Surf and Turf Posted July 8, 2021 Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 32 minutes ago, smerchly said: We took the train (Polar Bear Express) from Cochrane with the canoe in a cargo car. We got off at Moose River Crossing , down a steep bank to the Moose River and spent a day & a half getting to the trib on the Mattagami . We had to pull the canoe past some rapids as the old 3 hp Evinrude didn't have enough steam . We had to kill and tilt the motor and use paddles to let the current take us back to calmer waters ,then use 2 ropes to get the canoe above the rapids. The Cree had mammoth canoes with 20 hp motors and flew passed us as they know every inch of those waters ! On the way back we stayed in a box car overnight on a side rail and spent an evening with a married couple who were teaching the Cree kids at a very nice school at the crossing (some fishing lures went missing & we gave 2 kids our sling shots . ...so much to tell about this place ! The train went south every other day from Moosonee to Cochrane . That was some story you posted Surf !! Every trip into the wilderness brings forth another great tale to tell , and remember for life ! That would have been a cool experience going in by train, were they diesel or coal back then? Ha Yes those adventures never leave you, just lucky to have experienced them as the majority never will and have no idea what they miss out on. smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 HA ...yes diesel , and there was a kitchen car where we could grab a meal and coffee/coke ,etc. On the way back on the second trip my cousin & I were in a car loaded with young French guys who worked in the bush , on their way home to their sweeties .....What a bunch of happy guys they were !!! ....as they passed the Dram to us ! .......and the sweet bouquet of weed filled the box car ......another ride for the memory bank . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 Great story Surf and Turf. Reminds me so much of my first moose hunting trips as a teenager. One thing we did do right was leave home around midnight so we would arrive in our hunting area (usually Gogama or the Sault) around first light and have all day to set up camp. We always used prospector tents with air tight stoves. I've got several photos of some of our camps and I will try to post them. Looking back on it now Surf, I think you'll agree with me, we really didn't know what the hell we were doing way back then but it was fun and quite the learning experience. Bubba14, smerchly and Surf and Turf 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 17 minutes ago, verado said: Great story Surf and Turf. Reminds me so much of my first moose hunting trips as a teenager. One thing we did do right was leave home around midnight so we would arrive in our hunting area (usually Gogama or the Sault) around first light and have all day to set up camp. We always used prospector tents with air tight stoves. I've got several photos of some of our camps and I will try to post them. Looking back on it now Surf, I think you'll agree with me, we really didn't know what the hell we were doing way back then but it was fun and quite the learning experience. Timing your arrival definitely makes sense. You definitely have that right Verado! Bubba14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 19 hours ago, Surf and Turf said: Timing your arrival definitely makes sense. You definitely have that right Verado! My last trip just north of Thunder Bay was memorial . As usual , we arrived at noonish to set up camp , down a trail in the bush near the lake . Just as we started to unload the vehicles , it started to snow heavily & we had 2" on the ground in no time . That was good for the morning hunt ......but I FORGOT MY KEY for my gun lock !! I remained at camp with a small file to cut the lock ! No moose that day even with moose tracks spotted in the snow ! I got to go the next day ....crossed the lake to hunt the other side with 5 other guys ...I took the far right side . Within the hour I bagged my largest moose with a 50" rack ! That was my last hunt .( went out with a bang) So ....back to the "camocanoe" . I have some "wheels" for it to make it easier to move to my van . (90lbs) will break my bones ! It doesn't sit flat as there's a rib under it . I put 2 pieces of noodle foam under it to level it on the rubber pads of the cart , then tied it front & back to keep it from falling off . It is not sturdy to haul over rough or bumpy land . Can anyone with experience tell me the best way to keep the carrier in place ? I have bungies.... I moved it over my yard to the driveway , but its flimsy and has no gear in it ......notice the patch ....a friend let the back end sit in mud too long and it had several small pin holes ...never leaked ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 29 minutes ago, smerchly said: My last trip just north of Thunder Bay was memorial . As usual , we arrived at noonish to set up camp , down a trail in the bush near the lake . Just as we started to unload the vehicles , it started to snow heavily & we had 2" on the ground in no time . That was good for the morning hunt ......but I FORGOT MY KEY for my gun lock !! I remained at camp with a small file to cut the lock ! No moose that day even with moose tracks spotted in the snow ! I got to go the next day ....crossed the lake to hunt the other side with 5 other guys ...I took the far right side . Within the hour I bagged my largest moose with a 50" rack ! That was my last hunt .( went out with a bang) So ....back to the "camocanoe" . I have some "wheels" for it to make it easier to move to my van . (90lbs) will break my bones ! It doesn't sit flat as there's a rib under it . I put 2 pieces of noodle foam under it to level it on the rubber pads of the cart , then tied it front & back to keep it from falling off . It is not sturdy to haul over rough or bumpy land . Can anyone with experience tell me the best way to keep the carrier in place ? I have bungies.... I moved it over my yard to the driveway , but its flimsy and has no gear in it ......notice the patch ....a friend let the back end sit in mud too long and it had several small pin holes ...never leaked ... 50" that would have been a bruiser for sure! I've seen it happen a few times over the years luckily not to me. I've always been paranoid about having that happen with gun locks so stopped using them as I have a hard enough time just remembering to bring the gun and shells. Mine are always either in the safe, with me, or locked in the vehicle. That looks like a handy set up, a light ratchet strap might be the ticket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted July 10, 2021 Report Share Posted July 10, 2021 49 minutes ago, Surf and Turf said: That looks like a handy set up, a light ratchet strap might be the ticket? I use a c tug for my kayak and it has a ratchet strap set up, well more like a pull strap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2021 32 minutes ago, Tyler0420 said: I use a c tug for my kayak and it has a ratchet strap set up, well more like a pull strap. Mine looks like this , on the same page as your C tug . I think it is too narrow for my canoe but I'll try the straps . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted July 10, 2021 Report Share Posted July 10, 2021 A few pictures of some early bush camps for moose. Can you guess what the one with the birch logs is? That was roughing it. Bubba14 and Surf and Turf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted July 10, 2021 Report Share Posted July 10, 2021 Quite a while ago we were featuring strange boat names that some of us had. Came across this photo of my 1979 24 foot crestliner and thought I would share. Surf and Turf, Bubba14 and Mbocco 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 21 hours ago, smerchly said: Mine looks like this , on the same page as your C tug . I think it is too narrow for my canoe but I'll try the straps . I have the same type of cart for my fishing kayak in the garage, but the yak is wider than the cart. I use 2 bungee cords to hold the yak on. What I hate about my cart is that the 2 sections kept folding together whenever I went to move the yak, so I cut 2 pieces of 1x2 and cut V-notches in both ends to wedge between the two support arms of the cart. Now its very easy to wheel out of the garage whenever I need to access anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 Two wheels and an axle would be enough to wheel my canoe down the driveway . Today , I measured my gate opening .....oops ! Canoe is too wide , so I will have to use the big gate & move the boat ahead 10 ft......or take the canoe through the gate side ways . Maybe just use my flat trolley and forget that carrier.....grrrrrrrr ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 12 hours ago, verado said: A few pictures of some early bush camps for moose. Can you guess what the one with the birch logs is? That was roughing it. Good looking camp, brings back memories. The birch log setup is a redneck outhouse. Nothing will wake you up in the morning like dragging the boys across an ice covered log! LOL verado and Bubba14 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 Great memorial pictures Verado ! Your camp looks like ours with all the tents . One of our guys who lived in Parry Sound made our tents , gear bags & army cots ....known as the "Stitcher" (rip) The kitchen tent had a steel water pipe frame that fit together with elbows etc.,made by his brother who repaired props in Hastings .Our crapper was a board with a luxurious 2" thick foam seat with a plastic overhead roof ! We also had a great shower stall ....plastic wrapped around 3 small trees and a black solar bag with warm water . ....but we had no phones ....just maps and useless cb radios....Those were days we call "back in the day" In your first picture the guy on the right looks like a good friend of my dad (Jack Hills) a former police sergeant in St.Kitts . verado 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 You're absolutely right Smerch. The guy on the left in the Quebec Tuxedo is my Dad and the guy on the right is indeed Jack Hills. He was one of my buddy's father-in-law and a great guy. Spent a long, cold night in the bush with him one year when we got lost. Sadly to say, everyone in those photos is gone now. My one buddy worked as a Geo-phycisist for mining and exploration companies all through Canada's north. He would pick the campsite from aerial photos or first hand experience on the ground. He would supply two big prospector tents and the air tight stoves to heat them. On arrival, first thing in the morning, we would cut the pine logs to use as support poles and set the tents facing each other about 25 feet apart. A carpenter buddy brought a lot of 2" strapping that we would use to build a dining fly in the gap between covered in heavy duty plastic. We also used the strapping to build shelves along one side to hold our camp stoves and other camp equipment. Old carpet was brought up for floors in the tents . There was usually 6 of us so 3 cots were placed in each tent. We had tons of room and I don't think I have ever been as cozy in a cabin as we were in those tent camps. We did that for probably 20 years in a row. Now I stay in a 1930's era hunt camp in the Haliburton Forest but I still miss those old days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba14 Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 smerchly and Surf and Turf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba14 Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 Where I hunt south of North Bay. We purchased it in 1995. It started out as a one room trappers cabin back in the 1920's and was added on to a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 Beautiful, exactly what a hunting camp should be. smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted July 11, 2021 Report Share Posted July 11, 2021 Damn you guys had some great times. smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 6 hours ago, verado said: You're absolutely right Smerch. The guy on the left in the Quebec Tuxedo is my Dad and the guy on the right is indeed Jack Hills. Unbelievable ! The world IS shrinking . A month ago I sent a picture of Jack with my dad to my next door neighbour Mark O. who lived close to Jack on 3rd Ave . and spent some times in at Jacks house .The picture was Jack & dad with Chief Couchie at the reserve in North Bay. My neighbour's buddy Gord also knew Jack well , and my other neighbour Joe also knew Jack from living close by . What a coincidence !! I like your Dad's tux ...sharp ! 4 hours ago, Bubba14 said: Where I hunt south of North Bay. We purchased it in 1995. It started out as a one room trappers cabin back in the 1920's and was added on to a couple of times. You need to put up a sign on the cabin ...."THE CLAMPETTS" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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