Catching the Good Life in the Canadian Wilderness

July 6, 2014, has brought a couple very long days along with many tears from the people here as well as the clouds above.

Yesterday began a wonderful day, stiff breezes ushered in clouds along with the Wheatons from Pennsylvania.  Magoo and I were upbeat as she played by the shore and I pumped out and cleaned boats.  Around 10:00 a.m.  I looked up from the boat and no Magoo!  What’s up with that?  I called and no Magoo!  I called again and no Magoo!  My mind started thinking the unthinkable, something must have happened to Magoo?  For those of you who know me little or much, you know my dogs are held very, very close to my heart!

Magoo came out of the brush towards the dock, and as she stepped on the dock, I saw blood dripping on each step.  As she neared me I noticed she had been gashed on one leg and cut on the other.  I jumped out of the boat and got her into the Jeep!  We sped down the trail to Happy Camp beeping the horn as I drove in the yard.  Jamie came yelling, “Be Quiet! ” I yelled,  “Magoo’s hurt, bleeding help me!”  I picked up Magoo and brought her in the porch.  Blood streamed down her legs as we frantically tried to stop the bleeding.  Magoo had been cut on her lower leg and finally, after much pushing, holding and wrapping, the bleeding stopped. Blood filled towels littered the porch!  Magoo was still and I lifted her into her crate.  She laid quietly as I watched her in her crate.  I got on the phone with our local vet and they instructed us what to do and as long as the bleeding stopped, she was ok for now.  Magoo was resting quietly but this soon changed.

Our new guests, the Wheatons pulled into the yard about 10:45 a.m. and greetings took place.  They came into the lodge, were showed their quarters and started unpacking.  I went back into the lodge porch to check on Magoo.  I noticed blood dripping on her wrapping.  I yelled to Jamie, “Come help Magoo is bleeding!”  I quickly lifted Magoo from the crate and Jamie took the bandage off.

Oh my God, the blood was pouring out of the wound, with no way of stopping it!  My Magoo was going to bleed to death right in my arms!  As we frantically tried to stop the bleeding nothing seemed to work.  The Wheatons jumped right in and Todd Wheaton helped Magoo as I tried to call 911 as there is no vet for 5-6 hours.  911 did not work, now what?

As the Wheatons helped me lift Magoo into the Jeep, I held pressure on her leg trying like crazy to stop the bleeding!  Magoo squirmed slightly, and we took off down the road to Manitouwadge for the hospital.  Flying down the gravel, bumpy, dusty road, I laid in the back of the Jeep holding onto dear life with Magoo while trying to stop the bleeding!  Towel after towel filled with blood as it ran down my hands.  I was able from time to time to get it to stop.  A Moose now jumped in front of the Jeep, and Jamie veered around it with success!

As we turned onto Wowan Road, the washboard gravel turned the Jeep sideways, but is was quickly corrected!  I felt the sense of vomit rush up from my stomach as we continued to the hospital!  This rush subsided as Magoo lifted her head and gently licked my face, telling me, “It’s going to be all right, buddy!”

Jamie whipped the Jeep into the Emergency entrance, rushed in and a young nurse, Nick, came out with a wheel chair.  He did not understand that Magoo is our dog, not a human!  Nick stepped back and initially said, “I can do nothing!!”  We begged, pled and yelled into his heart.  Nick said the doctor could not help as he is not trained on animals, but Nick himself returned with gauze, cleaner, a helper and tape.  Nick looked at the wound, says  “OH MY GOD” but worked with us on cleaning it and while we held Magoo, he wrapped the wound.  The bleeding was stopped but this had to be fixed, but by whom?  Nick could not, the doctor would not and the closest vet was still another four hours away!

In the emergency area, the staff there helped me find phone numbers and call Thunder Bay Vet Hospital.  It was nearing 1:30 p.m., and they were only open until 5.  I begged with them and they agreed to be open when we got there.  I quickly got directions, jumped into the Jeep and held Magoo while Jamie sped down the highway.  We arrived at the outskirts of Thunder Bay around 5:50 p.m. because of rainstorms and multiple construction work on bridges.

We pulled into the vet clinic around 6:10 p.m. and were greeted by a vet tech.  We got Magoo into the room and set her on the table.  A few moments later the vet came in and discussed Magoo with us.  She would sedate Magoo and then open the wrapping to see how severe it was as she did not want to have a “Blood Bath” on her hands!  Terror ran through our minds as we might lose our Magoo!

A few moments passed, and the vet came back out with her thoughts!  Magoo had severed four tendons in her lower leg and they needed to be repaired.  If she was able to find the other ends, she could hopefully re-attach them, but she would have to do surgery.  We put our faith in her and she said come back in about 45 minutes!

45 minutes passed slowly while waiting and the vet came out!  She reported that she was able to stop the bleeding as the artery was not severed.  She also re-attached all of the tendons, made a cast along with dressing and Magoo is out of the woods for now!  A brief sigh of relief came over us!  The vet did some more preparatory work in hopes to have Magoo come back to Happy Camp that night!  Many instructions were given, and fingers are crossed that no infection will set in.  Numerous follow up appointments will take place, and in 6-9 weeks she may gain full use of her leg again!

About 9:15 p.m. I lift Magoo back into the Jeep, laid her down and pet her soft head!  She was very groggy and fell fast asleep quickly.

About 12:45 a.m. Magoo whimpered in the back.  We stopped in Terrace Bay and I lifted her out of the Jeep in hopes to have her pee.  No such luck, but back in the Jeep we go and about 3:00 a.m. we rolled into Happy Camp.  As the Jeep slowed to a stop, Magoo jumped up, looked around as to say, “I’m back, let’s party!!”  I opened the back and Magoo lunged to jump out, but I caught her and set her on the ground.

Magoo whimpered through the night as I tried to catch some sleep on the couch near her.  Around 6:30 I woke, and she was up in her crate.  I carried her outside and set her on the ground.  She looked at her funny cast, then started hobbling and fell down.  I began to cry as it broke my heart to watch my little girl, who just yesterday was jumping, running, and playing like insanity, now a hobbling, falling little girl.

Magoo picked herself up and came quickly to me.  I knelt down and gave her a hug.  She buried her face in mine with eternal licks and that tail, oh my that hard wonderful tail was swaying back and forth!  Tears of joy streamed down my face as she looked at me and her face told me, “Hi Buddy, it’s me Magoo.”  She hopped on 3’s and took care of business like she never had the other leg!

Ray Wheaton came by in about 15 minutes and asked, “How is Magoo?”  I said look at her as Magoo rested on the floor.  That hammer tail banged on the floor with excitement.  Again tears streamed down my face.

Thanks to so many people in our time of need:  Thanks to Ray, Todd, Jacob and David Wheaton for your help with us, complete strangers working together like we have known each other  for years!  Thanks to Mike Rhyno, Hillsport native for answering your phone and helping communicate during the day!  Thanks to Nick at the human hospital in Manitouwadge, without your help Magoo probably would not be here today!  Thanks to the Thunder Bay Vet Hospital for their professional, outgoing help with Magoo!  Lastly but certainly not least, Thanks to Shadow, Magoo’s big Brother who is looking down on Magoo from above, with your guidance, faith and goodness watching over all of us we were able to figure it out, work together and make a terrible situation much better.  And to Magoo, thanks girl for trusting us and allowing us into your life. You are truly one special girl!

So folks, that is just today’s bit about the Tears that have come to Happy Camp in the past two days.  Late tonight when I go to sleep, there will be no finer sound than listening to Magoo’s deep breaths as she rests comfortably and hopefully with each breath she is closer to a full recovery!  So as the rain stops, whatcha waiting for, Come On and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Good Morning from cool, crisp and sunsplashed Happy Camp!  July 3rd and we have FIRST’s at HC!

Last night while pulling in fish hand over fist, Jamie, Magoo and Catfish Chris were greeted by the following:

The First Hexagena’s of the year, biggest Mayflies of the year!!

The First Blue Wing Teal

The First Trio of our local movie stars!  3 Jimmy Durante’s zoomed through the Bay.  For those of you who do not know, Jimmy is the hunter’s term for the Northern Shoveler.  Those little devils sure are pretty!!

Magoo and Catfish are off to find some lumber today and hopefully they will be successful!  Time will tell, the sky is beautiful so Come on and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Good Morning, Catfish Chris here with your weekly update from warm, sultry and windy Happy Camp Ontario!  Today is June 29th, and my are we feeling the summer!!  The weather has been warm to hot reaching the upper 80’s yesterday with high humidity!  Thank God for the breeze that carried with us through the night, and today is a warm, windy and mostly cloudy day.  Strong storms off to our west and south should bring us some relief later.  Along with our recent heat spell has come a fresh crop of bugs, mosquitos, black flies and now sand flies have made their first appearance of the year!

Along with the fresh crop of bugs, people from Toronto, Ottawa, Lindsey, Longlac, Michigan, WIsconsin and beyond have made their way to Happy Camp in the last few days!

From the Youngs to Frosticks, Breske, Fischer, Nemke, Stoltz, Blareks & Buddy, Ivan and more, this week’s roster has once again brought us smiling, Happy Faces to Happy Camp.  All of these met the awesome wilderness that has come to be the norm at Happy Camp.  Mother Nature in all her glory did not disappoint.

One afternoon, Shirley, Shelley and I went for a ride and while scanning a local river for moose, we first were disappointed there were none in the water.  We stopped looking, turned our attention to the road to drive and there she was, a young calf moose standing about 30 yards in front of us in the middle of the road!  Jim and I also spotted a moose swimming in some water, but gave her privacy as she was down to her skivvies!  My, you should have seen the towel she had hanging on a tree to dry herself, as big as a tent!  Also, a wolf made its way near Echo Lake and Sam the Skunk has been vigorously chowing down the fresh fish entrails in and around the dump!

Fishing has been good to excellent for the 3 P’s.  In fact, Magoo and I even got the opportunity to wade the shore the other night with a topwater bait and while we only caught a couple, there were numerous others that splashed, gurgled and popped at the Jitterbug!  So you see, it’s not all about catching, it’s about the total package, or rather whole picture!

Check out our new 2014 photo page started by Jamie.  We have at least one, maybe 2 moose near the shores of White Otter Lake.  Additionally, local celebrity  Camille Hache found his way to camp, check him out with Buddy!

While we look forward to the next smiling faces to come down the drive, we can’t help but pause for a moment and say thank you to all who make Happy Camp what it is today!  To watch Henry and Bonnie sit and prep their boat to fish and make sure every detail is complete, help them dump their boat in the lake and see their Buddy smile and bark with excitement as the motor fires and purrs is simply priceless.  To chat with all of our customers each night, over morning coffee, work on puzzles, dinner, the ball game or  fish cleaning, it is you and the memories that live in all of us for eternity that makes it special.  Furthermore, to have you choose to spend some of your precious time at Happy Camp makes Magoo, Jamie and I smile from ear to ear!  Thank you for making so many wonderful memories!  One can only wonder, what will today or the next day bring?

So if you are a potential first timer, or someone thinking of returning to Happy Camp, whatcha waiting for, give us a shout and reserve your spot today.  Come On and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Good Morning and Happy Summer Happy Campers!  Summer has begun and the fishing is starting to heat up.  Most fish are still relating to shallow structure and where there is adjacent green weeds!  Numerous Pike, Perch and Walleye have been found in bunches, so where you find one, stick around, work the area and you should find bunches!!

Late last night, the smell of fresh fish frying, the taste of your favourite beverage, and the sound of Ontario’s National Bird, the Mosquito, all were found at Happy Camp!  Does life get any better than this???

The bugs are fierce so bring your best arsenal when trying to fight them off!  Brown Drake and small Sulphur Duns have started to emerge almost daily and the fish come up in the water column for them as well.  The water is full of insects, tadpoles and minnows, in fact we spotted a Stick Water Bug near the shore.  If you ever see one, WOW you will back away real quick.  They  have a spear like snout and actually attack with that thing!

Ducks of variety as well as Loons and Eagles have made their way to their summer homes near Happy Camp, and I have my fingers crossed that we shall be able to go and see if the Rookery is alive and well in the next few days!

For our hunters, we have acquired a walk in cooler and Camille Hache, a Hillsport friend, got it fired up, stopped at Camp early this morning, took me and showed me that it is a crisp 33 degrees, perfect for Bear and Moose later this year!!!

Beautiful weather continues to bless Happy Camp, partly to mostly sunny with light winds and highs in the upper 70’s, today looks like another sun-splashed beauty.

Happy Campers from Michigan have showed up and enjoying all that the wilderness has to offer.  Soon the water and woods will be alive with Happy Campers from numerous spots in the states.  We do have a few spots open, so shoot us an e-mail or give us a call for you to Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!

Hello everyone from sunny, windy and NOT raining Happy Camp!  While many of the area creeks  are still over their banks and muddy, White Otter Lake is receding nicely.

The dock will be by this weekend and the first Brown Drakes are hatching as I write!  The Mosquitos and Black Flies are coming along nicely and biting quite well too!

Guests coming in need to take caution as there are numerous logging trucks along the gravel each day!  Wowun and Fry are in good shape, but please take caution when coming up the Hillsport road as it is quite messy with numerous ruts and rocks in the road!

We can have minnows for Happy Camp customers this year, we have completed the needed paperwork!  Please call well in advance for the local trappers to catch your minnows should you desire them!

Right now it looks like a great blueberry crop with lots of rain and now some heat, time will tell what transpires!

We all at Happy Camp are eager to get fishing and see those smiling Happy Camp customers soon, so if you do not have your spot reserved, whatcha waiting for, give us a call and reserve your spot and Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Hi Folks, up, up and away with the 2014 season!  I spent the last few days at Happy Camp and while the water was receding, heavy rain came yesterday and now the lake is back into the woods!  The late spring and heavy rains have not let the water recede to where we can get the dock in!  I hope and pray that within 10 days the water will drop and we can get out fishing.  The beach is not quite waist deep and many minnows and young pike were swimming in the woods along the road!  Loons and eagle have made it back to camp as well as our other friends, the bugs!!

The count is on, I have seen 4 Bear, 3 big and one cub, 3 Moose, and numerous bunnies!  The heavily rutted gravel roads into camp were very good when I left camp this morning!  Thanks Rooster for grading the road!

We look forward to getting on the water as well as seeing you all really soon!  Take care, drive safe and keep in touch!

Hi Happy Campers!  As I sit in sunny and 65 central Wisconsin, Happy Camp is not as fortunate.  As we spoke to Roger and Bev in the past few days, the ice is still firm on the main lake, and the water has covered the beach and is up to the woods!  But the small lakes and rivers are wide open but high water exists throughout the Happy Camp region!  6 inches of fresh snow fell upon the area late Friday.

But don’t fret, this happened last year and we were able to set the dock on June 4th and anticipate the same this year!  Soon Happy Camp will be jumping with fish and fisherman!

Magoo is excited as she going to see the vet tomorrow for her shots to travel north as well as check her hips!  Stay tuned for that update!

So it is time to sharpen hooks, check the fishing line, darn the holes in the nets, charge batteries, make sure we have oil, fish batter, bread and beans and a cooling beverage alongside.  Why you may ask?

Soon, it will be time to Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!  Take care  and drive safe everyone!!

Good Morning from cool, windy central Wisconsin.  Soon Happy Camp will be alive with fishers and outdoor enthusiasts!  We are busy getting stuff ready to haul to Happy Camp and we are excited for the upcoming year and all it has to offer!

On a somber note, we lost our pal, comrade and pasture buddy Caleb last weekend and he was layed to rest near the pasture where his son, Hickory, now lives alone!  Caleb spent 23 years with us and it is hard each day to look into the pasture and not see his pretty white face!

Hickory knows if we could bring him to Happy Camp we would, but horses just don’t like to eat fish or pine needles!

In my travels yesterday I spotted the first bears of the year, there was 4 little ones that crossed the road after their momma!  That was really cool!

We will be open in early June and look forward to seeing you all again as well as the adventure that comes along the way at Happy Camp!

Take care and see you soon!

Howdy Folks, hopefully it is spring wherever you are?  Here in balmy central Wisconsin it is about 38 with moderate rain all day, winds out of the east which means a few more days of this!  At least it is not snow!  Spring can not come soon enough for us here or at Happy Camp!

We are excited to see all of you at Happy Camp this year!  I will be traveling up there in Mid-May and will be open the first part of June!  We continue to make improvements and hope to have a walk in cooler in place, and other items to make your stay with us even more comfortable!

As of now, our bear hunts for non-resident is full, but we are looking for resident hunters to hunt nearby Happy Camp!  Drop me a line if you are interested!

Additionally, our waiting list for Moose hunt lodging continues to grow!  If some of you are interested in Archery hunting, we will find a place for you!

So, time to get back to work, we look forward to seeing you all again and meeting many new friends of Happy Camp!  If you are in the area, stop by and say hi, take care and come on and catch the good life with us at Happy Camp!

Hello Happy Campers!  It is early March and we slowly inch our way towards spring and the re-opening of Happy Camp!  We spent yesterday at the Wisconsin Bowhunters Convention and met many very nice people and filled all of our bear hunting spots for the 2014 year!  If you are interested and would like to be put on a waiting list if someone cancels, please let me know!

Moose hunt 2014 is about 98% full, we have one cabin for one week left, so reserve your spot if you are interested!  Finally we do have some spots for fishing and September looks wide open right now.  With our Moose season opening a week later, October 11th, the first week of October would be a fantastic time for Bird hunters to take in some fantastic hunting as the leaves should fall by then!  We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2014, thanks!

Jamie spent a lot of time producing a video of our time until now at Happy Camp, and when I watch it, it brings a smile to my face to see all of our friends and customers who choose to stop at Happy Camp!  Each and every one of has touched us and I can not thank you enough for that!!  My only wish is that my dad could have been there to meet and hang out with all of you, he was quite a bowler, outdoorsman and bear hunter, would have fit right in!

Late Friday afternoon as Magoo and I traveled to the bow hunter convention, we were involved in a car crash.  I hit a patch of black ice, lost control of my pickup truck, spun around, then hit the deep snowbank in the median of the 4 lane highway.  I then rolled the truck 1.5 times ending up laying on the drivers side.  I woke with Magoo in my arms  as a National Guard member was pulling on my jacket saying, “Come on, we got to get you out of here man”.  He pulled me out and I immediately crawled back in for Magoo who was sitting there.  We got out and sat in the snow bank and numerous people came running, I remember an older woman in just a short sleeve shirt running and patting me as there was blood on my face.  I said thank you as she sat in the snow shivering but trying to help.  I then said, this is not my blood but Magoo’s who I was hugging with every ounce of energy I had!  The lady, took off running coming back with more napkins and she gently pushed on the cut on her nose.

I can not thank the people who helped Magoo and I enough, and to be able to walk away from such an accident is nothing short of a miracle!  As Jamie said, there were 2 angels watching over us, my Dad and Shadow, our wonderful Lab who we lost in 2012!!!

As I write, Magoo is laying on the floor listening to Folk Music.  Other than her cut, and my aches and pains in the back, neck and other places, we are lucky to be alive!  The sheriff told me thank God for the deep snow that cushioned your roll and slowed you down and if in the summer, neither Magoo or I would have survived!

Jamie, Magoo and I so look forward to seeing your smiling faces, talking with you and enjoying the good life once again at Happy Camp, so please take care, drive safe and keep in touch!!