HAPPY NEW YEAR

It is hard to believe that today is January 2nd 2012.  Betty and I have enjoyed the Christmas season with our friends and families, and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued support.  2011 was a great year for PCC and 2012 looks to be even better.  We could not have the business we do without each and everyone of you.

Walleye fishing was great  in 2011 at least until the middle of July.  The fishing hardly picked up at all the rest of the year, very odd.  The fall bite didn’t start until late September and was over by mid October.  Musky fishing stayed steady from the opener right through ice up.  Our area experienced the driest summer in over 50 years, very well may have had an effect on late summer fishing.

Our bear, moose and deer hunts all went very well.  Two of our archery hunters took awesome animals and our bear hunters had 100% opportunity.   The whitetail hunt was short and sweet for our guest with a couple beautiful mature animals.

The outpost was extremely busy and productive in 2011, many updates made our guest even more comfortable with many more to come this year.  New Yamaha motors for the three boats at the landing will be enjoyed in 2012.

Much of this news is a repeat our our Christmas letter but many of you are not on our mailing list.  If you would like to be, simply email us your mailing address.

Winter has been quite mild.  Very little snow has made a very promising year for our moose and deer heard.  Ice fishing is in full swing with average reports being weighed in.   Betty and I will not be on the ice until March but we do look forward to give our report from the ice.

We hope all of you will have a happy and healthy 2012 and we look forward to see many of you very soon at PCC.  Thank you again for a great season.

Late Season Scouting

If you have the drive to chase mature whitetail buck’s around in October and November do yourself a favor and get out now for some late season scouting.  If you still haven’t filled your tag you may want to find some bedding areas close to a major food source.  Bucks at this time of year usually have two things on their mind, FOOD and REST.  Many times that buck you are after is very close to that food source, make sure the wind is right take a nice Christmas Buck.  But if you have put a tag on an animal their may not be a better time to scout for next year than right now.  This years sign is still there and with less forage and maybe some snow on the ground the sign will stick out like a beacon in the night.  Scouting at this time of year may confirm, disregard, or even surprize some of your assumptions that you had during the year.  I don’t have to tell you that scouting and tramping around during the season is the worst thing you can do, as tempting as it may be.

Yesterday I spent the day in the bush scouting for next year and boy was I surprized.  I seen fresh sign that was not in areas on November 20th and seen more sign that confirmed the areas we were hunting were bang on.  Just like fishing, we always talk about the “spot inside the spot” .  This time of year is perfect to fine tune your stand position keeping the wind direction number one in your planning.  If the holiday season is just to busy, the sign that the bucks leave behind is not going anywhere.  Be sure to take a day or two in March, also a great time to scout, new and old rubs will still be detectable along with scrapes, and as a bonus you may even find a shed or two.

We are heading into town today, -30 with the wind chill.

Early winter kill of a young buck.  Let’s go wolf hunting!

It’s Been a While

The fall was very busy at PCC.  Hunting for the most part was good but we did have a few slow weeks thrown in there as well, which is typical when it comes to animal movement.  I believe the last blog update was around the end of the deer hunt.  Our non-resident hunters were all successful.  Then it was my turn.  I feel a little selfish at this time of year but pursuing mature whitetails is some what of a sickness.  I was very fortunate to take ten days for myself and plant my butt  in a tree.  I had  more fun hunting this year than I ever have.  Just the opportunity to sit in a tree is enough for me but the amount of deer I saw sure did help.  Remember, this is big woods hunting, you don’t see as many deer as you would in agriculture areas.  I logged 8 full days and 3 partial days, seeing 24 bucks and 3 does.  It was my last day to hunt, I saw a doe at 7:30am and one at 8:00am, 20 minutes later a mature buck showed himself right on the tracks of the last doe.  I knew he was not the biggest buck I have ever taken but definitely had the most mass.  The buck had over 42 inches of mass measurements and more than anything he was mature.  The date was November 22nd, definitely after the prime rut.  I believe this is one of the best times to kill a mature buck, that is 2 years in a row for me that a mature buck has fallen well after the peak of the rut.  You may have noticed that I had only seen 3 does, that tells me that our buck to doe ratio is still in check which makes hunting that much more exciting.  All the little tricks of the trade can work on these curious bucks that are trying to find a doe,  but really the best secret isn’t a secret, simply time in the stand is the key.  For those of you who live in cold weather areas one tool that I can’t believe I never owned is the “Heater Body Suit”.  This garment kept me on stand in weather that I probably could never last a whole day hunting without.  I strongly recommended this suit for the hunters that are serious about putting long hours in on the stand. 

Over all the deer population seemed to be OK.  In all of our scouting we did not see as much mature buck sign as we had seen in the past.  I personally did not hear of to many mature bucks taken this year.  Talking with trappers, hunters and people in the MNR it seems that last winter may have taken its toll on some deer in some areas, unfortunately mature bucks are usually the first to go in a tough winter.  This winter is starting out fairly mild, only a few inches of snow on the ground compared to last year at this time where we had 2 feet.   If  the winter doesn’t pile up to much snow for a long period of time those 3 1/2 year old deer we saw this year could be fun to hunt next year.  Believe me, I am already counting the days until I can sit in a tree from dark to dark crashing big horns together.  I hope you all had a fun and safe hunt this year and I look forward to hearing many of your stories in days and weeks to come.

Our Blog server was acting up the last week or so and we didn’t get to wish everyone south of the border a Happy Thanksgiving, our apologies.  Betty and I are wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.  Our 2012 season is really shaping up to look like another great year.  We both are excited to see you all again.

One last note to end this blog.  A big change in 2012 will be License Distribution.  PCC WILL NO LONGER OFFER HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE AT CAMP.  Dutchies General store 8 miles north and Bobby’s Corner in Vermilion Bay are just 2 close alternatives.  The Outdoor Cards that many of you have will be used this coming year and PCC will not have the proper hardware to distribute the paperless license.   

 

Let’s go Hunting

Fall has been very busy!  Let’s go back to the second week of the rifle season for moose.  Things slowed dramatically.  Animals seemed to be hung up tight and there was not much moment.  After a long hard-fought rut it seemed that moose took a break.  They are starting to move again but a little too late for many hunters.  Randy Clow and Jeff Olajos took this animal the first week of the gun season, way to go guys.

After the second week of moose season our attention shifted to our remote deer hunt and Steve Sulfridge (IL)started us out with a bang.  On one of the best days of the calendar to hunt “Halloween”, Steve took an awesome 148″ mainframe 10 pointer with lots of junk.  The picture doesn’t do the deer justice.  There was tons of character to his rack including 38 1/2 inches of mass measurements.  Bucks really just started to move yesterday, up until now there has not been much sign at all.  Gary Turk also took a nice deer yesterday morning after passing a different buck 20 minutes before.  I will actually be going out tomorrow to see if we can get a mature buck with the bow.

It’s to bad we don’t have time to do everything.  Musky fishing would still be very good right now.  Last week we snuck out for a few hours and landed a beautiful 44 1/2 inch fall musky.  A few weeks back moose and musky were on the agenda and now it looks like deer and musky.

Good luck hunting this fall and please be safe.  I’ll be in a tree for the next few weeks so please leave a message.

MOOSE and MUSKY

Firearm moose season opened up last week with unseasonable warm temperatures.  One would have guessed that  moose would be tough locate, not the case.  We had 4 adult tags in camp last week and by the morning of day three all tags were full.  John Gaffeny’s gang from Tweed, ON took a bull and a cow the first two mornings of the hunt and the Bobcaygeon boys took a bull and a cow on morning one and three.  Good times had by all.  Grouse were plentiful as well.  The warm temperatures didn’t seem to affect animal sightings.  This week is much different.  High winds and snow flurries are making hunting a little more challenging.  As a bonus last week we were able to get a few guys out musky fishing.  We didn’t have a lot of action but were able to boat at least one fish per day with a couple of other opportunities.  The fall fish are really starting to put weight on, Shawn Farr landed a 47 inch musky that had a girth of 21″.  The walleye bite this fall has been spotty.  Just a couple reports of  excellent fishing, most of what we heard was a slow bite.  The last few days I have been hearing tons of deer sighting.  That’s good to hear after such a tough winter the animals endured last season. 

Bobcaygeon BoysBob Corcoran 44″.Scott Spittel 43″.Shawn Farr 47″

NW Ontario Giant

The archery moose hunting season has been a hard-fought battle but in the last few days things really came together.  Rob Hamm and his father George, who I been Guiding for 6 years didn’t get down even though the action had been slow for the most part.  Friday evening, this 54 1/2 ” giant came into range with using  aggressive tactics and gave Rob a 40 yard broadside shot in which he made a perfect hit on this magnificent animal.  There does not seem to be a lack of animals in the areas that we have been hunting.  Reports over the last few days have been very good, lots of moose around.  I started guiding Chris Luetkeman on Sunday and our first morning was unbelievable.  We called in three bulls, all within 15 yards and Chris arrowed a beautiful 48″ bull.  He passed on two smaller bulls that morning before taking this one.  We had seen 4 bulls and a cow that morning and as a bonus, a black wolf came to a cow call a minute before the first bull came into the picture.  That smaller 2 1/2 year old bull stepped out of the bush at 10ft from Chris, giving him a very exciting first day moose hunt.

The fall bite has started on many bush lakes.  Big walleye are being caught daily.  Rob Hamm and his Dad boated a 29″ walleye and several in the mid 20′s in the last 2 days.  Weather has finally stabled which seems to have helped tremendously.  Trout season ends on Friday and I’ll be taking my Dad out for the last day.  The reports I have gotten this morning is that the trout have started to move up for their annual spawn.  Musky should be going as well, we’ll be out hunting for those giants in another week or so.  Water temps are in the high 50′s to low 60′s depending on where you are at.

Grouse are abundant but you have to get out of the main stream areas to see the birds.  Early in the morning on old bush roads that are nothing more than two-track trails are where you’ll find the birds.  I have not been out as of yet but with guiding done for this year I would like to say I’ll find some time to have a feed of grouse.

Fall is upon us, absolutely magnificent colors everywhere.  Not a better time to be in NW Ontario.

Rob Hamm first 2 pictures, Chris Luetkeman the 3rd picture.

Still Slow

Weather has made boat control difficult which has hurt walleye fisherman.  It’s hard to say if the bite has picked up.  High winds have made staying on a spot extremely tough.   Most reports are simply poor.   Moose season has started and we’ll be guiding starting on Tuesday.  After a few days of scouting things look to be promising.  I found some fresh rubs on Thursday and with little looking around I found a beautiful shed in good shape, probably from a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 year old bull.  The bush is still fairly green and with a lack of water my guess is the moose will be close to lakes.  Grouse season also has started and birds are plentiful but the weather has kept them hunkered down just like the fish.  Hopefully things will pick up and I’ll have something good to write about, but hey, it’s hunting season and that something positive in its self.  Below are a couple of pics from the 1st of September. 

Mike Nurczyk (JFD)

Tough Fishing

Many of you know that I often paint with a broad brush.  Fishing over the last few weeks has not been  good.  Some of our veterans managed to do well in tough conditions but over all it’s been difficult to put together a day or two of good fishing.  Hot dry weather has played a part along with low water levels.  In my opinion, oxygen or the lack of,  has dampered the start of the fall bite.  No wind, no rain, and hot weather along with several algae blooms have sucked much of the oxygen out of the water.  Water temps, until this week have still been in the 70′s.  It’s really to bad that we experienced this type of fishing towards the end of our season.  The spring and summer bite could not have been much better, many of our anglers caught more fish than they ever have.  September fishing is one of  my favorite times of year and I hope all the wet, cold and windy conditions this week will have sparked the fall bite for one our last weeks of fishing this season. 

Archery season for moose begins Saturday. I am looking foward to guiding Rob and George Hamm from Wisconsin starting on Tuesday.  The hard frost and 26 degrees this morning sure does get a hunter excited for the fall hunt.

A few bright spots in the last week or so.

                                                                                            WINNIPEGER’S

                                                                                          The Kingpin and crew

Bear Report

Bear season for PCC ended a couple of weeks back.  Over all it was an excellent hunt.  Our hunters had 100% opportunity at taking a bear and most hunters enjoyed seeing multiple bear.  They averaged 3 1/2 days of hunting and saw an average of 4 bear in that time frame.  There was a poor berry crop which added to our success but the over all population of bear in this area seems to be very strong.  Mark Lamoine (WI) arrowed his first bear that went 300lbs. and measured 6 ft on his second day of the hunt.  Jacob Henderson (OK) was able to video bear just about everyday and most of the footage was awesome, we hope to get some of that footage on the web page.  

 This group of archery hunters from Wisconsin all arrowed a bear while hunting with us.

 Shane Gordon from Joliet, IL arrowed his first bear at the beginning of the season. 

Bookings for 2012 bear season is shaping up quite well.   We will be hunting a few new area’s that have not been hunted in over ten years.  North Camp which is 75 miles North of PCC will be hunted next year as well.  If interested in a 2012 hunt give us a call.

Thank You JFD

Betty and I had a great time with the Joliet Fire Department group once again.  Thanks so much for the fun and laughs.  unfortunately walleye fishing was slow this past week, walleye  are not feeding.  Air temps are in the 30′s this morning and that should help lower some water temps and trigger the start of a fall bite.  Fisherman in camp are having a tough time this week as well.  The boys from Winnipeg did well yesterday on a small bush lake, they caught limits of walleye in just a few hours.  Everyone else in camp struggled, even guys fishing big water.  Sometimes you can’t explain why fish don’t bite, it is what it is.  Musky fishing last week was pretty good at the start of the new moon.  A couple of heavy hitters started the week off with 6 musky in two days, Eric Johnson and Mike Nurczyk boated a 45 and a 46 in that bag.  Tony Frankovich and Scott Munday managed to stretch their luck out daily, they boated a fish each day, a couple of pictures below.  Ron Fox (JFD) boated the biggest walleye of the week at 27 inches.  Tony Muir and Mike Adelman concentrated on northern pike fishing a few days and boated some nice fish, many in the mid 30′s.  Trout fishing will close at the end of the month and fish will start moving up for their annual spawn.  A few of our guys fished for trout yesterday and boated 2 nice fish and lost several others.  Fish were suspended 55ft over 90 feet of water.