Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Oct 15
The Ontario Experience
Enjoy this episode featuring Ty and Jeremy from the Lindners network, fishing Lac Seul. We were honoured to be able to host this crew this past summer. In fact they were our first American guests to arrive as soon as the international border opened Aug 9.
Lac Seul History lesson
Another sneak peak from Marc McNay and the Real Deal outdoor show we filmed this past August.
Feb 5
The “Real Deal”
We are pretty excited to let you know that the editing of our upcoming fishing show is taking place as we speak. Marc McNay from the Real Deal outdoor show is busy editing our August 2020 footage. Attached is a sneak peak of what is to come for season 7 of The Real Deal.
The “Dryden Buck” Rediscovered
Waaaay back in November 2003 a whitetail buck of trophy status was shot by a US hunter after dark and on private property just north of Dryden, Ontario. For those unfamiliar with the details around the unlawful harvest of this magnificent whitetail deer, I wont go into great detail as there are many links to the capture and prosecution of the hunters involved…and justice was served! 
Back then I worked for the MNR and was called to put a tape to the seized antlers as I was an accredited scorer for FROW (Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife). This remarkable buck ended up having a green gross typical score of 223 7/8″. After non typical and side to side deductions the deer netted 199 1/8″. Truly a remarkable set of antlers in any jurisdiction! 
Recently, a good friend and avid big buck chaser showed me something that took my breath away. He discovered the unmistakable right shed from the Dryden Buck! He discovered the shed from an acquaintance, whos dog dragged the antler home in the vicinity of the Dryden Bucks home territory. It hung in a garage for over 15 years before coming to light. I was fortunate to put a tape to the shed the other day and came up with a typical score of 84″. There was also a 4″ non typical sticker near the base, identical to most of the abnormal points the Dryden Buck grew. Doing a bit of math… double this score, add 20″ for an inside spread and you have a buck grossing 188″. Interestingly the left antler of the Dryden Buck is more impressive than the right with an additional G5 point of over 7 1/2″.
“What Ifs”…Lets do a bit of math and do some what if comparisons. What if the Dryden buck had grown a matching G5 on the right antler? That would bump the gross typical score to 231 4/8″, the resulting net score (including abnormal deductions) would be close to 214 3/8″. The current world record shot in Saskatchewan has a net score of 213 5/8”. I often think of the “What Ifs” and “what coulda been”, whether its that huge walleye that just broke your line at the boat or the monster moose that just walked by out of bow range. I think its the “what ifs” that keep us intrigued and drives us crazy while sitting in a tree stand.
The discovery of a shed antler from a potential world record buck is truly an amazing chapter in this bucks story. What is most amazing is the fact that no one had heard of or knew of the bucks existence before he made that fatal mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time back in 2003!
A Fishy Story
Some things you just cant make up!! I have to tell you a story about a fellow that has been staying with us for the summer. Lets call him “Dan”. A bit of background about Dan first. Dan is an equipment operator working in the bush of northern Ontario. Dan has been staying in a camper on one of our RV sites for the summer and has become a bit of a fixture at the camp. He seems to have a black cloud following him around…his words. Not getting into too many details about his personal life, Dan is a widower and his only companion is a 4 year old female German Shepard named Misty.
About 3 weeks ago my parents my wife Heidi and I were enjoying a visit with each other in our newly renovated lounge (aka Liars Lounge). It was just after dark and I headed to our camper for some evening refreshments. As I walked out the lounge door I heard a noise…a scream although muffled. My curiosity got the better of me so I headed towards the Lake. I knew Dan was messing around with his boat and was trying to get his outboard motor to run properly. I called his name and all I heard in response was several huffing noises from the dock. Loud breathing is what came to mind. Then I heard a “HELP” come from the dock area. I yelled “DAN” and ran to the shoreline. Misty met me on land and as I approached the lake there was Dan standing waist deep in the lake! I asked him if he was ok to which he replied ” Yeah I fell out of the %$#&*^%$ boat” I asked if he was ok and before I could digest what was going on, Dan started telling me his fish story. Now remember Dan is standing in waist deep water, soaking wet, he cant swim very well and just fell out of his boat which was tied to the dock.
Dan continued to tell me about a huge Pike he caught a day or so earlier. He was slow trolling at a nearby point with his motor that wouldn’t run for more than 30 seconds when all of a sudden he hooked into a BIG fish. He continued to explain that he finally landed the Pike that later measured 43″. He pulled the big fish into his 16′ boat and said it took him over 10 minutes to get the hook out of its lip. When he was finally able to get the hook out and collect his thoughts the dog who always rides with him decided to check out this new beast laying on the bottom of the boat. Dan says he doesn’t know exactly what happened next but all of a sudden Misty started yelping and smashing around the boat in hysterics. When Dan focused on the situation he came to realize that somehow the Pike was able to get Misty’s front leg up to the elbow straight down the fishes throat! In Dan’s own words…I don’t know how the hell it happened but the dog was squealing, blood was flying around and the fish was doing its best to swallow my dog. So Dan did what he had to save his dog and ended up biffing (Dan’s words) the fish in order to resolve the situation. Holly mackerel said Dan, Now I have a dead Pike and a dog that is ripped up in my boat and a motor that might not get me back to camp.
Well unfortunately the trophy Pike did not fare so well and the neighbor ended up smoking it, Misty was cut up a bit but has made a full recovery…and Dan’s motor still doesn’t run very good.
I helped Dan out of the chilly water and told him that he just might be a part of our website with his Fishy story!!
Jun 6
COVID-19 OPERATIONS
Wow, what a year 2020 has turned out to be! This will be a year in the history books and we are all a part of it. Recent changes within our Provincial government has allowed us at Lac Seul Wilderness Resort to open our camp to Canadian guests. The USA/Canadian border remains closed to recreational travellers until June 21st, and possibly longer. Operating under these time lines is challenging to say the least. We are fortunate that we live in Canada and are able to have our resort ready for guests. I cant say the same for those resort owners that are stuck south of the border. Many local operators have stepped up to help our counterparts as best as we can. Cutting grass, monitoring others camps and keeping our peers informed of local news. We are a big family of sorts and we need to watch each others backs to ensure the tourism industry stays strong and viable. Hopefully soon the border restrictions will allow for US camp owners to get to their hibernated camps and get prepared for whatever guests they may be able to accommodate. I am remaining optimistic that we will salvage part of this season, however we must plan for the worst and make the best of it.
We understand that everyone is affected by this pandemic in different ways. Financial hardship, tangible health concerns, paranoia, and frustration at government controls. We are not one to judge an individuals opinions or actions. We are however able to accommodate your needs and we open our arms to those guests that are allowed to visit. We have implemented Canadian rates for Canadian travellers. We will be following strict health and safety guidelines such as group size restrictions, sanitization practices and pre screening directives.
Please don’t hesitate to call us to see what we have that fits your needs.
sincerely Scott and Heidi
Feb 6
Keeping Busy
A little update on what we have been doing in preparation for spring camp start up. Our garage resembles that of Geppetto’s workshop with too many different projects on the go at once. Of course no room for Heidi’s car! Our new year started off with a trip to the All Canada show in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I must admit I am really enjoying interacting with so many eager fishing faces, the energy is contagious. It was a great show and we are quickly realising our small camp is in need of expansion. Next show is Madison Wisconsin Feb 28-March 1.
The entrance sign is a work in progress and the only thing slowing us down is mother nature. A break in the weather allowed us to get the south bound portion installed. A bit of fine tuning is all that is needed to get our entrance recognised along highway 105.
The boat launch dock is also at the mercy of the weather. It is taking shape and I’m sure it will be ready for transport soon.
Many many smaller projects are on the go in the workshop…Pinterest is very visible here
I do of course squeeze in a bit of ice fishing, and the walleye bite has been excellent this winter. Soon I will be chasing trout, in fact I might even be involved with a northern adventure with “Larry Smith outdoors” and Ontario’s own “The Real Deal”. Keep your eyes open for our adventure on these upcoming episodes.
The fire in the garage has finally reached working temperature so I better get back to my “to do ” list. Before you know it the geese will be flying north and the ice will be pulling away from the shores.
Wishing you all the best in 2020.
Scott
