I am on my third hunting dog and she is in the autumn of her hunting days. After three decades with a dog joining me on a grouse walk or in a duck blind, a bird hunt without my four-footed pal just doesn’t seem right. It’s not just because a well-trained dog adds tremendously to
The hunter’s best friend
A hunting dog adds immeasurably to a hunt, as long as both hunter and canine know their tasks
In praise of the unloved fish
Manitoba’s waters are filled with fish that are interesting, challenging to catch, tasty and tragically ignored
Most local anglers would look at my fishing calendar and wonder why I’m taking a pass on walleye so often. At the risk of getting angry emails for saying so, I find them a little boring. Sure, they taste great, but so do other species. Walleye don’t put up much of a fight and the
Setting sights on smallmouth bass
From June excitement to summer introductions with novice anglers, this species has plenty to offer
I have been drawn to fishing for smallmouth bass for much of my life. They are exciting to catch and live in beautiful places. In my case, they are also a part of family memories. My parents owned a modest cottage on the Winnipeg River, built with used two-by-fours and sweat equity. Dad, whose family
Discovering our avian Prairie dancers
Sharp-tailed grouse spring displays are a natural spectacle that mostly goes unnoticed
There’s a timeless performance waiting for dance enthusiasts at this time of year. The performers are as strikingly adorned as they would be in a major ballet company, if a bit more camera shy. The stage is the natural landscape of the Prairies, and the audience is anyone ambitious enough to get up at 3
The man who fishes for owls
Decades of dedication to owl research and education has become a cornerstone of one family’s life
James (Jim) Duncan’s email address – owlodessy – pretty much sums up his life. Few folks have been tied to a bird the way great gray owls have defined him and his family. Now in his retirement years–though hardly retired–he still lives his self-described “owl lifestyle.” His academic expertise is recognized globally and he has
Winter wildlife winners and losers
Nature: Some of our forest creatures are amazingly adapted, while others just scrape by
Some critters are just made for winter, while others can’t wait for spring. In the dead of winter, we may think that local wildlife are toughing it out, pining for the longer, warmer days of spring. While that is true for some, many of our native species are doing just fine. My early university studies
The madness called ice fishing
SAFETY | Catching fish is always fun, but winter weather and ice conditions need to be respected
Awhile back I asked our outdoorsy family friend, Terri, if she wanted to come ice fishing. She deferred, saying, “I like fishing. It’s the ‘ice’ part that I don’t like.” Like Terri, I think there is some mild insanity on display in the growing interest in the ‘hardwater’ fishing season, which really took off during
Nature as seen from the deer stand
As the wait for a deer runs to hours, or even days, nature reveals itself in interesting ways
One of my valued outdoors mentors summed up deer hunting perfectly: “It’s lousy, until it’s good, and then it’s over.” Actually, he used a stronger word than lousy, but this is a family audience. Like me, he favoured hunting from a blind, waiting for the deer to come to the hunter. Depending on where you
Big changes for deer hunters
Manitoba’s 2022 deer season brings new opportunities — and responsibilities — for hunters
In the full bite of autumn, some might be melancholy over the need for insulated overalls and down jackets. But some of us eagerly await the first snows. That’s how much we deer hunters look forward to this special time. Hunting licence sales have declined significantly from their peak in the early 1980s, but deer
The greatest fishing spot in Manitoba
Sometimes the best things in life are right under our noses
My friend Roald wanted to catch a catfish with his fly rod. I have fly-fished for decades, and the river had been fishing well, so took him out in mid-August. First cast, literally, he struck and landed a 36-inch catfish of about 22 pounds. Over the next three hours he landed eight more, all between
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
