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Hi everyone from Chilly Happy Camp!  With Thanksgiving Eve upon us in Ontario, we want to wish all of the people who we have been lucky enough to get to know up here a Happy Thanksgiving and Magoo and I will be eating a traditional Dinner of something tomorrow.  Our hope is that it will be fresh roast duck, but that remains to be seen.  Onto the report:

Moose hunting is in full swing and our 1st Moose was hung on the Happy Camp Pole on Wednesday.  Paul and Cal brought down the beast after calling it close enough to gun range.  All of the hunters in camp helped out in dragging, hanging and cutting up the Moose!  It is amazing how big they really are up close and this was a young Bull only 2 years old!

Warm temperatures have slowed the Moose activity as the Nowak bunch is trying everyday without success yet!  We had a Bull pinned down but he slipped through the bush somewhere?

I took Paul from Sarnia fishing on Friday, and my did we get into them!  Fish are still relating to the weeds, but have shifted a little deeper!  We caught about 20 Pike and 12 Walleye in about 4 hours.  Biggest Pike was about 33″ and Walleye up to 23″ were released to swim again!  We had a terrific Fish fry in the Lodge with the Moose hunters and all brought a dish to pass!

Bird hunting is a little slow as we do not venture out much as the woods is full of Moose hunters!  But Magoo and I will start duck hunting in earnest starting tomorrow as some ducks have showed up from the north.  We shall see if they come to visit our decoy spread!!

We will be closing on the 27th for the 2013 year and thank you all for a tremendous 1st full year of Business.  We appreciate and cherish meeting each of you and look forward to seeing you at Happy Camp again in 2014.  We are taking reservations for 2014 and have some spots already filled, so whatcha waiting for, reserve your spot and Come On and Catch the Good Life With Us in Ontario at Happy Camp!!

Happy Fall everyone from Happy Camp.  With the 1st day of Fall coming today, we finally have found the sun again!  The past week has been rain, rain and our first snow on the 21st.  Today is a beautiful, cold early fall day, with sunshine and temperatures in the 40’s.

With all the rain, travel is difficult in the area but Magoo and I went out and harvested fresh Mushrooms this morning and they are tasty!  They are popping up everywhere and hope this continues as it is fun and Magoo enjoys the romps!

Fishing has been slow and hunting in the area has been interesting.  Few Grouse have been seen but that should change with the leaves falling not soon enough!  Ducks are scattered as there is lots of water everywhere!  On a positive sign, I have seen 4 Moose in the last few days throughout the Happy Camp region!  My hope is that they will hang around for a few more weeks when the Happy Camp Moose Hunters chase them in the Woods!

This morning in our travels, numerous flocks of migrating geese were seen as well as Bluebirds, Evening Grosbeaks and numerous kinds of shorebirds!  They will quickly make their way south for the winter as we will too in about 6 weeks.

As always, thanks to everyone for a great 2013 and we hope to end on a high note during the Moose Hunt!  To those of you we will not see until 2014, we look forward to spending time with you exploring the Happy Camp area, so what you waiting for, Come on and Catch the Good Life with us in beautiful Northern Ontario at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Well the winds of change have definitely arrived at Happy Camp!  Hi Folks, as summer quickly left, we have been greeted with more rain, rain, wind and chilly temperatures!  The dock will need to be moved back in as today Magoo and I watched the water level rise.  It will come into shore for the last time in 2013! While water levels are nearing spring levels, the water temperatures are quickly receding and fish are disoriented!  The fish should set up soon in their traditional fall spots and patterns should follow.

Birds continue to migrate through, Bluebirds, Flickers and the first Canada Geese were seen flying south today from their summer homes on James Bay!  Unfortunately they have not stopped for a drink, Magoo and I can only wish they will!  In addition, there was an odd brown bird sitting on the fish shack this afternoon.  It was the size of a bluebird, but was white with brown wings, a grayish bill and its head was striped with brown and white.  While quite different looking, he was a handsome fellow that is for sure.

Duck season opened this week as well as Grouse!  While the leaves are changing quickly, they still are hanging on strong making visibility an issue.  As I write, the clouds have cleared out and it should be cold tonight, another frost might bring some leaves down, only time will tell.

In our travels today we noticed quite a few Mountain Ash berries, I wonder if their are any recipes for them?  If anyone has any, please shoot us an email so we can check it out!

As always, thanks for finding your way to Happy Camp in 2013, take care and until next week, Come on and Catch the Good Life with us in beautiful northern Ontario at Happy Camp!!

Oops, forgot to mention, Go Pack GO!!!

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!!