Get More Early-Season Birds

17 May

It weave left, slip right, then disappear through the auburn treetops. It’s not often you get such a clear look at an escaping grouse during the early weeks of the season, but there I was, frozen as the bird slipped through the prettiest shooting lane I’d see on the entire trip. I never pulled the trigger.

The embarrassing reality of this scenario is that I’d been caught off guard. It was my first grouse hunt, and I wasn’t prepared for the surprise of the flush. That was a tough lesson, but it wasn’t the only one I learned during that trip to the hallowed grouse of NW Ontario’s Boreal Forest. Here are some more hits and misses that, if you’ll consider before you reach the woods, should help you bag more early-season birds.

1. Being Aggressive
There’s no place for methodical shooting when hunting grouse. There’s no time for the shot to develop, as with long, loping shots on the sporting clays course. Grouse are fast, and they live in dense cover. But you don’t have to be a snap shooter to be successful. You just have to be aggressive. You should have nothing on your mind but finding that bird. The sooner you see it, the sooner you can move for it. Visualize beating the bird to the treetops with your gun.

2. Going Off Trail
We started our morning busting brush but by midday got lazy and stayed on old logging roads & trails. The result was a half dozen points in cover that we couldn’t reach in time. Our hunt picked up tremendously in the afternoon, when we got back in the brush.

3. Misjudging Range
Twice I flushed grouse that I thought were out of range, although they were visible, only to realize afterward that they were makeable shots. Part of the fault was how I prepared. Before the trip I had practiced mostly fast, outgoing targets thrown from a few yards in front of me—textbook fast-flushing bird presentations. I was visualizing those shots in the field, and when birds flushed from farther away, I had the impression they were out of range. Be sure to practice at longer ranges.

4. Starting With The Gun Up
A solid ready position is a key to hitting fast-flying birds. It gets your body and eyes ready to make a quick, efficient move. When you moved in on birds with the stock up under your armpit and the barrel pointed forward, you will shoot much better.

5. Relaxing After The Flush
Grouse might not covey up like quail, but they do often travel in close proximity to each other, especially where there’s a good food source. I saw this first-hand when we flushed three pairs of grouse over the course of a day. So when a bird flushes out of range or doesn’t offer a shot, don’t drop your guard. Be ready for another bird to flush.

Evening_Flight-_Ruffed_Grouse_large

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Posted by Wawang Lake on May 17, 2018 in grouse, hunting, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: grouse, grouse hunting, Ruffed Grouse, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Flint Laces: Shoe Laces That Can Start a Fire

03 Sep

The Flint Laces are a pair of shoe laces that you can use in case of an emergency to start a fire with if you are otherwise incapable of starting one. Maybe you forgot your matches at home, maybe it just rained and all your matches are wet, or maybe you’re stranded in the woods without a match or a lighter and you’ve lost your manhood and just can’t make a fire using your own two hands.

Each flint lace contains a hidden piece of ferro rod that is capped with rubber. Simply scrape the rubber from the rod, strike it against a knife or some steel (assuming you have some), and you will be toasting your buns on a nice hot fire in no time.

flint-laces-shoe-laces-that-can-start-a-fire-9209

flint-laces-shoe-laces-that-can-start-a-fire-7625

flint-laces-shoe-laces-that-can-start-a-fire-6547

The flint laces are completely normal shoe laces other than containing a fire starter rod, they are made from type III 7 strand 550 paracord, contain 4 separate rods (1 on each end of each shoelace), come in sizes 36-108, and are perfect for when you’re planning on getting lost and stranded while hiking or camping.

flint-laces-shoe-laces-that-can-start-a-fire-5662

flint-laces-shoe-laces-that-can-start-a-fire-1804

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Posted by Wawang Lake on September 3, 2017 in hunting, hunting equiptment, trip planning, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: black bear hunting, hunt, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, ontario, Outdoors, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Get More Early-Season Birds

15 Feb

It weave left, slip right, then disappear through the auburn treetops. It’s not often you get such a clear look at an escaping grouse during the early weeks of the season, but there I was, frozen as the bird slipped through the prettiest shooting lane I’d see on the entire trip. I never pulled the trigger.

The embarrassing reality of this scenario is that I’d been caught off guard. It was my first grouse hunt, and I wasn’t prepared for the surprise of the flush. That was a tough lesson, but it wasn’t the only one I learned during that trip to the hallowed grouse of NW Ontario’s Boreal Forest. Here are some more hits and misses that, if you’ll consider before you reach the woods, should help you bag more early-season birds.

1. Being Aggressive
There’s no place for methodical shooting when hunting grouse. There’s no time for the shot to develop, as with long, loping shots on the sporting clays course. Grouse are fast, and they live in dense cover. But you don’t have to be a snap shooter to be successful. You just have to be aggressive. You should have nothing on your mind but finding that bird. The sooner you see it, the sooner you can move for it. Visualize beating the bird to the treetops with your gun.

2. Going Off Trail
We started our morning busting brush but by midday got lazy and stayed on old logging roads & trails. The result was a half dozen points in cover that we couldn’t reach in time. Our hunt picked up tremendously in the afternoon, when we got back in the brush.

3. Misjudging Range
Twice I flushed grouse that I thought were out of range, although they were visible, only to realize afterward that they were makeable shots. Part of the fault was how I prepared. Before the trip I had practiced mostly fast, outgoing targets thrown from a few yards in front of me—textbook fast-flushing bird presentations. I was visualizing those shots in the field, and when birds flushed from farther away, I had the impression they were out of range. Be sure to practice at longer ranges.

4. Starting With The Gun Up
A solid ready position is a key to hitting fast-flying birds. It gets your body and eyes ready to make a quick, efficient move. When you moved in on birds with the stock up under your armpit and the barrel pointed forward, you will shoot much better.

5. Relaxing After The Flush
Grouse might not covey up like quail, but they do often travel in close proximity to each other, especially where there’s a good food source. I saw this first-hand when we flushed three pairs of grouse over the course of a day. So when a bird flushes out of range or doesn’t offer a shot, don’t drop your guard. Be ready for another bird to flush.

Evening_Flight-_Ruffed_Grouse_large

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Posted by Wawang Lake on February 15, 2017 in grouse, hunting, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: grouse, grouse hunting, Ruffed Grouse, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Our Best Moose Hunting Tips Will Increase YOUR Success…

16 Jan

The Best Moose Hunting Tips
These secrets are what the best moose hunters use and we want YOU to know them. Believe me if you do not know these tips, you are not seeing the most moose.

If you use these hunting tips not only you will see more moose, you will get closer to them and quite possibly harvest the moose of a lifetime.

Do you want to increase your chances of getting a moose this fall? I suggest you read about and put to practice these best tips for getting moose.

We see a lot of other hunters out in areas where we hunt moose, the majority seem to just drive around, hoping that by some chance they might see a moose within a reasonable distance of the road. Unbelievably, they do not even get out of their vehicles!

To increase your success rates you have to get out and look where the moose live… preferably away from human traffic.

We have to admit though (sheepishly); we have done some road hunting and taken a few moose this way too. Actually road hunting is a good way to get familiar with a new area. The point is, if you get out of your truck and get away from the roads and people you are going to see more moose.

For your information in many provinces it is illegal to hunt over bait (enhanced food).

Read on to find out how to apply some of our best moose hunting tips.

Moose Hunting Tips Revealed

Simple Tips
Concentrate on one area. Use the wind to your advantage, and use a wind indicator to detect the direction from which the air is flowing.

During the rut or breeding season, hunt near lakes and ponds.
Hunt for moose near food sources and water.
Hunt the fringe areas, away from where other hunters are, away from the roads and traffic.
Do not setup your camp on the edge of a likely hunting spot. Your noise and smells will chase any nearby moose away.
Study and learn about the difference between Core Areas and Home Range.
Learn to recognize the difference between fresh and old moose sign.
If you see or hear a moose just before or after dark, leave the area quietly and return early the next morning. The moose, if not spooked it will likely still be in the area.
Preseason Scouting and Calling will definitely be to your advantage.

Seasons to Hunt

Hunt during the moose rut… whenever possible.
Hunt higher elevations during the early season.
Late season moose hunting requires you to go deeper into the forest away from the openings. Be sure to carry a GPS or at the very least a compass for to ensure your safe return.
Moose Hunting in November
Identify and learn to hunt the prime moose habitat.

Tools to Use
The Moose Hunting Tips eBook – The Ultimate Guide to Moose Hunting can help you. Quite simply it’s the largest collection of moose hunting tips and techniques available in one place.

We’ve run into more than one hunter over the years who mentioned the fact that they had to go to town for WiFi service to read up on hunting tips. Well no more.

Download them, print them out or install them onto your electronic device. That way you can have them with you even in the field.

The following are some great tips to observe:

Use a Moose Call and learn how to use a call. Then put moose calling to the test.
Use an old shoulder blade bone to rake trees (to imitate a bull moose thrashing a tree with his antlers).
Use a Montana Moose Decoy. The cow moose decoy can be used to get the attention of a bull moose. Especially useful when you need to stalk a bull out in the open or when you have an incoming bull. Get the bull moose concentrating on the decoy and not you the shooter.
Make use of a trail camera for moose hunting.
Maximize your advantage by using elimination scents.
Carry 30 feet of rope in your pack. This can be used as an aid when field dressing.

Hunting Clothing will make a Difference

Wear clothing that does not make any noise while you move. Fleece or wool is best. Also check out the entire line of Sitka Hunting Clothes. We have switched because the patterns make you invisible!

Cow and Calf Moose Hunting Tips

Tip for hunting cow and calf moose, stay close to water sources. They use these areas for safety reasons. The biggest bulls will be attracted to these areas during the rut.
Learn how to mimic a calf moose in distress. Often, cow moose within hearing distance will come to investigate even when it is not her own calf.

Moose Hunting Safety

Drink clean water… be sure the water you drink is free of beaver fever.
Of course moose hunters always need to keep bear safety in mind while traveling in the woods.

Tell someone where you are hunting. Leave a map and time of expected return

rutmoosewawang Before and After the Shot

When tracking moose learn to recognize the circling patterns.

Decide on the best shot placement for moose.
Field dress your moose right away. It is very important to cool the meat as soon as you can; this helps prevent spoilage and gamey flavors.

As a moose hunter, it doesn’t matter if you are a novice or an expert, we all strive for the same result. Get close enough to a moose (bull, cow or calf) and make the shot. If we know enough it’s easier to close the distance, what if we don’t? How can we get just a few more ideas on closing the gap?

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Posted by Wawang Lake on January 16, 2017 in moose, moose hunting, Northwestern Ontario, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: hunting, Moose, moose hunting, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Mauled by a Bear

04 Nov

This outdoorsman encountered the worst nightmare the wild can conjure. But thanks to smarts, willpower, and a little luck, he survived, and the lesson learned that could save your life. With survival analysis by Keith McCafferty

THE MAULING (An older story but worthy of another publish)

On Sept. 26, Brent Prokulevich, 49, was bowhunting by himself for moose in Western Ontario when he was charged by a 300-pound black bear. As told to Colin Kearns.

I flew into the outpost camp on Saturday. My buddy Paul Patiuk and his son Kyle had been there for a few days already and would be guiding moose hunters for the next few days. The plan was for me to hunt on my own on Sunday and Monday in a spot Paul had scouted for me. Then on Tuesday, when their clients had left, we’d hunt together. One of the first things I asked Paul and Kyle when I reached camp was if there were bears in the area. They told me there weren’t any.

I saw no moose during my Sunday hunt, but I did get a cow to call back. I decided to leave my scent rag out overnight, hoping the scent would fill the area. The conditions when I returned in the boat Monday morning were perfect. A fog hung in the cool air, and the wind had died so my calls carried a long way.

In front of me was a dried-up beaver pond littered with dead poplars, leaving me with a clear shot if a moose wandered in. I got into position and readied my bow and arrows. I made my first cow call at 7 a.m. and followed up every 15 minutes until 8:30. That’s when I heard movement in the willows, 33 yards away. As soon as I saw the top of the animal’s back, I knew: S - - t. It’s a flipping bear.

He was big, about 300 pounds. He didn’t see me at first but when he did, our eyes connected immediately. “Get! Get! Get!” I yelled. But he never budged—until he came at me.

This isn’t happening. I grabbed my bow. This can’t be happening. I nocked the arrow. This is happening. I fired a prayer at 8 yards.

I raised my left arm and he locked onto it. We fell to the ground. He had me on my back, but when he let go of my arm I managed to get up to my knees. Then I heard this crunch on my neck. The bite to my arm I hadn’t really felt. This one to the neck, though, I felt. I kept yelling, and at one point I had a flash of my 17-year-old son, Brady. I’m a single dad and I’ve been raising him since day one. I wasn’t going to leave him to live by himself. Something in me snapped. I’m not dying like this!

I couldn’t reach my knife, so I grabbed the other arrow and began stabbing the bear in his head, over and over. He let go of my neck and clamped on the back of my shoulder. Then, somehow, I knocked him right on his ass.

There was blood everywhere. My first arrow had entered his chest and must’ve exited through the bottom of his belly because his guts were spilling out. The two of us just sat there for a moment, staring at each other. He swiped at my right arm, then he turned and walked 15 yards before he sat back down. I was going to put another shot in him, but my bow was busted. So I got the hell out of there.

I jumped in the boat and drove around looking for help. But after about 15 minutes with no luck, I turned back toward camp. That’s when I saw the plane landing at camp. When I reached the dock I told Kevin, the pilot, what had happened. He left a note for Paul and Kyle, then we took off. We arrived at the hospital 30 minutes later. I walked into the ER and said to a nurse, “I’ve been attacked by a bear.”

The shoulder bite was a half inch from puncturing a lung, and the neck bite almost hit my spinal cord. But no bones were broken, and the puncture wounds are healing well.
I’m looking forward to hunting again. I’ve taken a couple of walks in the bush recently, which has been nice, but I find I’m looking over my shoulder more often. Every time I hear a little snap.

Survival Analysis
In the matter of risking encounters with bears, bowhunters start with three strikes against them. First, they hunt in early fall, when bears undergo hyperphagia, a period of mad foraging before hibernation that increases the potential for crossed paths. Second, by donning camo, using cover scent, and sneaking quietly through brush and timber, archers spike the odds of chance encounters within the critical 50-yard range, at which bears are more likely to attack. And third, by using lure scents and calling like animals that bears regard as prey, hunters actually encourage unwanted attention.

Prokulevich did the right thing by fighting the black bear. Playing dead is only effective at discouraging grizzlies, and then only under certain circumstances. But he probably could have avoided the attack altogether if he’d had pepper spray on his belt. Under the best of circumstances, arrows offer meager defense—and bullets aren’t much better. In most documented bear attacks, only three seconds elapse between the start of the charge and contact with the person. Do you really think you can raise a rifle, flip the safety, aim, and fire in that window? But you can flick the safety tab and depress the trigger of pepper spray in an instant. Plus, it works. In a study conducted by bear researcher Thomas Smith of hundreds of bear attacks, pepper spray deterred a charge in 92 percent of cases. Bullets deterred a charge only 66 percent of the time, and it required an average of four bullets to stop the bear. (Be sure to check with local authorities on the legal uses of pepper spray in areas you intend to hunt)

Stay Safe and Hunt Safe on Your Next Outdoor Hunting Adventure!

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Posted by Wawang Lake on November 4, 2016 in Bear, bear baiting, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, survival, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bear, Bear-baiting, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, bow, bow hunters, Bow Hunting, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Flint Laces: Shoe Laces That Can Start a Fire

14 Aug

The Flint Laces are a pair of shoe laces that you can use in case of an emergency to start a fire with if you are otherwise incapable of starting one. Maybe you forgot your matches at home, maybe it just rained and all your matches are wet, or maybe you’re stranded in the woods without a match or a lighter and you’ve lost your manhood and just can’t make a fire using your own two hands.

Each flint lace contains a hidden piece of ferro rod that is capped with rubber. Simply scrape the rubber from the rod, strike it against a knife or some steel (assuming you have some), and you will be toasting your buns on a nice hot fire in no time.

The flint laces are completely normal shoe laces other than containing a fire starter rod, they are made from type III 7 strand 550 paracord, contain 4 separate rods (1 on each end of each shoelace), come in sizes 36-108, and are perfect for when you’re planning on getting lost and stranded while hiking or camping.

Follow our FISHING BLOG

WEBSITE RATES FISH HUNT CABINS PHOTOS
TESTIMONIALS BROCHURE HUNT BOOKLET

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Posted by Wawang Lake on August 14, 2016 in hunting, hunting equiptment, trip planning, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: black bear hunting, hunt, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, ontario, Outdoors, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Get More Early-Season Birds

22 Feb

It weave left, slip right, then disappear through the auburn treetops. It’s not often you get such a clear look at an escaping grouse during the early weeks of the season, but there I was, frozen as the bird slipped through the prettiest shooting lane I’d see on the entire trip. I never pulled the trigger.

The embarrassing reality of this scenario is that I’d been caught off guard. It was my first grouse hunt, and I wasn’t prepared for the surprise of the flush. That was a tough lesson, but it wasn’t the only one I learned during that trip to the hallowed grouse of NW Ontario’s Boreal Forest. Here are some more hits and misses that, if you’ll consider before you reach the woods, should help you bag more early-season birds.

1. Being Aggressive
There’s no place for methodical shooting when hunting grouse. There’s no time for the shot to develop, as with long, loping shots on the sporting clays course. Grouse are fast, and they live in dense cover. But you don’t have to be a snap shooter to be successful. You just have to be aggressive. You should have nothing on your mind but finding that bird. The sooner you see it, the sooner you can move for it. Visualize beating the bird to the treetops with your gun.

2. Going Off Trail
We started our morning busting brush but by midday got lazy and stayed on old logging roads & trails. The result was a half dozen points in cover that we couldn’t reach in time. Our hunt picked up tremendously in the afternoon, when we got back in the brush.

3. Misjudging Range
Twice I flushed grouse that I thought were out of range, although they were visible, only to realize afterward that they were makeable shots. Part of the fault was how I prepared. Before the trip I had practiced mostly fast, outgoing targets thrown from a few yards in front of me—textbook fast-flushing bird presentations. I was visualizing those shots in the field, and when birds flushed from farther away, I had the impression they were out of range. Be sure to practice at longer ranges.

4. Starting With The Gun Up
A solid ready position is a key to hitting fast-flying birds. It gets your body and eyes ready to make a quick, efficient move. When you moved in on birds with the stock up under your armpit and the barrel pointed forward, you will shoot much better.

5. Relaxing After The Flush
Grouse might not covey up like quail, but they do often travel in close proximity to each other, especially where there’s a good food source. I saw this first-hand when we flushed three pairs of grouse over the course of a day. So when a bird flushes out of range or doesn’t offer a shot, don’t drop your guard. Be ready for another bird to flush.

Evening_Flight-_Ruffed_Grouse_large

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Posted by Wawang Lake on February 22, 2016 in grouse, hunting, Uncategorized, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: grouse, grouse hunting, Ruffed Grouse, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Our Best Moose Hunting Tips Will Increase YOUR Success…

30 Jan