2025 Bear Hunt Days 10,11 - Post Hunt Scramble

I was up early and with almost everything, especially my now frozen bear, packed up, it was a quick shower and I was ready to go.

I walked down to the bay to say goodbye and was struck with an absolutely astonishing moonlit goodbye.

But all things really, really must come to an end.  I jumped in the Maverick and headed out.

There was some fog as I made my way through Manitoba, but it was never bad enough that I had to slow down very much.  In a few spots the temperatures had dropped to well below freezing.

I stuck to paved roads and made my way through the two towns, before the final stretch toward the border.  Traffic was light and the final goodbye to Canada was once again stunning.

The border took a few minutes to fill out the form to import my bear.  The form was different from the example they gave me to follow, but I did my best.  The rather bored-looking border guard said, "Perfect!" and I was on my way.

I was listening to Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  I don't read much fiction, but I've heard several references to this book recently to the point I felt I had to listen to it.  It was good, but only good - brutal, dark.  The end was predictable.  It was worth listening to.

I made my way to my sister's in Wisconsin.  It was a long 12 hour drive to get there.  Because I left early, we had quite a bit of time to catch up.  It was great to see her for a bit.  Around dark we called it a night.

______________________

After coffee with my sister, I was back on the road for the final leg home.  I was out of books, so I was just listening to podcasts.  Hidden Brain was oddly refusing to hold my attention.

I have planted several paw paw trees as well as given away seedlings.  I knew there was a Paw Paw in Michigan, but I did not know (more realistically did not remember) that there is one in Illinois as well.  I didn't stop...

Traffic was tolerable most of the day.  I timed Indianapolis well.  Working my way toward and down the familiar roads near home, I was looking forward to the familiar.

Once home it was a scramble to take care of the bear and get it in the freezer.  It was a late night (by my standards) and there was still much to do.  But work starts in the morning.

As I went to sleep, I relived many of the past week's amazing moments.  I thought back to bears and fish and the people I hung out with.  I am truly fortunate to be able to pursue my outdoor interests.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 9 - Fantasy Camp Ends

With nearly the full week in the rear view mirror, things moved slowly in the morning.  There may have been a bit too much lollygagging.  But there were fish to catch!

Drew took Sam, Bill and me out for fishing after breakfast.  He put us on current near the Haliday stand.  There were a few good pockets of walleye for Bill and Sam, who were jigging.  I was casting and brought in a couple nice smallmouth bass.

I looked longingly at a small weedy bay which looked like it would be promising for pike.  The current and rocky channel gave too many snags to the jigs, so we all switched to bottom bouncers.  I had used these once on Lake Erie, and I was wondering if they used them up in this area as well.  Tactic is a little different between the lake and the river system, but still effective.  This made things much better for snags and I participated as well.  I was able to bring in one eater walleye.

It spit rain a bit through the morning and we had one significant squall for most of the way back.

Lunch was burgers back at the lodge.  Then it was out for a last round of fishing.

Both Bill and I wanted to cast for pike so Drew acquiesced.  We started out going primarily after big pike in the channel.  We caught fish, but the big ones were elusive.

We moved then into the bays to finish out the day.  Numbers were pretty good for pike, but nothing too large was brought in.  There was one casualty as a spinnerbait was destroyed by one of the pike I brought in.  The spinnerbait gave its all (and I'm due to get some new ones anyway).

The weather as the day ended had turned to a perfect early fall day.

The final dinner that night was really good pork ribs and local wild rice as I said goodbye to my fellow hunters and guides.  But only for a year...

2025 Bear Hunt Day 8 - One Fish Bay

With everyone tagged out, the day was different from the previous.  

After breakfast, a few of us went out for fishing, but the weather was cold, and very windy.  It was just a snotty day.

I went upriver with Lockler to fish for pike.  We went above the rapids and tried several bays.  I brought in a good number of pike, but size was overall small.  

Weather deteriorated as we went through the morning.  Winds remained abusive which created a lot of chop in the open-water areas.  It spit rain most of the morning and with cold temperatures it was not easy conditions.  I'm not yet cold tolerant and my hands went numb from the cold.

But it was still a fun day fishing.

We went back to the lodge for lunch which I was glad about since trying to do a shore lunch at the actual shore would have been difficult.

Lockler took myself and Bill out after lunch.  We fished the islands near camp and went into Blind Bay.  I caught the one and only (small) fish brought into the boat.

Back at the lodge at a more reasonable time than bear hunting provides, dinner was steaks on the grill.

A few people had already left camp, but those of us that remained sat around talking about hunting, fishing and just about a little of everything.  This was fun, but I was ready to have a few extra hours of sleep.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 7 - 10 Years Later

I woke up definitely feeling like I could have slept in.  The late nights and early mornings can be challenging.  But there is absolutely nothing, zero, nada to complain about.

After breakfast Thomas took Waylon and me out for fishing.  We went upriver above the rapids (not sure the term is correct since there are no "rapids" this year), and hit several bays.  It was a phenomenal day of fishing.  We hooked into pods of pike through the morning with enough slow sections to keep us slightly humble.

I think Waylon caught about three fish to my one, but I remained stubborn to my spinnerbait when I probably should have switched to a spoon like Waylon was using.  I did not really like the movie A River Runs Through It, but I find myself overthinking that pike are supposed to be caught on spinnerbaits, much like how one fly-fishes plays a role in the movie - probably a symptom of getting older...

I did hook into the largest pike I've caught in a few years, bringing in a fat 37" pike.  Watching it hit right near the boat was quite exciting.

Dave had taken tagged-out hunters upriver, so there were only a few of us for lunch.  Then a nap and it was out for bears.

Weather was cool and cloudy.  Forecast was for some rain, but it looked like we would be just outside of it as it drifted south.  I loved the cool weather and decided to chance it and not bring rain gear.

I felt oddly optimistic as Drew took Rebecca and I upriver.  The scenery was stunning.  The cool temperatures got my blood going.  Wind was non-existent.  Even the cloudiness seemed right.

Rebecca was dropped off at Greer Lake.  I was sitting in the boat waiting; the loons were wailing and laughing in the distance.  It was a rare, beautiful, magical moment.

With low water we had a longish walk to Gas Can from where Drew beached the boat.  The bait had been hit since being filled previously in the morning.  I got easily situated as Drew left me alone for the afternoon.  A grouse was loudly drumming and this continued through the early afternoon; I had not previously heard this in the fall.

I was dozing a little bit when I was brought back to alertness by movement to my left.  A bear was nosing through the woods, headed into the bait.  It got to the small clearing, looked in my direction and did a 180, turning back into the trees.

I watched it for several minutes as it wandered a bit, then lost sight for a short time.  It returned, and made its way once again to the bait.  After walking it, it took a quick bit of spilled popcorn before nervously high-tailing it out to the right.

For the short time I had a good view of it, my impression was of a good bear, but still thin and young.  I didn't want to overthink at this point.

About an hour passed before another bear came in from the right.  This bear was not the same bear as the first one, and was confidently bold.  It scrambled around the barrel before making short work of the logs and started eating.

I watched the bear while my mind fought for what to do.  I knew it was not a monster, but everything about the bear screamed 'pretty good.'  It was not real long, but it was very fat for its size.  It was tall enough to see over the barrel, even  when it was in the depression the barrel was in.  It had to struggle to get its head into the barrel.

But every time I looked at it through the scope, it shrunk...

And then there were the rationalizations - both positive and negative.  I'm 100% good with a good bear.  I'm not sure the freezer has room for a whopper?  But with good weather, no reason not to hunt more?  I think I really do want to go home with a bear?  My mind went back and forth at least 87 times.

I went on my first bear hunt in 2009.  That hunt ended on the exact stand I was on.  I thought about how excited I was then ... how excited the 2009 me would have been to see a bear like this ... of the infinite lessons since that 2009 kid was sitting on this spot in Manitoba, one of the best lessons is cooling down while hunting; one of the worst curses is overthinking.

After about an hour the bear turned to leave toward the right.  I saw the bear fully in broadside.  Decision made.  Good enough won out.

After the shot, the bear ran a few steps and I heard it crash.  I knew it was over.  I waited as long as I could and got down out of the treestand.  I easily found my bear.  It was a beautiful, stout black bear; I was happy.

After grabbing a couple pictures, I put out my orange on a tree and got back in the treestand.  I knew it would be a long wait.  But temperatures were nice and there was a bear on the ground, so even if it was a bit tiresome, it was also almost spiritual.

I spent quite a bit more time thinking about 2009 vs. the current day.  I was so fortunate to be able to go on a bear hunt in 2009, and that is still true today.  I found it serendipitous that my first and 10th bear were taken from the same stand; that may have been a very small reason (of many) in my decision to shoot.  I'm not the same person I was in 2009 ... at all.  But I still am me.

Right around sunset I heard a boat come in.  Chris and Drew came in to get me.  We took some pictures before loading my bear into the sled and making our way to the boat.

Coming around that last bend before camp, the moon was peering eerily through the clouds as the lights of the dam glinted in the distance; I let myself have one more bit of nostalgia as I thought back to the same journey in the freezing cold temperatures in 2009.

Back at camp Rebecca had taken a near carbon copy of my bear with a beautiful white tie.  Waylon had taken a pretty good bear as well.  As my bear was almost done and in the freezer, Bill came in with a whopper of a boar.  Everyone had tagged out.  The guides were happy so many bears were taken with light left, and very little tracking was needed overall.

Everyone else had eaten so Bill and I ate dinner while talking with Chad.

We all still had two full days to fish.

I went to bed filled with memories ... and much gratitude.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 6 - But Not For Us

"There is hope.  Hope enough.  Infinite hope.  But not for us." - Franz Kafka

After an egg bake breakfast, Bill, Sam and I went out fishing with Dave.  We all casted for pike, trying a few bays up and around the rapids.  Fish numbers were pretty good.  And both Bill (33 inch) and Sam (30 inch) caught pretty decent pike.

Bear camp is falling into a rhythm, and it is an easy rhythm to get used to.

After a shore lunch (at camp), Lockler took myself and Neil out for the afternoon.  I was dropped off at the Perdushney (I've given up trying to learn how to spell that) bay stand.

After the single stand the previous afternoon, it was really easy to get comfortable.  Once alone on the hillside, something just felt right.

I've previously wondered whether a deer stand can have good feng shui, and came to the conclusion that it can.  I think this is also true for bear stands - or bear situations.  I was on the river, instead of a road bait.  I was back in a double ladder stand.  I was using my rifle again, instead of my shotgun.  Weather was cool and temperate - if a bit windy with a hint of a few sprinkles.  Things just felt right.

At least they felt right until I looked back and saw that as best my ability to search, I've never seen a bear while in this stand.  There is hope...

But not for us.  It was a quiet sit all afternoon.

Back in camp after getting picked up, five bears were down.  I won't remember them all (there are still a few people who I really haven't met), but Faith shot a decent one and Neil shot a bear while heading into the stand.  This leaves four of us (I think) with tags, including Bill and Rebecca.

Pork pot roast ended the night before turning in to hope for the second half of the week.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 5 - Four Well-Behaved Cubs

I woke up to steely, grey, cool morning.  I thought about trying to sleep more, but coffee was calling my name.

After pancakes for breakfast, Carter took Sam, Bill and I out for fishing.  We spent the morning casting for pike.  Fishing for me was a bit slower than the previous day, but I think the boat overall did better.  Both Bill and Sam caught quite a few pike.  I caught my first smally for the trip, even if it was rather small.  In one of the most miraculous fishing saves I've seen, I watched Carter grab Bill's snapped fishing line and hand-bring in a decent size pike.

Weather stayed cool and misty.  Forecasts were for the afternoon to get better, which was good since the mist was almost worse than rain.

After lunch, Carter took myself and Rebecca to road baits for bears.  I was dropped off on Duck Pond, where I had sat the previous year.  It is a single ladder stand, which I don't mind - although it does make the afternoon nap a near-impossibility.

Carter baited the barrel and also dumped a load of green apples.  He had not even walked out of the area before I saw a flash of black to the right.  Two cubs came in as Carter left.

One of the cubs was absolutely the smallest cub I had ever seen while hunting.  It looked like a small house-cat compared to the other cub, which was still one of this year's.

The little guy was feisty and really, really wanted popcorn.  Despite its size, it found a way to get the logs out of the barrel and munch away.  A third cub showed up, but only for a few seconds before it left.

Weather stayed cool and the mist dissipated, but it was somewhat windy at times, making it hard to hear.  I kept my eyes open for momma bear, but never saw her.  I did hear a bear making the contented "ungd" sounds so I originally thought she may have been in the area.

In one of the cutest things I've seen cubs do, the little cub eventually just scrambled inside the barrel to eat popcorn.

What I was most surprised about is that the two cubs did not wrestle and fight at all.  They seemed oddly patient for a couple animals which usually behave like unruly children.

After about 45 minutes the cubs left.  It was quiet, leaving me alone with my thoughts until I saw a dark shadow out of the corner of my eye.  

The cubs came back, and this time I saw there were four cubs walking in almost underneath me to my right.  The cubs varied in demeaner, but they eventually made their way to the barrel.

Again, I was shocked at how the cubs behaved.  There was no wrestling, growling for fighting.  The cubs seemed to take turns at the barrel.  Once the cubs figured out what the apples were, they seemed to enjoy those as well.  One of the more timid cubs would grab an apple, run to the bush and eat it before coming back in to repeat.  Smart girl...

The cubs stayed until around 5:00.  That left a llloooonnnggg stretch where not much was happening.  

Since I couldn't doze on the single stand, I let my mind run wild.  The more I thought about the cubs, the more curious I was about the situation.  Given that I never saw or heard mom (I'm 99% sure the "ungd" I previously heard was another cub since they were doing it when they showed up the second time), I wonder if these were a group of abandoned cubs?  Or maybe mom was nearby, but that wouldn't explain the one very small one?  Or???  If nothing else, I was rooting for that littlest guy to make it.

Whatever was going on, they would be easy prey for wolves if not in the protection of a big sow.

Weather stayed cool and windy.  I was comfortable in my wind-proof fleece.  It started to get darker and I was hopeful something big would pop out, but it wasn't to be.  Carter picked up Rebecca first, so I had some time in the dark.

Back in camp, one bear had been taken (by Dave?).  Several other bears were seen, but it was a bit slower overall than the first night.  Temperatures were supposed to stay cool for the rest of the week, so hopefully that gets them moving again.

I was desperate for bed after a bit too much lasagna for dinner.  I fell asleep, writing a story in my head about the cubs I had seen.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 4 - Reservoir Bears

Coffee calling my name got me out of bed.  And while it was still dark then, when the sun came up I was treated to an amazing sunrise while throwing the lure off the dock.

After a larger breakfast than I normally eat, Drew took Bill, Sam and myself out for fishing.  The day was temperate with a bit of wind - good for fishing.

We started by jigging for walleye which I don't find a very engaging way to fish.  Drew knew this (my reputation for wanting pike is well known here), but I made a serious go of it.  It wasn't productive, so Drew suggested I cast for pike as we got closer to some island weed beds.  I brought in a bunch of pike.  They were all small(ish), but it was still fun to bring them in.

We moved to another spot and again tried a mix of jigging and casting.  At one point I had a fish on the line which felt oddly non-pike-ish.  Bringing it in, I had caught a decent walleye ... on a spinnerbait.

We fished that area for a while longer; jigging brought in a few more walleye while I caught a couple more pike.  Overall a decent morning for fishing.

After a nice lunch, it was time to go out for bears.  Vance took Sam and me to the road baits.  Sam was dropped off first while I waited.  It was hot with some humidity.  I was wearing my rain suit since rain and thunderstorms were expected.  I was not very comfortable.

Then it was on to Joyce Trail where I saw the meanest sow in the woods the previous year.  I got situated while Vance baited both the normal barrel and a roll barrel.  As Vance left, I dropped a shotgun slug.  I briefly thought about just ignoring it, but I knew I would overthink it, so I got down and did quickly find it.  Once back in the stand, I was uncomfortably hot and felt drenched in sweat.  Ugh.

I did what I could to settle down and get situated.  The first bit of time passed slowly.  It always takes me some time to settle into the rhythm of bear hunting.  Around the time I was cooling down I saw a bear nosing towards the bait from far trees.  It meandered around and finally came in to the roll barrel first.  It was a smaller young bear, but nice to see so early (4:40).

It stayed around nervously for quite some time.  When it left another slightly bigger bear started to come in.  I was starting to wonder if these could be the bear cubs I had seen the previous year - one year older and bigger?  Unlikely, but at least remotely possible.  It never came all the way in, but just sat down and watched from a short distance away.

This bear hung around for a while and a third bear came in.  This was definitely a new bear and was much bolder than the first two.  It almost scared me how fast it came in.  It stayed for quite some time, munching on popcorn.  There was enough wind that it was hard to hear much, but I was, once in a while, clearly hearing some of that very characteristic light walking sounds that suggests other bears were nearby.

Around this time, bears were definitely working the area while I sat there trying to keep track of what was going on.  One bear was a decent size bear - maybe six feet?  But that might be optimistic due to most of the other bears being smaller.

While I could tell some of the bears apart based on demeaner, I had a hard time keeping track of all the bears.  The bears were charging each other from areas I could not see - sometimes almost right next to me, sometimes farther away.  

At one point there was a bear directly to my right and bear at the barrel when I heard a big ruckus to my left.  It reminded me of the movie Reservoir Dogs, where all the criminals are trying to be one-up each other in how tough they are, more so since they don't know each other.  And also like the movie, I think there were a total of 7-8 reservoir bears total for the afternoon.

The thunderstorms that were predicted had materialized through the afternoon.  I had gotten out my waterproof cloth to keep my stuff dry, but most of the rain dissipated and went north and south of where I was.  I was glad about this, but the extra layer on my lap made the hot afternoon even less comfortable.  When one of the bolder bears was at the barrel, I was able to at least set things aside (and even stood up at one point since my leg was cramping).  

As it got dark, there were at least three bears near me.  One of the bears had scrambled up the tree to my right.  I was worried about a repeat of the previous year where I had to get out of the stand with bears in that same tree, but it got down - yet remained in the area.

Eventually Vance came to get me.  I'm quite sure not all the bears left as we made our exit.  It was a very exciting night, even if I didn't shoot.  

Sam had shot a decent bear - his first, so he was happy.

Back in camp as people rolled and boated in, lots of people had seen bears, and a few had almost-opportunities on big bears.  But Sam's was the only shot.

After a salmon dinner I headed to bed.  It was late by my standards. Stealers Wheel song Stuck in the Middle with you played in my head as I thought of those reservoir bears.   I, of course, started overthinking the afternoon.  Maybe that bigger one was even bigger than I thought?  Maybe they were all bigger than I thought?  Maybe I won't see any more bears this week?  Maybe...

2025 Bear Hunt Day 3 - In Camp (Finally)

I futzed around the hotel room for a while.  Given my book choices were only adequate for the drive so far, I was desperate to find something else.  It was not to be.  I found several books that looked promising, but none of them were available.  There are, of course, lots available, but many of them looked like a questionable commitment.  I have a couple on hold, so maybe they'll come available in the next week.  I dearly miss when I could download books ahead of time, but I also understand the reality here...

For the final leg of the trip ... podcasts.

When I couldn't stand it anymore, I packed up and hit the road.  It was a wonderful and quiet Sunday morning.  I made my way to the border.  The very pleasant border guard asked a few questions, followed by informing me that there was a new gun form.  I parked and went inside and hand-filled the new form.  Other than that, I breezed through and I was in Canada.

Shortly after crossing the border, a small group of deer crossed the road right in front of me.  Much like my Friday drive to work, I saw it as a good sign.

I decided to avoid the hour plus of gravel road and stayed on pavement.  This added about 15 miles, but was at least parity on time and might have been better.  I enjoyed the drive.  I was sort of listening to podcasts, but also let my mind wander.

As I got nearer to camp, I thought back to that first bear hunt so many years previous - in my mind, I was just a kid then.  At one point I looked at myself in the rear view mirror and barely recognized the old man staring back at me.  Time brutally moves in one direction.

My spirits were high - even after seeing the saddest field of sunflowers I'd ever seen.

Once into camp, Maureen was in the lodge.  She moved me into a new cabin that was ready since I was early.  I threw a lure into the water for a bit, but never got a bite.  I accompanied Rylan (sp?) to bait some of the sites.  It felt right to be in the woods.

But Dave had already baited several of the stands, so it was a short trip and we returned to camp.

I had a bit of down time in my room.  At great risk to my life, I did nap a bit - I can only hope it doesn't kill my ability to sleep later.

This article also crossed my screen.  While not French, I did feel a kinship with much of what the author expresses.  I almost never walk into the field and not feel some amount of cognitive dissonance.  This seems especially true for bears.  I spring from a thicket of tangents.  I was still looking forward to the first day in the stand coming up.

With still some time to kill, I chucked a blue spinnerbait in the water for a bit.  I had one follower, and a short time after that caught my first fish on my new rod and reel.

My equipment choice comes with some nostalgia since one of my first fishing poles was a Mitchell.

Dinner was a Thanksgiving feast (that couldn't be beat).  By the time it started to get dark, I was more than ready to sleep.  Unfortunately my cabin was really warm so sleep came slowly.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 2 - Embrace The Miles

I was up and on the road just a few minutes after 5:00.  This felt late by my internal home clock, yet still early.  But the gas station that was supposed to be open 24 hours was closed, so the only coffee I had was the small pod in the hotel room.  No reason not to hit the road.

Predictably traffic was non-existent.  I contentedly motored north in the dark morning.

I finished listening to Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed.  My opinion of the book was unchanged.  It was worth listening to, but not one I intend to come back to.  The last essay was by Tim Kreider and it was by far one of the best.  I was glad (and a little relieved) since I've struggled to like some of his newer writing.

I thought about listening to some podcasts, but jumped right into The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohllben.  It was at least mostly about the interconnectedness of the natural world.  It took me a bit to get into the book since so much of it was condescending.  There were several times it said things like:  This probably surprises you...  Or:  ...but it's more complicated than that.  Or the worst:  You might think ... but you would be wrong.  

If I would have had another book that I wanted to start, I definitely would have killed it.  But I soldiered on.  The book did get better - or maybe I got numb to the condescension?  I liked some of the facts and comparisons he gave, even if a few might have been whitewashed to show a point of view.  I did enjoy the basic premise of the book about how interconnected things can be. 

I thought the solutions he gave were far too simplistic and tailored to how he could live his life - a great frustration of mine when anyone gives simple solutions to complex problems.  While humans are doing at least some terrible things, we ARE part of the world; we can't live in a cocoon.  He did acknowledge

 this complication near the end of the book.  Tying it in with the previous book - he never gave the difficult solution of population reduction.  I know this will never happen, but trying to fix global issues with addressing the ever-increasing scourge that a growing population brings is akin to choosing immobility as your mode of transportation.

While the book was a bit of a downer, I was comforted by the book I read the previous year (almost to the day) and its conclusion that on the geologic time scale, humans do not matter.

Ultimately, I give the book a C+.  I had another of his books on hold with Libby, but I got rid of it since I was concerned it would be too similar (and condescending).

The day had started out wonderfully cool.  Going through Wisconsin I did hit a bit of mist/rain.  Then it stayed really nice for the rest of the day.  It was, quite frankly, a wonderful day on the road.  I did get a bit wistful every time I saw people on motorcycles who were obviously touring.

I ended up stopping more often than I usually do for drinks or snacks - odd since I had a whole buffet of food with me.  I'm embarrassed to admit I gorged on too much trail mix so I had to buy some more.

US2 was a bit annoying with convoys of pokey drivers.  But once I turned on to MN46, traffic almost instantly disappeared.  It was quite glorious.  

I motored on to my hotel in Baudette.  The owner was painting, but we talked for a few minutes as she checked me in.  I really do want to come back to fish for sturgeon - still a bucket-list fish for me.

After getting settled, I walked around the dock a bit.  The afternoon was spectacular.  I thought about how fortunate I am to be able to go on these adventures.  I stared across the river at Canada.  I thought about bears, about how special it is to have this enormous friendly border.  I thought back to the book I had listened to and while there may be problems, we are still fortunate in North America to be able to easily go places that are a salve to the soul.

Despite being a good day, it was also a tiring day.  I knew I'd be up too early but turned in early anyway.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 1 - On The Road

Given the amount of people I've talked to over the years about going bear hunting with me, I was surprised when Doug said "yes" and followed through.  We talked some logistics a few weeks previous which gave me an opportunity to really start planning.  This helps the mental state as the days counted down.  Prep for an audit at work, months in advance, is growing in pain.  The redundant (often dumb) requests demonstrate a house of cards.  A break is needed.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't know Doug that well, but he's organized a few fishing trips.  After we talked logistics, he gave me a heads up that some family issues were brewing.  This was followed a short time later by notice he was not going to be able to go.  I felt really bad for him.  He dealt with it well, by letting me know when he could and also letting Vance know.  It is still a bit frustrating; I'm sure it isn't the first time this has happened.  For all involved, including myself I suppose, I hope the best.

So I'm solo for yet another grand adventure.  I'm good with this too.

Prep for the trip progressed as the days counted down.  I wasn't going to subject Doug to my audiobooks, so I had to scramble to find some since I would be by myself.  I tried using ChatGPT for book suggestions, but as that effort progressed, it started hallucinating like crazy and suggested books which I do not believe exist.  Good job ChatGPT - I guess you can write those books or something.

I packed up everything on Thursday in preparation for a Friday departure after work.

Friday finally came; I saw a few deer on my way into work.  This isn't unusual, but it can feel like a positive omen when heading out on an adventure.

Being a day before a long weekend, work was relatively quiet.  I left after a sufficient amount of time and effort.  Leaving from work meant a quick jump onto the freeway and I started to head north and west.  Traffic was tolerable.  Indianapolis was hairy, but at least predictable.  There were only a few traffic slow downs after Indy, and they were pretty short.

I was listening to Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed - a collection by writers on the decision not to have kids.  It was good but not great.  A few of them I related to, but most sort of fell into not having kids.  It kept me entertained for the afternoon.

Soon enough I was at a Days Inn hotel.  I didn't like parking right next to a gas station, but it should be OK.  The hotel smelled like curry, so I didn't feel too bad about eating a noddle bowl for dinner.  I resisted the urge to buy junk food at the gas station.  

I waited for dark - actually looking forward to a long day on the road.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 4 - Home

After getting up, I was ready to head home.  I spent a few minutes choosing my route.  Since I was leaving early, I decided I would risk the 401 to avoid the tolls on the 407.  I also had a quick couple cups of coffee, hopefully giving me just the right amount of caffeination for the trip.

As promised, Denis was up around 4:00.  We loaded up my fish and a few Coho salmon for me to try.  The amount of fish was truly shocking - I've had hunting trips with less (but then again, I've had hunting trips with nothing in the cooler).  I tied down the cooler and I was on the road by 4:15.

I followed the GPS to the 401 and it was the right decision.  It was a bit busy nearer Toronto, but there were no slow downs.  I did have to pay attention - mostly because I was on unfamiliar roads.

I listened to the end of The Secret Life of Groceries.  The end of the book was probably the best part - if also a bit sad.  It got into the psychology of buying, which was interesting.  It also got into the food supply chain - specifically a lot about the seafood supply chain; every time I read about seafood and all that goes into it - I'm appalled at humanity.  The world is doomed and humanity might deserve this.

I guess I did feel a bit better that the fish in my cooler were obtained ethically and in a conscious manner.

After finishing Groceries I listened to Ologies podcasts for the rest of the day.  I almost gave up after the first one - which wasn't very good.  But I was in a hairy spot so I just started another one as the easiest thing to do, rather than find one of my other podcasts.  I was glad I did, since most of the rest of them were good - which just enough humor to get me to laugh a few times in each one.

I avoided buying fuel for the Maverick in Canada, but the level was lower than I was comfortable with.  I did get absolutely fantastic mileage the whole time I was there - even more surprising since my speeds wouldn't suggest it should be this good, but I'll take it.

I crossed the border back into the US at Windsor since this would put me mostly south of Detroit.  The line was moderate, but it was still the right decision.  It was mildly infuriating when a dude forced his way in two cars ahead of me.  But we already know that a small percentage of the population has no redeeming qualities (the internet has reinforced this...).  The border itself took 30 seconds to get through.

I continued my way towards home.  Traffic was actually worse in places than near Toronto.  

Soon enough I was home with enough time to unpack and take the dogs on a quick walk.  Fish were still frozen so it was just a matter of transferring them to the freezer.

I know I'm very fortunate to have friends like Denis and now Julie.  Fishing for big salmon is something I've always wanted to do.  I hope to be able to do this again.

And barring anything unforeseen, I'll be back in Canada in a few weeks!

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 3 - Un poisson

With a little better lay of the day, I was up and ready for coffee.  Denis had kindly set the coffee to start a bit early for me.  Sometimes small things are big blessings.

And with a little better lay of the land, I didn't get lost in the very dark morning.

Signs pointed to it being a very good day.  But sometimes life hands us signposts which go nowhere...

We drove out to the marina which looked very different as it wasn't a holiday.  Additionally, after we got there, a friend of Denis walked up and said their charter was cancelled due to high waves.  We decided to give it a go anyway.

Initially it didn't look that bad, but as we motored out of the protection of the harbor, the waves increased quickly.  It was tolerable - and I counted my blessings that it wasn't the previous day when I wasn't feeling 100%.

We trolled for a while before one line told us there was a fish on.  Julie took the pole and reeled in a nice Chinook salmon.  The boat was hopeful that the less-than-perfect weather was not going to be a significant negative factor.

But it was not to be.  We tried deeper water, but the waves were much worse there.  We had a couple VERY small strikes, but nothing else came in the boat.  Oddly, we marked more fish on the fish finder, but they must have just been snobby fish.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a good day.  The rocking wasn't terrible and the weather, other than that was nice.  We chatted and hoped and dozed.  It was still a good day on the water.

And with only one fish, clean-up was a breeze.  I didn't feel all fishy afterwards either.

We quit a bit early since all we were doing was burning gasoline.  Back at the campground, we had some down time - which was also nice.

Dinner was Alberta Whitetail burgers before turning in for the night.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 2 - Chinook In Five

I woke up early with a headache (of course).  I dozed for a bit before getting up.  I knew the coffee maker was going to go off at 4:00 and I was ready.

I sat outside drinking coffee before heading to the bathroom - only to get turned around and lost on my way back.  I was slightly embarrassed.

Soon enough we were on the road to the marina.  It only took a few minutes to get the boat ready and we headed out.  It would be an understatement to say it was a stunning morning.  It was cool but not cold, and there was very little wind.  Wildfires are not good, but the haze makes amazing photographs.

We didn't go out very far before Denis started setting out lines.  As he was getting the second line out, he yelled, "Fish On!" and grabbed the first pole handed it off to me.  I wasn't sure what was on it, but it was big and it did not want to come in.

It took about 15 minutes to get the first Chinook Salmon I've ever caught into the boat.  It may not have been a monster, but it was close enough to a monster for me.

I have to admit though, that when reeling in big fish, there is a small part of me that is rooting for the fish; just a small part though.

The good thing about all the early excitement is that it basically ended my headache.

An hour or two later a much bigger Chinook came on the line.  This one took almost a half an hour to get it into the boat.  Thankfully I did not lose it.

And so it went throughout the day.  We would have slow periods followed by action - such is fishing.  We went out to deeper water and got into some Steelhead.  When I was a kid - Steelhead was THE fish to catch on Lake Michigan.  So it was pretty cool to be able to catch a few.

I felt somewhat bad that I was the designated catcher.  But Julie said that was the plan for the day.  I have to admit I also did enjoy it.

We did miss a few fish.  Sometimes this was user error - at one point I think we were all sleepy and missed the strike.  We had the line break once as well.  And there were a few releases of smaller Steelhead to be caught another day when they are bigger.

Total count for the day was three Chinook and three Steelies.  But this was only part of the point - it was, frankly, just an amazing day on the water.

As the afternoon wore on Denis brought in all the lines.  Then he fileted the fish right on the boat - which makes total sense to do.  The filets were packed on ice as we made our way back to the marina.  In the later afternoon it got almost hot, with just enough wind to give the lake some chop.

Back at the camper we packed up the filets in individual bags and dropped them in the freezer.  Hopefully they freeze before the trip home.  I was feeling quite fishy and gross - so a quick shower brought me back to the land of the living (even if I thought I still smelled a bit fishy).

Dinner was pork chops - which were great.  Fish might have been more appropriate, but it had been a fishy enough day.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 1 - Breezing Through the Border

I think I first met Denis in 2013.  Since then, we've hunted together in South Carolina more times than I can recall.  Denis has a big boat and as he's (I think) partly retired, he spends much of the summer catching fish on Lake Ontario. 

We talked in 2024 about me coming out to fish with him, but that ended up being a busy year for him and for me it was the year of health challenges.  Fast forward and we made plans to go fishing.

I was a bit apprehensive - which was stupid.  It is way too easy to get caught up in the work-eat-sleep routine and to take work too seriously.  It didn't take too long for me to realize how awesome this would be.

The summer so far has been exhaustively hot and humid.  Friday came gloriously with cool air and decreasing humidity.  This allowed me to spend Saturday getting caught up on some chores around the house as well as spending time doing some maintenance and small repairs (that required doors/windows to be open).  I felt wonderfully productive, if somewhat tired.

One of my repairs was going to need some subsequent work, but it was good enough and didn't stop me from heading out early Sunday after some quick coffee.

I was out the door and on the road around 5:15.  Predictably, I had the Sunday morning road to myself.  I was listening to The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr.  The first  section of the book felt a little like and advertisement for Trader Joes - although he does make a disclaimer that he's agnostic on the chain.  It might have felt a little more real had I ever been to a Trader Joes, I suppose.

My mind did wander a bit, which is to be expected.  But the book was pretty good.  At some point I realized I wasn't going to finish it, so I switched to some rather forgettable pod casts for the last few hours.

I bypassed the Detroit/Windsor border and continued, crossing at Port Huron.  This may have added a few minutes, but I was anticipating the crossing a drive to be a little easier.  I breezed through the border within a few minutes.  The line of trucks coming into the US was crazy; I couldn't help but wonder if it was to avoid the next round of tariffs?

I  realized this time was my first time out of my home state since January (I think).  This is a bit sad.  Although I guess I could count my dog walks into Indiana.

Once into Canada, the traffic was nonexistent at first.  

It got much hairier and uglier as I got close to Toronto.  The roads seemed overly complicated, but I just followed the GPS - or tried to.  I'm a bit terrified I'll need a second mortgage to pay for the 407 tolls - but I guess that is just part of the trip.

I made my way to Denis and Julie's campground.  Denis was out getting the boat ready.  I had never met Julie before so we had a while to get to know each other.  It was fun and she was easy to talk to.

Denis showed up on his motorcycle late afternoon.  It was good to see him as well.

Dinner was beef steak and veggies before turning in relatively early in preparation for a fairly early morning.

2025 Fishing Lake Erie Part II - Queasy Monday

Dave said he was only doing one boat this year, so I was happy I made the cut.  I definitely look forward to fishing on Lake Erie.  I do need to sometimes park part of my personality elsewhere - lest I become too ... neurodivergent.  

I woke up "late" Sunday.  I was wondering why the older dog was almost sitting on top of me.  Most likely she was hungry.  

My morning with coffee, waffles, and tea sent me to a dark place on the internet (dark as in where the world is).  I'm not sure it is fair to say that the world is changing so fast - that has probably (almost) always been the case.  But too often, it seems like I need to just make it to...  What that "to" might be is always changing.

The company I work for has announced downsizing.  People keep asking me when I'm going to retire, or if I'd leave if offered the chance.  I don't want to get my hopes up one way or the other.  Keeping my game face on is hard enough at times.  My response remains either:  "It depends on the day."  or "I'm not old enough yet - I only look like I'm 90."  I'm still well aware that where I am is objectively at least good enough.

After a morning dog walk, a few chores and doing the push-mowing, I packed up and headed to Dave's.  The roads were infected with pokey Sunday-morning drivers, but I wasn't in a hurry.  Dave was packing when I got there.  After hellos, we packed up and headed over to Nick's house.  Fishing this year was myself, Dave, Nick, Lou, Chris and Phil.  Everyone else piled into Nick's van while Dave and I stayed in his car.

The trip north wasn't the most fun.  There were several rounds of rain, and at times it was a deluge which was hard to see through.  But the inclement weather was selective; Port Clinton and Lake Erie got almost no rain.

We were staying in a hotel this year instead of the condos.  The rooms felt like a sanatorium - just a little bit too much like the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.  But all we needed was a place to sleep before fishing.  We went to eat at a local tourist restaurant.  It was crazy busy, but the food was decent.  I ordered shrimp instead of Erie walleye or perch - which seemed sacrilegious.

We stopped by the Marina before heading back to the hotel for the night.  The sun was just near setting, which was beautiful.  It was hard to recall the heavy rain just to the south not that long previous.

Davis-Besse was churning out megawatts for our enjoyment.

With an early morning on tap, we all turned in relatively early.  I was feeling the beginnings of a headache and hoped a good night sleep would keep that tiger in a cage.

_________________________________

But it was not to be.  I woke up with a full migraine brewing.  The rest of the crew went to breakfast while I stayed at the room and just ate the fruit I had brought with me.  This was the healthier option...

We met Ned at his boat at the appointed time.  Soon enough we were headed out onto the lake with Ned's comment, "It's going to be a bit rough."  The wind wasn't that bad, but the lake was roiling.  We had well over an hour to enjoy the chop to to get Northeast where we were fishing in deeper water near the Canadian border.

The fish finder was marking lots of fish so we started fishing.  Between my migraine, the rough water and the smells, I got as queasy as I ever have on a boat.  At one point I set my pole down and backed off into the cabin just feeling like survival was in question.  Thankfully I was able to recover enough to resume fishing.

Instead of the shorter drifts we usually do in shallower water, we did much longer drifts across the open, flat plains of deep Erie.  Fishing through the day was good, but there were long slow stretches as well.

There were lots of theories why, but Ned and I absolutely hammered the walleye.  I think Ned caught about a third of what was caught, I caught a third and the rest of the boat caught a third.  This did serve to distract me from feeling on edge.

There was a bit too much shop-talk during the fishing, but I suspect this is to be expected when everyone in the boat had work history together.  I mostly stayed in the background.  Weather through the day was great and the wind died down which also brought the waves down.

We caught 41 fish out of the limit of 42.  We desperately searched for the last fish and thought we had it until Chris brought in the one and only sheepshead of the day.  Oddly, I never grabbed a picture of me with any fish - despite a few decent sized ones.

With a long boat ride back, we packed it up around 1:30.  The trip back was much better was minimal waves.  Back on terra firma, we dropped the fish off to be cleaned before putzing around a bit.  With clean fish in hand, Dave and I headed south directly to his house since there wasn't any reason to go back to Nick's.

The trip back went fast enough.  Traffic and weather cooperated.  I grabbed my fish and headed home from Dave's.  Back at home just before sunset, the dogs were happy to see me.  I wisely planned Tuesday off of work.  S/O and I separated fish out and into the freezer before turning in for a blessed night back in my own normal.

2025 Lake Erie Fishing - Good Enough

Weather forecasts were good enough.  Rain with a threat for severe weather Thursday night.  Rain with a much heightened threat for severe weather Friday night.  But Friday, during the day, was expected to be sunny.  And warm.  The month of May can be a gamble.

I scurried out of work on Thursday a bit earlier than usual and rode the Gold Wing home.  Once home, I took the younger dog on a quick walk; she thrives on routine.  I packed up a few things and waited for Doug to pick me up.

Doug was punctual; I respect that.  We went to Doug W's house where we piled into Pat's Camry for the trip to Lake Erie.  I was sitting behind the driver seat which is my least favorite place to sit in a car since I constantly see myself in the rear view mirror - ugh.  While the Camry is a good enough car, the rear seats were surprisingly uncomfortable.  I was glad when we stopped at Steak 'n Shake to eat - or mostly glad.  The chicken fingers were good enough.

Back on the road we finished the trip at the same hotel as 2024.

We got to the hotel right as the expected rain was threatening.  As it got dark I was ready for bed.  The hotel room was good enough but humid.  Thankfully I was able to sleep reasonably well.  As I dozed off the rain blasted by.

Up near 3:00 I poked around on my phone for a bit. I caffeinated with hotel coffee and ate a couple apples from home.  The four of us met outside and we went to a gas station.  Then it was a quick jaunt to the marina; Ned was getting ready.  It was starting out to be a spectacular morning.

A slightly drunk dude at the hotel the previous night had said they limited out on walleye by 10:30AM.  I'm not sure what water he was fishing in, but the day started slow and didn't change much.

We motored out only a few miles into the water and started in the traditional deep water that walleye tend to like.  We caught a few fish and moved around a bit.  Radio chatter suggested it was a slow day.  There is always a reason for slow fishing:  the previous night's rain, the coming storm, the barometric pressure, chupacabras are eating the fish...

The fish we caught were generally pretty good size, but it was slow.  We'd catch a few giving us hope, then nothing.  I was able to catch the largest walleye I think I'd ever caught at a healthy 27 inches and fat, fat, fat.  But even a big walleye doesn't fight much - they seem to be resigned to their fate once hooked.

Weather through the day was better than good enough.  It started cool and calm.  Predictions were for rain and some waves, but that didn't happen.  Most of the day was stunningly sunny with a little taste of wind.  I was glad I had on shorts under my donkey pants by late morning.

We moved to fish some reefs and shallower areas.  Then back deep.  Nothing was great; nothing was terrible.  Fishing was good enough.

We had a brief bit of excitement when a water snake, miles from shore, swam past the boat.  Maybe it just had somewhere to be.  Or more likely - somewhere else to be.

Final tally for fish was 15 keepers.  My 27-incher was the biggest, and Ned said it was the biggest of the year so far.  This is almost all luck since what fish are caught is only partly up to the person fishing.

Back at the fish cleaners we dropped them off;  I admire the people doing this work.  The smell is so heavy it can be hard to see.

With four bags of fish filets, which were large enough, we were on the road by 4:00PM.

We raced the thunderstorms south.  Back to Doug W's house.  Doug and I quickly left.  Doug dropped me off just as torrential rain started.

Good enough.

2025 Hog Hunt Day 7 - Home

I was up and on the road early.  I knew there was going to be rain and while I didn't see any snow forecasts, there is always a chance of the unexpected in the mountains.  

I made my way north and west while listening to Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational by Michael Shermer.  It was far better than the book I listened to on the trip down.  The first part of the book is more academic and I did find my brain wandering a bit.  The second part of the book was more conversational and fun to listen to.  Although the section on how to talk to conspiracy theorists was just off.  Just about everyone I've ever heard who holds nut-job conspiracy theories believe it as dogma, and it is not rational.  Maybe just my personality, but I'll continue to nod my head and quietly judge (while enjoying the ride).

I missed not one, but two turns on my route.  I have no idea how I missed the first one - just a total brain fart I guess.  But Tennessee - why the snot do you have I-26 labeled as "Future I-26"??????  Maybe we are now in the future...

I was trying to figure out if the Cherokee Reservoir was low because of dam issues (Helene?) or if it was just a really dry year.  But the lake was basically a mud pit.  If I lived in the area, I'd wait for it to freeze in the coming weeks and go find all my lures I'd ever lost!

US25 through the mountains was tolerable, if a bit frustrating once I finally did get behind the conga line created by a single slow driver.  I just used it as a reason to practice my patience.  But overall, the US25 route was far preferrable over the West Virginia tolls.

As I got closer to home I started to see snow again.

Once at home, SO had left for family issues so I had the house to myself.  The dogs were thrilled to see me.  This also left taking care of the hog as a solo job.  I didn't even bother unpacking the truck, but spent most of the rest of the day cutting and grinding and freezing.  I had to remind myself that if I could get the entire pig taken care of, that would leave me two blessed days to recover.  While part of me was a bit disappointed I could not shoot one of the hogs in the two wads of them - my freezer is thanking me.

As always, the pig hunt was a great way to start the year.  I still have some things to mentally process about this year's hunt.  I'll have time to do that in the coming days and weeks.

2025 Hog Hunt Day 6 - Rinse and Repeat

Overnight I came to terms with my hog.  I still may not be happy about the situation, but all I can do is try to be better.  Without the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure I would do anything differently.

After another blessedly slow morning, Paul and I ran some errands with Rick, followed by feeding stands.  The winds were shifting out of the east, opening up new stands for the afternoon.

After another walk down to the river, it was time to get ready for the final afternoon of hunting.

I was dropped off at the Trash Pile stand.  It was a box blind that was a little small, but it was really easy to get comfortable in it (although really glad I had my own cushion).

When I first got to the stand, there was a deer on the corn, but I was able to get everything situated without spooking it at all.  It stayed around for about a half an hour before it sauntered off.

Then I had a long sit alone with my thoughts.  It was a really pleasant afternoon with just a bit of breeze and temperatures in the upper 50's.  Forecasts were for extreme cold the following week at home, so I knew I had to take advantage of the nice weather while I could.

Around 4:00 I had two deer come in.  The first was probably a button buck followed by a small spike.  They stayed in around for about a half an hour before they made their way out.  

There was another lull in any action and it started to get dark.  I started to get into go-home mode.  There was still tons of light, but I started to organize things to make an exit.  I looked up and hogs were pouring out of the pines.  I brought my gun up and waited for the pigs to settle down.  There were 5-6 good eater size pigs and a wad of little ones.  Unfortunately, it was a repeat of Day 3 as the hogs insisted on sticking in one huge group.  It was 100% impossible to pick out one and only one hog.  I was not willing to take one nearer the blind and let the bullet likely impact collateral pigs.

(It was a lot darker than this picture looks since it was taken with my phone's "Night Sight" - which is also why it looks a little like an impressionist's painting)

I waited, and waited, and waited.  It was getting darker and darker.

A second group of pigs came in which consisted of a huge sow, 2-3 good eater sows and another wad of smaller ones.  I had a brief window as the pigs scattered and I started to line up on the larger sow when all the pigs came rushing back in; they were now in an even BIGGER group.

I waited, and waited.  I got darker and too dark.

I packed up quietly and left.  

As I was waiting to get picked up, I was wondering if I was a bit gun-shy after my less-than-stellar performance on the first hunt.  Thinking back, I was not.  There was just no ethical shot opportunity, and certainly not a clean head shot.  I can still be disappointed, but I did the right thing.

Back at the lodge Denis, Claude and I made plans to hunt again next year, hopefully with everyone in good health.  Paul decided to head home, giving me the lodge to myself.  I packed up most of myself before turning in; there was a long drive ahead.