Catching the Good Life in the Canadian Wilderness

Good Day Happy Campers! Finally a crack has started and the worm has turned. Could be that maybe the end is near, never know but we can hope! After much strong winter, snow, ice, bitter cold, wind, heavy storms of rain, thunder, lightning, tornadoes have shown up in northern Wisconsin. As I view the Highway Cameras in the far north, winter is still holding on, but it Could Be the End is near, SPRING is on its way!! For some reason this winter was especially hard on many of us, I hope that you are taking a deep breathe and say, Could Be, Spring is on its way!

A few days ago, we lost a Mountain of a Musician, Man, and all around Good Guy, Alan Marquardt. Mr. Marquardt was a Teacher of Music and Life for 50 years in the Bowler School District in central Wisconsin. He was very instrumental in my developement as a Musician and Teacher as I worked with him for the last portion of my Undergraduate Music Education. During my time with Al, so many things were brought to light, but most importantly I remember a couple of simple sayings that have rung true for me as I walk thru life as a person, musician and teacher.

BE HUMBLE

MAKE IMPROVEMENTS NOT EXCUSES

PERFECT Practice makes PERFECT

Thank you Alan for providing me with life long lessons that I carry today, tomorrow and forever. Recently I have started to make music again in Northern Wisconsin and it is amazing how many people you have touched during your time on earth. I can only hope that now as you are in a new place with familiar faces and people, you are able to make music with some who have touched me musically like Mom, Grandma, Aunt Margie, Bob, Alan Butcher and many more. I have been lucky to be able to use Music as a vehicles with many people and places during my walk of life, thanks and until we meet again, Gods Speed!

Here is a Poem I heard today that fits this so well:

Try Again
by William Hickson
‘Tis a lesson you should heed–
Try again;
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try again.
Then your courage should appear;
For if you will persevere,
You will conquer, never fear,
Try again.
Once or twice though you should fail,
If you would at last prevail,
Try again.
If we strive,
’tis no disgrace
Though we did not win the race–
What should you do in that case?
Try again.
If you find your task is hard.
Try again;
Time will bring you your reward,
Try again;
All that other folk can do,
Why with patience should not you?
Only keep this rule in view,
Try again.

PERFECT Practice makes PERFECT

Soon Happy Camp will be upon us, Let’s see what 2026 Brings US! Hope to see some of you on our travels, take care!!

Good Day Happy Campers, hopefully this finds you doing well and starting to think of warmer weather, tulips, and the every popular Mosquitos! Oops I forgot the Black Flies that take a back seat to no one!

Spring has started to poke its nose out in northern Wisconsin, but can we be sure that it is here for certain, or will we again be dumped on! One begins to wonder and Maybe we will have a nice long, slow warming spring which will allow the snow and ice to sink into the ground instead of running off. Speaking of run off, the snow on the roof is almost gone, we had outward of 4 feet on the roof, the vents were covered. But Rook and I figured out how to keep them open and I think the worst is over, well Maybe!

Fsihing has been erratic at best, could it be the weather is raising havoc on the fish activity, well Maybe! Very few gamefish has been seen, lots of small perch and bluegill, but last night Rook and were out trying out the new toy, and would you know it, big Jumbos show up!! First stop 8 jumbos in 8 drops, holy hot dog! Tossing them back, I got a 9 incher, wowser, a fish fry may be happening, well Maybe not!

Bite died, so we worked all the spots with many few Perch, but all twirps! The norm rather then the exception, but we go back to the first spot, and Bang, Bang, they are back. Numerous fish in the 8-11 inch range come to the hole and one whopper gets into the hole, as I lift him up the line snaps!! Oh no, but if anyone catches a Jumbo Perch over 12 inches with a green tungsten jig in the tip of his mouth, take the jig from him, say Good Job and put him back! Then get in touch with me so I can get the Jig back because it works!

Speaking of works, a new toy has come into our arsenal, only used it once, but hopefully the next couple of days we will use it again. Rook seems to bark, jump and laugh as we go around, but maybe soon he will want to ride on it and enjoy in the fun, well Maybe!

Soon Spring will be here for sure and 2026 Bear hunt will be upon us. We are excited about the adventure, new hunters and all that the Canadian Wilderness. From Bears, Fish, Fowl, Moose, Knuckleheads and more, it all is an adventure.

Time to get rumbling to the woods and water, take care Happy Campers!!

Good Day All! Mid February is upon us and the Beat goes on! Winter has been not such a nice here, plenty of Snow, bitter cold, bad roads and anything else that Winter brings with it!

HCS is quite busy these days, Rook has spent many mornings tearing down the hill to the lake and checking out his terrain here. The yard is trampled by his paws, many deer prints, birds and other critters. As I write, Paul the Pileated is on the Peanut Butter eating breakfast. Those Giants are awesome. If you gander below, you will see where one of them, I guess Paul is standing in the waterer. Heck its got to be Paul, if it is Paula, then she would don a bathing suit or skivvies to keep her figure covered, oh my!

Fishing has been at a standstill. Earlier poor ice conditions, then heaavey snow blanketed the ice. Last 3 weeks bitter cold have put on about 20 inches of ice, but travel is difficult. Over the weekend we went out and caught some fish, the darn wind was cold, temps below zero make it difficult. Lots of small fish bit well until about noon on Super Bowl Sunday, then the bite died. But none the less, it was good to get out, see the rods bend and catch some fish.

You ever rely on people to help you and they just dont follow thru, well story of my life. None the less, yesterday Rook and I said to hell with the wind, headed to the Michigan border to check out access on some lakes. Well, we found what we were looking for and then we actually went north to a Casino and made a few bucks. I always hope to find another place to fill my palette but there seems not be any place like the Ealge’s Nest. They seem like simply the best except last Friday, they were nothing short of a disaster. Can’t figure it out, but somebody dropped the ball. But alas, they get a reprieve because they have been so often, OOH ITS SO GOOD!

Speaking of beat, anyone got the Heart Beat for Valentimes Day? I hear that Roses and Chocolate prices are thru the roof, by the way what prices are NOT thru the roof! It is amazing that what $100 use to buy a few years ago now you get peanuts, who knows what these will be like in the next few years. One can hope that gas prices have got a better grip in Ontario, but then I guess notta!

Birds are busy at the feeders, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Deer, Elephant and Giraffes are wandering thru the bush, the fron yard is littered with Gnu’s now crossing the road. I wonder what is tasty over there, maybe go check it out.

Soon we will start gathering for HCO 2026, and the water will get softer and the bugs will start to sharpen up their drills in earnest to stab all of us! Got some fishing on your mind, shoot me a message to plan your Adventure.

Come and Catch the Good life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Happy January 2 everyone! It is bitter cold here, sitting in the Deer Stand last night reminded me of the need for good warm clothes, Hat, Gloves and Boots. As the Snow tumbld down out of the sky onto the blanketed white ground, I watched as it piled up! It is very interesting to watch the Birds, Squirrels and other small critters walk on top of the snow and parade around the woods. Oh how I wish I could walk on top again, but alas this Fat Ass falls thru most everything. Thank God for strong Ice!

2025 Deer Hunt ended very quietly for this Hunter! The Hunt was glorious for quite some time, seeing at least 3 Deer each day until around the 26th. Magically after the 26th, the Deer vanished, no tracks, no sign, like they never existed. But seeing 13 the last day I saw any Deer prove to me that they are still around, but then again the Cafe has been re-opened, alas!! What a bunch of crap, but each of us ONLY control our actions!

I took up Der hunting again and did harvest 2 Deer. Sausage will be made and distributed out to Gold Finger and others. Sadly th Sausage shop that used to make wonderful Sausage is now closed so once again the Crap Shoot begins. Anyone who has looked for a Sausage maker who has the same tastes can be quite daunting, don’t you think?

Sunshine if finally here, enjoy the sun, the cold and all that comes with it. Eagles soar overhead looking for food, they will get the Bones and scraps from the last deer in the next coupld days after the Meat thaws and ready for carving.

Happy Camp will be upon us sooner than we know it, so if you are looking for an adventure of a lifetime, we may have a spot for you, shoot me a message, give me a call today! Rook is ready to rumble so I best be going to get the boots, hat, jacket, mittens, take care and keep in touch!

Happy New Year Happy Campers! In a couple of days we will bring in the New Year, I think an easy Resolution is to say to Hell with it All, let’s Get away to Happy Camp Ontario!! Fish and Loons are Calling, Rook wants everyone to come and Party and we can Always find room for any and all of you!

Snow is coming down, lets get some chatter going. I have Hunts lined up in May, Fishing lined up, how about you coming along for an adventure. White Otter is nice, Nagagami and Oswain are calling, but wait, Pagwa, Beavercross, Stillwell, Kagiano, Pork Chop and TenderLoin ALL want some time. But alas, there are so many more. How about joining us on an adventure for some Jumbo’s at Long Lake. 58 miles is a ton of water, let’s go check it out together!!

Rook and I look forward to HCO 2026, but before we have to go south and hunt, maybe get another Deer for Mr. Vang and Gma and Gpa are calling. Check out Rook’s new post on his page, he is becoming such a great speller!

Take care and keep in touch!!!

Good Morning Happy Campers! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed all of the festivities, wherever you are! Winter has slowed a titch, now we have ice and some warm weather. Rook is anxiously waiting to start hunting again which we will do soon, we harvested a couple of Deer for the freezer so we won’t starve.

2026 will soon be upon us, and soon we will be headed north to start Bear hunt 2026. I have just 2 spots left for the year and it will be an adventure and then some! Let’s hope for a nice winter keeping the Bears sleeping until May, then rumbling out and about during the wonderful Spring Hunt that is awesome as the Happy Camp area wakes up after a long winter’s nap.

Speaking of naps, I spoke to a chap the other day that believes that we should only be awake when it is daylight out, then we all should sleep thru the night. That is a hell of a lot of snoring and I dont think any size of woods would survive all of that cutting of logs thru snoring!

Yost up near Sturgeon Bay got the Bear hide back, it is hanging within the walls of Happy Camp South. Anyone in the area shoot me a message and stop in for a spell. I have to warn you that anyone coming into HCS has to imbibe on a Cold Old Milwaukee Beer in honor of My Mom and Dad. My parents drank much Old Mil and it is nice to sip as we gander thru the place looking at chatting about all the memories. Needless to say each day I walk thru HCS and look out onto Johnson Lake, it brings me many memories way too long ago.

Uncle Norm passed recently, went to Park Falls for the service. Many memories with him and his family at Grandpa’s cottage on Johnson Lake. Uncle Norm was too a lover of nature, fished often on Firefly and Fallison Lake, and was a big snowmobilier. He spent the last years of his life on Pike Lake of the Pike Round Chain. Oh how we used to catch the Walleye on and near the Rock piles. Nothing like feeling the tug of a walleye on that 3/16 ounce jig or to watch the Slip Bobber disappear under the surface, then the Rod buckles when you set the Hook, OH MY!

Speaking of Buckling, I remember October on a lake near Caramat, Rook and I were drifiting the shoreline then jutted out following the contour shape. The wind blew strong and pushed us out, as I worked the oars, the Rod bent over strong, I was able to grab and set hard! Rod buckled in half as the big girl pumped hard trying to get away! Soon the big girl came to the net and the fat big walleye was lifted into the boat. Big eyes begging to get back into the water. Hook was taken out and I lifted her up, Rook gave her a lick on the tail and she was let to swim another day, OH MY!

To watch the monster swim deep and live again, maybe for another angler to enjoy the battle that ensues after you entice them to your lure, if you know what I am talking about, it never gets old, OH MY!!

This writer could go On and On with OH My’s but time to get after some Tender Loins, Yummy. I hope to viist Efrain later today and enjoy his Cole Slaw, OH MY!

Got a spot for anyone looking for an adventure of a lifetime, shoot me at message or call to save your spot in 2026, enjoy the rest of 2025 Happy Campers!!

Good Day and Happy Holidays! Happy Camp is quiet right now, but come 2026 the Bees will be busy doing this, that and the Other thing. The ONLY way anyone will know is by getting on the schedule for a visit. Time catches us all, nobody is immune to that and at the young age of 60, I know that the Clock is ticking.

Fall was good, winter is pounding on the door, snow on the ground although rain is coming down now. Rook spent time chasing ducks and is ready for another adventure and I presume that 2026 will get us South to chase feathers before we lock in for some Chukars as the Pheasants are just too easy for this crazy Pawed pal of mine!

No movement on Bear or Moose for HCO, seems like the MNR is stuck in neutral as they are retracting their earlier stance, surprise surprise. So we will continue to bang our heads on the wall, drive an insane amount of time to Bait and hunt Bears.

But as we look to the future, one does not know where we go with this? If anyone has ideas, cares to partner or purchase Happy Camp Ontario, please get in touch.

2026 has Bear hunts planned, a few fishers, who know with Moose, but Rook and I plan on being Full Bore for Duck season, the food will be planted, Blind made and set, dump the Mallards in the river and hope that we start an unbelievable Migration in the HCO region.

Happy Holidays everyone, take care and keep in touch

Happy Pre Moose Happy Campers! Not much bussing going on around, gang is in camp farting around. While they have a Calf tag, I only know of 2 Adult tags. It is head scratching how some gangs ALWAYS get tags, what is up with that!

Rook is resting now, he spent the better half of yesterday afternoon letting everyone know where the fish are at!! Rook was barking up a storm as we pulled fish after fish out of a deep hole on a nearby lake. What is really wild, Rook only barks at the Walleye, he doesnt care about the Pike or Lake Trout. But we can hear the fryer popping already for tonights meal, yummmyyyy!

Speaking of yummy, I cooked a Mallard on the grill marinaded in Cider on Thanksgiving, it was quite good with our wild rice, cranberries and Pumpkin Pie! Bulldog for a nightcap was wonderful, but our beloved Brewers have fallen off a cliff! As I write, they are behind 0-3, sadly I think they will be snuffed out tonight in Dodger stadium. What is sadder that they spent the whole year fighting, clawing, scrapping their way to the best record in baseball, but they have NOT played that way against the Dodgers! Who knows, maybe history will repeat itself the 2nd time, Come on Ueck, where are you!!!

Rook continues to amaze me with his Tom Foolery, but when it is hunt time, he is ALL HUNT! That young Buck is an absolute charger when it comes to retrieves. His nose is coming aloing nicely, his listening better everyday, we can only hope that soon the sky will start to show a few ducks, geese or something for us to try to hunt.

Speaking of hunt, BEAR HUNT 2026 if all in the works. As of October 17, we have a few spots left starting with Week 2 which begins on May 30, so if you are interested in joining us, don’t delay, get in touch with me today!

Evening Grosbeak has found his way back to the feeders, along with Blue and Canadian Jays, many other birds that are so cool and peaceful to watch and take care. If I could load them in cages and take back to the states for the winter I would, if you are an avid birder who loves songbirds, you would love it here. Right now, you could be sipping coffee, sharing fresh bakery you made for all of us, listening to wonderful music on WXPR and watching them flitter around. But you have to be here for that, so what you waiting for, as Mad Dog says, get on the HORN, call us today to get your spot saved at Happy Camp Ontario!!

Life is a gift, live Everyday :))

Can ANYONE tell me where I took this picture? The beauty surrrounds us all in the HCO region, one just needs to stop and adore it! With the Wilderness being quiet, I am so reminded how lucky I am to have this Beauty around me and to have such a wonderful sidekick ready for ANY crazy adventure I come up with!!

Good Day all, as we reach Thanksgiving, I thank the Creator for bringing me to the wilderness, as Rook and I immerse ourselves into it, our souls are richer each day! Here are a few snap shots to maybe enhance your souls, but you really need to be here to experience it all! Happy Thanksgiving all, God Bless,

What is UP with Sleepy! This fine feathered friend found his way to the Food Board shortly after Rook and I chased off the 30some Grackles. Those damn things are a nuisance, but at least Sleepy has found a place to rest. Sleepy has been laying in the same spot for about 20 minutes. He looks fine, hope he is, time will tell!

Weather in the HCO region is stale, drizzle, dark, warm days and nights, the trend should continue into at least the 1st week of Roctober. Change would help, but speaking of change, the Big Game is starting to maneuver around just a bit. Wolves, Bear and other large critters were seen in our jaunts. But alas, many of these have become weary to the sight and sound of the ever popular bike up here. Everywhere I have gone there are bike tracks, heck last night while walking the bush edge with Rooster, we were come upon by a lighted Bike. One would think that if your vehicle is parked on the edge, respect might lead one to go elsewhere, guess not! Guess it is just me, I was taught differently.

Speaking of differently, Jimmy was great last night, so nice to see him back. If you caught his opening, he was spot ON with this simple fact.

Apparently the Oval office person thinks that Jimmy was fired because he has no ratings, but Jimmy was spot on when he said, I HAVE GREAT RATINGS Tonight!!!

So, yes as our freedoms are in peril, I challenge each of you to do our part. Freedoms are great, lets respect them, each other and the beautiful world we have in front of us.

GO BREWERS

P.S. Sleepy has finished his slumber, as I finish at 11:33 a.m. EST, he has left, Good Riddens Sleepy!!