Catching the Good Life in the Canadian Wilderness

Good evening Happy Campers! After many, struggles, headaches and so much more, we are hopeful to head up to HCO very, very soon! The first trip will be a quick trip to haul gear, then if al goes well be back by the end of the month for the duration! So stay tuned to this Bat Channel for updates from the Dynamic Duo! Briefly, we have filled most Moose spots, I think one remains so if you think you have a spot, you best give us a shout! Adios from the south, soon hopefully from the north!

Good Day Happy Campers, Happy Mother’s day to all Mother’s out there. Mom, I miss you more than you will ever know and HCO too will not be the same without you. From your early morning sips on a beverage to your berry picking abilities, it was always an adventure.

As we fished, I often was amazed how one can cast their line out, not pay attention then slowly reel thru the weeds and slime and near the boat say, “I think I have a fish!” But hey, they sure seemed to like your special spoon.

A few years ago Mom was at HCO for a stay and wanted some Trout. So I took the horse and buggy down the trail in search of some. I tied the horses to an Alder tree with fresh grass for them to eat, got out the pole and plopped in the creek. I whipped the Demon Spinner upstream, nothing. Turning downward, I see a large brown object along the shore. Yikes, I thought, what ever could this be? So I cautiously waded towards it. The large brown beast lifted its head out of the water, stared at me, then, Poof, was gone in a flash!!

Whatever could it be I thought, then remembering the MNR placing Caribou in the area, that is what it was. Or, could it be a Reindeer, one never knows, certainly not Rudolph, no shiny Red Nose.

Bam a hit on the Demon, soon a scrappy Speckle is in the net. I can already hear the butter spackling. Just around the bend, I see a swirl where there must be another Speck. Sure enough, he slams the bait hard. Tugging and running downstream he takes out line like a Tarpon. Soon the Behemoth surges towards the surface, breaking with such power only seen by a Humpback whale!

In, out, I finally bring the Trout to my hand, I look at the Monster as I unhook the spinner from his jaws. I can barely lift the beast to my creel, but he does slide into it with the other that is laying on fresh creek grass. I stop for a minute and enjoy the beauty of the fish, wilderness and the smell of wilderness air. There is NOTHING like it, no where.

I breathe in and continue fishing, catch a handful more to be released. An hour or so passes, head back to the Buggy, and trot back to HCO. Mom is waiting with her empty plate, fork in one hand, knife in the other, and yells, FEED ME, I’M HUNGRY!

Mom, calm down you crazy Elephant I say, be patient. Quickly I toss the Trout in the pan and they start to cook. Mom calms a bit, but she is ready for another Clamato, her third and it is only 9:30, Holy Hot Dog Harry!

Trout are done, eggs in pan, toast is ready. Now we dine and Mom quickly devours the Trout. When she is done with them, she raises the skeleton up which has been picked clean and smiles. Breakfast of Speckle Trout, Eggs and Toast, nothing finer, but Mom says, that was Delicious, but do you know what would go good with that? Stay tuned!!

So here we are May 13, 2023 and FINALLY we get word that we have our Bear tags for 2023 and beyond( I hope)! If anyone is hankering for an adventure of a lifetime let me know, it will certainly be a work in progress. Additionally, some other hunts have opened up and will offer more adventure, more to come later.

Soon Happy Camp will be going and we will be searching for Bears and hopefully in 2023 we will bring our newest addition to the Happy Camp Wilderness.

For now, the bird migration is on its way north. Sadly, less and less waterfowl are coming this year. Magoo and I wanted to hunt White Geese, but after seeing maybe 500 total fly over, there is something wrong, where are the 9 Million the USFWS claims there are. Seems to be plenty of Mallards, but few other ducks. But, there are Orioles, Buntings, Grosbeaks, and much more. While there is still some ice here, most is gone and the rest can’t be gone soon enough!

2023 will usher in many changes to Happy Camp, much work to be done but we will pause here to get Trout on our mind as Tiger Trout have been stocked in North Dakota. In honor of Mom, maybe we will get lucky and catch one for the pan, time will tell. But for now, aging Magoo and I will go for an adventure and the puppies at the Souris Valley Animal Rescue will get a visit first.

Take care, Happy Mother’s day Mom’s, hug the hounds for us!

Good April 21, 2023 everyone! It is amazing how the winter will just not relent, maybe the last blast will be the end, time will tell. As we travelled back to ND yesterday, we hit yet another blizzard, and there is ice, snow and roads closed all over. The morning is cold, about 15 now, with many, many new birds looking for food. There is a flock of Robins about 30 looking for food and are fighting for remnants of Apples in the yard. Also, maybe 70 or so songbirds on the ground looking for food.

As we inch towards spring and Happy Camp 2023, we will embark on new journeys. We have a new area to Bear hunt, but waiting for the paperwork to obtain the tags. So we are hopeful to have these by late May to start a hunt.

Spring Bear hunt will be new for us, we have some ideas to go after these bruins and for sure it will be an adventure. Speaking of adventures, I am hopeful to get some birding groups to come to the Happy Camp area and explore, seek and find birds and report. I remember the wonderful migration at Happy Camp!

Magoo and I were on the river near Ichi looking for birds, when 4 Scoters zoomed by, 2 each drake and hen. I swung on the beautiful yellow billed drake, but with not enough lead I knocked down the hen. never the less, Magoo worked her magic and brought the beautiful Velvet Scoter to hand. Magoo has been wonderful for 11 years.

Yesterday we celebrated Magoo’s 12th birthday, and her age is showing, she is slowly a bunch, but I hope with all the fibers in my body that she and I will hunt this fall and the Old Man will not come knocking on our door yet, Don’t Let the Old Man In. I am so looking forward to our adventures in the far north.

We are looking for a few people to join us with like minds, so if you are looking for an adventure of a lifetime, beautiful wilderness, few people, shoot me a message or give us a call to see what’s happening!

Hug the hounds, take care and keep in touch!!

Good Day Happy Campers, hope all is well with all of you. Today is a special day like no other ever, ever. For today, 1 day only, Everything is FREE, no questions asked, but you have to act today, don’t delay!

Good late February Happy Campers, Catfish Chris from the Manitoba border. As we watch the world unravel, as well as so many people pounded by the snow, and wind, I guess we are lucky to be only well below zero. While today, the hope was to be at or slightly above 0, we have not made it and it is almost Twilight, so maybe tomorrow.

A few weeks ago we were excited about change, it seems that the MNR has forgot to include us in our plans. Those of you who have spent time with us know all too well the ongoing frustrations with that governing body. Tell you what, you ain’t seen nothing yet! I guess we shall see how it all shakes out, but does not sound like anything except more frustration. One thing is for sure, as I have pulled a whole whack of my hair out from the past frustration, there really is not much left to finish the job!!!

Magoo and I have been doing some fishing, and found a lure that will absolutely smash them at HCO and we can not wait to try them out! This lure tipped with a couple of maggots will tear so many lips off fish you would think they are Bullheads! The sharp cabbage edge on Bound will be ripping like crazy, no need for even thinking of bait.

While change is inevitable, I think it is so important to look at the wonderful wilderness that we are blessed with in the Happy Camp Region. I can only hope that when I take my last step on earth I have done what I can to preserve what we have and leave it a better place. With that said, I am extremely excited to embark on Cache 2023, the Maiden Voyage! While the plan is set, I do not know actually how it will turn out.

But one thing is for certain, it WILL be an adventure, always is! I was thinking of the wild adventures had at HCO so far, from the Diamond Company landing their Helicopter, to Waders Shrinking or Chopping off the Head of that Moose, one has to say what we have is simply unbelievable. Top that with the cast of Brighton Beach, how in the world did we ever has so many head scratching things happen?

Spring can not come soon enough for Magoo, need to go and fill the feeders for the Quandrants, they are numbering close to 80 now in their 4. #17 is still out on mission, look for them to return tomorrow with a JWD! These quadrants of Flyers are great, they always come back with a Job Well Done!!

Take care, hug your hounds, keep the feeders full!!

Good day, long time coming Happy Campers! Something Fishy is going on, and in the next few months we shall see what happens. We are hopeful to open a new hunting area and as Bob Dylan sings quite often these days, Times they are a Changing!

Seems like a blur since Covid, perhaps all will settle down in the near future. You know when you lose a parent whom you have grown fond of, so many things click in your head each day that remember so much. For example, I just finished Mom’s last jar of Strawberry Jelly, kind of weird how when I washed the jar and lid how Mom came to the forefront. Each day is a struggle, always wonder when and if it will get better?

Magoo continues to amaze me, winter has been hard on all of us, but each day she and I have some fun even if only running around our tiny house with my shoes. Although she is almost 12, the Puppy in her never gets old, and now brings a smile to my face every time.

We hope to be up at HCO much this year and have lots of plans which include fishing and hunting and perhaps traveling. We need to leave time open as we have some things to do, but the Wilderness is calling and soon we shall go north.

Drop us a line sometime, or come up for a visit and spend a month, we will put you to work! Take care and keep in touch.

As August winds down and September starts soon, I have tried to focus on days ahead. It seems like yesterday that Mom left us, and the sting is as real today as when she passed. Far too often something triggers me to want to call, email or talk to her. Everyday seems like such a struggle and they usually are.

Back in North Dakota, we are trying to get music going in the Middle School, so that is a tough road to hoe. But we will get after it each day and see what happens, guess that is the best I can do. Hopefully soon we will get some cooler weather that will usher in the Fall and Magoo will stand and say, “It is Time”. Magoo is definitely getting grayer, maybe wiser, we shall see. There are a few birds to chase this year and I can not wait for her to put her mouth around some fresh feathers. It has been a long, long off-season and time to get her back to work. The other day she went swimming, still such a hard charger I often wonder why she never has got injured doing that. Magoo just crushes into the water, with one large jump the other day she went completely under water, up she came then paddled out to the stick. She certainly is a joy to watch and hunt with!

To the north, I hear tell of great Blueberries this year, with the amount of rain I can see why they are absolutely Jumbo’s. I recall when Mom came north to pick berries, we found a massive patch that we picked, picked and picked. But as we picked there was a certain pawed buddy that would wait and when we went to pick more, she would stick her head in the bucket and chomp away. Magoo was too lazy to pick her own to eat, so she enjoyed some of our pails, that darn Lab, haha.

I am hopeful to start our next hunt adventure with our hunters next Spring, while that is a go, keep your fingers crossed to actually have that happen in Spring of 2023.

Guess that is about it for now Happy Campers, take care, hug your hounds and keep in touch!

Good evening Happy Campers, sorry it has been awhile since I posted last. I can not begin to tell you how heavy the heart is. Late in July I spoke to Mom and she wanted me to come home and I agreed to get back to spend time with her before school started.

Got back late Saturday night, phoned Mom early Sunday, had to leave a message. Phoned late Sunday, still no answer, this is odd! Monday morning I placed a few more calls without success, then contacted siblings, they have no idea. So we headed to check on Mom, as we turned into the driveway, brother Pat was also turning in.

Driving up to the house was normal. I got out and looked into the garage, both vehicles were inside. I walk onto the deck and see the sliding window screen closed, but the glass door open about a foot. I yell as I go in, nothing. Pat is right behind me, and sadly we find mom had expired in her bedroom. Needless to say my world has been a non stop spin for the last few days and will be for well, who knows.

For those of you whom had met mom, she truly was a wonderful woman, always a smile on her face, unless I pissed her off, always helping a hand. As of the last few years, she truly enjoyed the adventures we had especially at Happy Camp. She loves the wilderness, peace and quiet and the people whom we came across. Taking at Trip to the Polar Bears of Cochrane, picking berries near Fran Lake, playing cards, and just enjoying time with Mom was so special. During the last 10 years or so Mom and I would speak about every 3rd day, sometimes more. Often we would end by saying we have solved all the worlds problems, which we both knew we did not.

Mom spent her last day having breakfast with Jamie and Enid enjoying Cinnamon rolls, smart talk and coffee and apparently a Zoom meeting in the afternoon with Rotary, one of the service items that she truly loved! Mom, I will miss you eternally and until you and Dad and I are united, enjoy the ride! Safe travels

Hi folks, whew it certainly is warm! Heat, Humidity and all of that is here in force. Yesterday we peaked about 92, and seems like we are headed warmer today. Perhaps this will get rid of some bugs, because they sure are quite, well let’s just say, INSANE! From Black Flies to Mosquitos, to Gnat, Deer, Horse and Jumbo Flies, we have them all. The only fly that is not around right now is the May Fly, the latest Hexagena have finished their annual dance on the waters of White Otter Lake!

I have a couple of Encounters to share with you. Yesterday we were fixing the hole on the roof in Cabin 3/4, and I was headed underneath Cabin 1/2 porch to get a sheet of roofing. Well one of the baby Robins had fallen out of the nest and it took off flying maybe 10 feet then struggling to wander into the yard. So I went and got a fishing net, and caught the little one. I took it over near a bush with many branches and tried to set it on a branch, but HOLY HOT DOG, I was buzzed by the parents like crazy. In fact one of them knocked my hat off of my head! So I took the baby over near its nest and set it on a stump, then walked away. The parents continued to buzz me for a minute or so, but then all was quiet. Later as I was putting items under the porch, I heard the parents chirping, I am hopeful they were saying thank you, boy if animals could talk!!

Last evening Magoo and I ventured into the bush looking for a lake that has eluded us for years. While we drove slowly down the trail looking we saw the Egyptians crossing the road. In front was a Little fellow followed by a line of 5 more, then 2 Adult Ruffed Grouse, so the whole family was doing the Bangle Tune, Walk Like an Egyptian!

As luck would have it, we did see water back in the woods. So we got out, started venturing into the bush, PLOOSH! Magoo had found a little pool of water in the creek bed to cool her off! Inching our way thru the bush, we found the LAKE!! Lake #4 was found, Yahoooo. Shoreline was full of rocks, just like a typical Canadian shield lake!! I walked the shoreline, then Magoo and I headed back to the truck. Once on the trail we headed back and Magoo jumped into the bush hard to see anything, but then a Grouse flushed into a tree. Come ON Magoo let’s go.

Nothing but quiet, then I heard a squealing like a pig, what the hell is that! The squealing lasts maybe 10 seconds and down the trail comes a Bear ROARING! I guess maybe 25 feet from me it stands on its hind legs ROARS at me and swipes with its front paw all while its jaws are open showing me its teeth! Magoo comes out of the bush, immediately barks at the Bear and as luck would have it, the Bear drops down and disappears into the bush! As I write, all I can think of as I write this is the scene from the movie EDGE, where the Bear is showing his teeth and jowels at Anthony Hopkins.

On the way back, a Cow and Calf Moose crossed in front of us, and while that was interesting, it certainly was nothing like the Encounter we had earlier last night!

Fishing is poor, water is warm, almost 77, berries are slowly coming along. Not much else to tell, off to the bush again today, take care, have a Happy Camp Day!

Hi Happy Campers, look who showed up at White Otter, our old pal Rooster! As we all know, we have not been at Happy Camp since 2019, and in late 2019 Rooster had a large stroke at his most favorite place in the world, White Otter Lake while camping on the Ponderosa.

We got word of Roosters troubles in 2020, and while we hoped for the best, we knew he has an uphill battle ahead of him. But alas, a few days ago I go to the lake with Magoo and I see his buddy John and Katelyn and Roosters old boat struggling to get him in the boat. At first I did not even recognize Rooster, but then I see his eyes, and it is old Martin himself!! As happy as Magoo and were to see him, we also realized quickly Rooster is not himself any longer. Rooster was using a cane, and walking very slowly to the boat. So I quickly helped John and lifted Rooster’s right leg into the boat. We were able to get him into the boat and there Rooster sat looking out onto White Otter. John explained to me that the stroke had taken the use of Rooster’s right side as well as his ability to speak. Despite much time to work on this thru therapy, Rooster is not able to speak, one can hope for a miracle, so everyone please pray!

Anyone who has come to Happy Camp in the last 10 years has either met or heard of Rooster. Rooster had become a favorite here, story telling and so much more. Rooster loved Happy Camp, the Wilderness and all that it brought. Often times Rooster would show up pulling his boat about 10 in the morning, would stop in for a chat, and the chat would last for hours and many beverages. Rooster was a master story teller to say the least. Rooster’s gift of gab certainly was a breathe of fresh air, but also were his antics and I chuckle as I write them. Rooster and I have tales to tell, from him coming up to grade the road, to falling in the fire, to his cussing and swearing about this and that, there certainly is only one Rooster!

As I helped John with Rooster, grabbing his arm, I could feel the pressure and frustration coming from Rooster. Looking into his eyes I could see it and the struggle to say anything, simply took the life out of me. To see our pal Rooster struggle mightily, certainly reminds us all how quickly life can turn on anyone! Rooster certainly had the zest for life and I am so hopeful that things will change for him, I also looked into those eyes how frustrating to not be able to do anything for him is frustrating beyond compare and while we say, Such is Life, sometime life totally sucks!

With that, we are very Sad Campers, not much more to say. As I was told a while back, life is a gift, live everyday, that certainly rings true! Mayflies are here, fish are biting, come on up to say hi. Take care everyone!