Catching the Good Life in the Canadian Wilderness

Good Bear Eve all!  Bear Hunt 2015 is upon us as night has fallen on Happy Camp!  The most intense heat of the year has blanketed the Happy Camp region as well as should stay with us for the next few days!

Henry went out baiting with me this morning, and the Bears were hungry after the nasty storm that rolled through here.  Baits were empty and hopefully this trend will continue for the hunting season?  Interestingly the Bears are feeding heavily on Blueberries, guess they know where to look much better than we do, our buckets have remained empty!

Len and I waded the shores this evening with top water plugs and caught a few small Pike, my the water is warm but wet!  The wind pushed waves in from the north at a gentle pace, and the Loons sang loudly in the distance!

All of our week 1 hunters have made it into camp, preparation is complete, and they are fast asleep.  Tomorrow we will descend into the forest in search of a Trophy Black Bear!  As we walked and talked today, one hunter said, this is so cool to be in the woods, the smells and all of it!  Man, if  I even see a Bear that will make it even cooler!  So, our hopes are very high for a safe and successful hunt!

To anyone venturing out into the woods or water, be safe, enjoy the wilderness and all it has to offer!  If you are looking to catch a huge piece of the Wilderness Pie, Shoot Catfish a message or phone the Girls today so you too can Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!

Jigpole Jamie here, taking over for the bear-baiting Catfish Chris. First it was the tire on the boat trailer that went flat on Fry’s Road back in June. Next to fall victim was a tire on the truck. Yesterday, a tire on the Jeep went flat. Maybe the next wheel casualty will  either be one on the “bike” (that’s Canadian speak for 4-wheeler) or our lawn mower. For anyone venturing our way, please make sure you have a good spare (or two) on hand.

After two days of high heat, we are enduring our second day of strong wind. Ed and I heard one tree fall near camp while Chris and Rob actually recorded one fall while fishing on Echo Lake (Rob at first thought the noise he heard might be that of a moose in the bush). Wind was so strong yesterday it pulled up some of the rolled roof off the porch. Thanks to the guys from Take A Vet Fishing in camp who helped us secure it in time for a passing shower. The sign to White Otter Lake is still waiting to be uprighted.

I guess the one lesson that prevails day to day here at Happy Camp is to expect the unexpected! For me, I’m expecting Chris back in camp from bear baiting in an hour or two. Let’s hope the girls and I are not in for any more “unexpected” until tomorrow!

Hello 19th Campers!  Today the sun is shining beautifully and the wind is picking up nicely out of the west.  Fishing is similar to the weather the last few days, a roller coaster ride to say the least.  Friday was in the 60’s with rain and yesterday was high 80’s and humidity, walleyes chomping Saturday morning but no where to be found last night!  This writer suspects the fish were attending the ceremony in Lambeau!  They were so busy clapping their fins saying thanks they found no time to eat!  It was nice to see #4 where he spent so many years, days and brought us so much excitement!  Thanks #4, you will never be forgotten!

As I approached a Bear Bait on Saturday, 3 Wolf Pups poked their heads out in the trail and trotted across.  I drove ahead about 200 yards, put the Jeep in park, opened the door and got out.  I said HI Pups but nothing was seen or heard.  I proceeded to the back of the Jeep, got out the bait, and walked into the bait.  Seeing the bait being hit, I re-baited, fixed things, then did my customary Welcome to the Bears!  Those who have hunted with Happy Camp know of this very well.  I grabbed the pails, turned around and there they were!  The 3 Wolf pups must have followed me into the bait and were staring at me about 20 yards away.  I yelled at them and they crept closer trying to figure out what I was?  I started walking out, they held their ground, then suddenly I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.  In the bush about 25 feet from me, a head appeared and I suspect it was the Mother Wolf!

My mind started to race what to do?  Sure we all hear of this or that to do in a perfect situation, but is there EVER a perfect situation?  I yelled at the Wolf Pack that now numbered 4, 3 Pups and 1 Adult all within 20 yards of me and the only way out is behind me and that is the bush that leads to who knows!  As I pondered what to do, the Mother made some sound and almost instantaneously She and the Pups vanished into the bush.  I quickly made my way to the Jeep and off down the road to the next bait.

So the incident turned out favorably, but gets me to wonder just what others have done if in that situation?  We here at Happy Camp would like to know and it would be a wonderful conversation tool while sitting around having dinner or just shooting the breeze catching up.

As summer quickly fades and we work feverishly towards Bear hunt 2015 and beyond, if you should stop by we would take time to catch up with you and and share stories that are brought through the bush to Happy Camp Ontario.

So give us a shout today either via email or phone to save your spot and Come share some Adventures while Catching the Good Life with Us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Good Evening Happy Campers, Catfish Chris with a short update.  Today I traveled to Bear Baiting and while on the trail I saw numerous animals, from Bear to Wolf to Grouse. But as I drove towards a curve, I saw something blue, and as I rounded the curve, I came upon a helicopter landed on the side of the bush road.  Interesting I thought as I slowed to take a look at it.  As I slowed down, a person came out of the cockpit.  I got out of the Jeep and spoke to the pilot.  Interestingly she told me that she was part of the DeBeers Diamond Mine Exploration and her 2 explorers were down the trail exploring.  I spoke to her for a bit, then hopped back into the jeep and off to bear baiting.  I ran into the explorers, got out and spoke to them.  While they were eager to talk, they were certainly not eager to share what was on their screen, a GPS I suspect.  But this screen was held tight to his chest as he spoke.

After I finished baiting, I headed out and the chopper was just starting to warm up and the explorers were outside.  I paused and yelled from the Jeep, “Did you find what you were looking for?”  Both explorers smiled, and said, “we certainly did”.  So, hmm, gets me to thinking, could there possibly be a Diamond in the Bush up here in the Happy Camp region?  Never know till you try right?

Fishing has been very good this week, the bears are eating well and I heard of 9 Wolf Pups down the Fry Road, what’s up with that?

Time’s up for now, lots to do and little time, so if you are looking for an adventure, whatcha waiting for, shoot us an email or give us a call today to reserve your spot to Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Hi Folks.  Well it looks like the 3 W’s have hit Happy Camp land along with the hottest weather since 1966.  Today it is in the 90’s with no relief for a few days.  One hopeful thing is the dry heat may help alleviate some of the bugs that seem to be everywhere.  Keep your fingers crossed for  that!

Wind, Weeds and Walleyes, it doesn’t get any better than that does it?  Well maybe a tasty fresh fish fry which happened many times this week!  Wind has led to a tremendous weed growth and the walleye are not far behind!  Lots of fish over 20 inches were caught and released.  In fact, I had a stretch of 14 casts in a row with a walleye over 20 inches each cast.

Other than that, not much to tell.  We have a full camp now and hopefully many new stories to share with you in the near future?  Catfish Chris wishing all of you a Happy Day and whatcha waiting for, Give us a call or shoot us an email today to Come and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!

Happy 4th and Greetings from the North Happy Campers!  Although the weather has been very erratic, fishing was quite good last week with many walleye, pike and perch showing up!  The Mayfly hatch is in full swing but the fish continue to feed especially in the evenings!  Rain has kept the water levels high and the tubes at the Oswain are almost full and the current is cooking quite good.

Each day we travel to the Bear area we have seen bears, some good sized ones too!  Today we came upon a good sized fellow that appeared to be eating some flowers, interesting eh!  Also, have seen first strawberries of the year.  With all the rain, it should be a bumper crop of Rasberry and Blueberry!

Time to go get fish fry cooking, always a tasty treat, so if you are hankering for one, whatcha waiting for, shoot us a message today to come try one and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Good Day Happy Campers!  Catfish Chris here at Happy Camp with today’s update.  Fishing continues to be good with some doing very well while others catch only a few, but hey that’s fishing!

Water levels continue to be high as the Oswain tubes are almost full!On my travels yesterday, I saw a few clutches of Grouse on the roads and I wonder at what age can they fly?  I think they are about the size of a baseball but they certainly flew up into a tree!  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Also ran into a nice sized feller looking for some grub, he stood up and looked very proud, but then quickly vanished into the bush.  He looked like a real scrapper, a good sized one at that!

Fishers from Michigan are in Camp this week and the Mayfly hatch has started so we shall see what that means to the fish activity.  If you follow our site, you have seen in the last few days what our Pike have been eating, Snakes and Mice!  My what a menu, eh!

Rumbling in the distance so I think our dry day will quickly become a wet one, need to head to the lake and see how the waves are coming along?  By the wave, we have quite a swimmer in Sadie as she has learned how to do the Dog Padddle, that a girl!

Take care and have a super week Happy Campers!

Good Day Happy Campers!  Catfish Chris with a brief update.  Heavy rain the last 2 days has been  followed by nice sunshine, but the clouds appear to quickly be filling back in.  Recently added rain gutters have been adjusted and we shall see how they work with the next batch of rain.

Fishing has been up and down, one day lots of Pike and a few others, to more Walleye than Pike.  Greg did hammer a nice 24″ dandy that was released to make babies for many years to come, way to go Greg!  Oddly the Perch have been quiet this week, but we hope once the summer sets in with a good weather pattern, they too will show in more numbers?

Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to Hours?  The church bells tolled loudly Tuesday afternoon as a large storm with tremendous rain pounded the Cheese head Boys as they were on White Otter!  Maybe the name should be changed to Gitchee Gumee as a Sea of White covered the waters from the west then shifting to the north pummeling the shoreline!  The boys made if back safely less wet clothes, thank God for the dryer.

As the Girls and I walked the trail towards Echo this morning, Magoo was out in front by about 25 yards which she usually does.  Sadie was about at the end of the rope, when I looked in front of Magoo in the brush and I saw what she saw, a Bear!  Magoo took off running as did Sadie into the woods!  Terrified I attempt to run through the bush but as thick as it is, that was not very wise!  I blew the whistle and Magoo came back panting like crazy.  I called and listened for Sadie, nothing!  Walked and called again, nothing!  Starting to get worried, I walked deeper into the bush where Magoo had come from.  I called Sadie one more time and I hear her bark.  Quickly Magoo and I headed towards the sound and found Sadie wrapped around brush, trees and junk but in good shape!  Whew a breathe of fresh air.  I unwrapped her and we headed back to Camp!  Of course along the way, Magoo had got to flush our first Grouse of the year!

I guess you never know what adventure will come here at Happy Camp.  So come along, enjoy an adventure with us and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!

Good day, all!  The last few days have brought beautiful sunny, breezy days to the shores of White Otter Lake and Happy Camp area!  Water levels continue to recede, and fishing continues to be very good for pike and walleye.

Cubs and their moms have been seen in the area as well so they are eagerly filling their bellies with anything tasty they can find.  A small, young striped “bear” appears to be taking up residency at the dump. I think he will have to move if he continues to raise havoc!

Logging continues all around us, so please drive carefully.  With the trucks, equipment, moose, bear and other critters out and about, there’s lots of stuff for you to look out for on your way to catching the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!  Take care.

Good Morning from warm and windy Happy Camp Ontario!  The weather has certainly turned summer like, with temps reaching high into the 80’s the last few days!  With the heat, the black flies and Mosquitos have become very intense.  In fact, last night while dropping off a trailer, I could not see more than 2 feet in front of my face.  Periodic rains have kept those fellers alive and well!

With the rain, the water has risen about 6 feet on the lake in the last week and the fish are scattered!  Our old Friends Rooster and John came up for a visit yesterday!  While cleaning walleye last night, I noticed the bellies pretty bare.  With the explosion of Mayflies, this should change as well and the shift to the soft bottom will occur.  Along with the Walleye, Pike are becoming more aggressive, John got a dandy over 10 pounds yesterday.  But good for those 2, they only kept a couple fish for the dinner table and the rest were let go to fight another day!

Sadie is adjusting to life in the bush quickly.  Magoo is showing her the ropes and they spent some time in the water yesterday cooling themselves from the heat and bugs.  Sadie watched the Loons as Magoo swam circles around the beach!

Guess that is all for now, we look forward to seeing you all soon!  Remember to bring your bug dope as well as your favourite lures to throw after the fish and soon you will too be Catching the Good LIfe with Us at Happy Camp Ontario!