yupper, get well soon as Happy Camp is not the same without you!

For the rest of the campers, bring your bug dope and fishing pole as they are biting, but don’t forget the Tartar sauce because some taste pretty darn good too!  Take care and see you on the water or in the bush!

Happy Father’s Day
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Good morning and Happy Father’s Day to all you father’s out there!  A special thanks to my dad who is longer with me setting the hook, tossing the fly or calling the ducks, but will live on in me forever!  Thanks Dad for showing me the love of nature, fish and fowl, not to mention dogs.  Oh my, how dogs have become a huge part of my life, and Magoo is such a precious one.  As I write, here comes the 7 year old Pup Magoo with a shoe, way to go Magoo!

Time to bring the 3 B’s everyone, Boots, Buckets and Bug Dope.  Heavy rain came in late yesterday afternoon filling the boats and putting small lakes in the yard.  Rain continued through the night and as I write it is very dark and still a moderate rain.

Early this morning Magoo and I went to bail out boats, holy mackerel the water was up to the bench seats on the boat, what’s up with that.  I pulled the bilge pump on one boat and the pump ran steady for about 10 minutes.  Hmmm, pushing out the dock yesterday makes me scratch my head as the water will rise from the rain, interesting to say the least!

Fishing is pretty good, shallow water seems to be the best bet for scattered fish.  Some fish are being caught in new green weeds about 6 feet while others are cruising the shoreline.  Finally, the fishers out yesterday caught a few fish in the top few feet of the water with shallow running crank baits.  But alas, the Perch have showed up, time to get after them says Miss Molly Magoo!

We had a fresh fish fry last night, the batter didn’t turn out right, guess we will have to try again in the next few days eh!!  Just enough for a meal, why anymore said one camper, my thoughts exactly.  Let the rest go to grow and give another the chance to tangle with them!

Although we have not seen any, Bear have been seen in the area along with Red Fox, some Grouse and a Moose is venturing in the area, probably running crazy from all the bugs.  Speaking of bugs, they are very intense and with the rain expect a new hatch to come as soon as the sun breaks out!  One good thing is the berry crop looks excellent right now and with timely rains and some sun, it should be a banner year.  Keep your fingers crossed that they come early and gone by the time Bear hunt comes along!!

Time to get moving along everyone, until next time, take care and keep in touch!