BACK IN CANADA

Well it was nice to have a Canadian Christmas, I don't think Indonesians know what a real Christmas tree looks like, and they definitely don't have turkey dinners! It was a great time to catch up with family and friends. The boyz getaway was a lot of fun, and it was great to hang out with my Buddy's that used to be islanders...I can still say I'm an islander, but now I'm just on a different island.

Our trip to the island was great. I was able to get away on a grouse hunt with my Dad and his new Dodge Ram. We did the usual trip up Mt. Arrowsmith, but got skunked. We did see a grouse but were too busy talking to shoot it! Oh well it was just a good excuse to try out the truck and go out into the sticks for a while.When we got back to Abbotsford my father-in-law had picked up my duck from the taxidermist! I shot my first mallard up at the ranch and thought it would be a good memory of that time.

We drove up to 100 mile later that week and saw a few nice Bighorn Sheep Rams near Spence's Bridge. It was nice to to see them and get a few photos. At the ranch I tried going after coyotes, but didn't have much luck, but I did get to rip around on the skidoo for a while! Hartwig smoked some venison with his friend Ed, and man was it good!
We then drove down to Kelowna to visit Carmen's brother and on the way stopped to see Ryan and Rose Peters. It was a good visit with Christoph, Karleigh, and the kids and we had a great Christmas with them in Abbotsford as well. It was great to see Julie, Clark, the kids, and my parents over Christmas, even though I was sick. I did have a chance to shoot ducks with Clark and we got a combined number of 3 ducks and shot over 50 shells...I think we need some practice. The ducks in that area are pretty safe with that kind of shooting!

The Guys trip was great, and the party at Piechnik's was a great time to visit with everyone. We spent New Years with the Matt, Mel, Dan, and Anna their new house is great! The red eye flight back to Indonesia was interesting, but I'm sure Carmen has updated everyone on that! It was nice to be home in Canada, and I can't wait for 2009!

STRAIGHT SHOOTIN'

Over the last few weeks I have been gathering some hunting and fishing pictures from friends who have been successful. It's always a cool thing for me to hear their stories, and listen to all their lies about BIG FISH that got away, or monster Deer that took off before a shot could be fired. Every once in a while someone gets lucky and actually ends up bagging something. This is definitely the case with Chris Jensen and his first Deer. Chris shot this Doe on the run with a muzzle loader; thatta boy! According to him he is a hot shot and he dropped it from quite a distance. Too bad he shot it in the gut! He claims that it was a clean shot, but I really don't believe him. Just kidding man!Amanda Piechnik reminds us all that hunting is not strictly a guy's thing! I am stoked that there are a few girls out there that aren't squeamish about getting sweaty, dirty, and a little bloody for a chance to have some fun. Amanda shot her first Elk near Kimberly while hunting with her Dad, Frank, and friends. Frank also shot a nice whitetail buck on the same trip. Amanda is thinking about writing an article for a hunting magazine, and I hope that she gets it published.
Nathan Kelly is a friend of mine from Northwest Bible College. Nate is from Cranbrook and is part owner of Total Outdoor Adventures LTD where he works as a guide / outfitter. If you want to do some serious hunting Nate is your man. Check out his company: http://www.toaltd.com I don't know much about this Mountain Lion that he shot, but I can say that it is the biggest monster I have ever seen!

Well I'm all out of stories for today, and can't think of anything else to write at the moment...mosquitoes are eating me alive! Keep your stick on the ice.

MEMORIES FROM LAST SEASON

Being in Indonesia is great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's the little things in life that you miss. For Me, I miss hanging out with the boyz! Scotty, Zank, Dan, Tim, Andy, & Let's not forget Marty! You Guys Rule, it would be fun to hang out again! The other things I miss are home cooked meals,Tim Hortons, and the adventures of the hunting season. Hunting with my Dad, Clark, Hartwig & Tina made the last season a good one. I feel so blessed to have such great friends and family to share these experiences with. I love being outdoors in God's great creation, and having the privilage to bring meat to the table.

Clark and Guiness were good company, especially chasing ruffed grouse on Mt. Aarowsmith, too bad the big blue grouse always seem to evade us! Sometimes we were lucky enough to bag two! Guiness was a star in hunting ducks and made several good retrieves in the water, although he wasn't too fond of blackberry bushes. I wish Clark would show him the difference between a duck and a dead salmon (oh well, and least we didn't have to get wet)! Dad and I went on our first BIG hunting trip this year, and it was a trip that I will never forget! It was the first time either of us had been to Nothern BC, and it was amazing country! We caught some big fish, saw lots of animals, and had some excellent hikes in the backcountry!Neither one of us got to shoot off our cannons, but we bagged a few grouse and Dad got a lot of naps. Above is a typical group of Mounatin Caribou that weren't legal but were fun to see and take pictures of. Clark was fortunate enough to get his first moose this year! It was his first big game animal and everyone was proud of him, although Dad wishes he would buy his own tags next year!

Clark wasn't the only one to bag his first big game animal last season. As it turns out I drew a LEH tag for a Mule Deer Doe and Hartwig and I hunted two weekends in a row in Lone Butte to find one. I was able to drop my first deer in one shot to the neck from about 25 yards, and the only thing I could think to say was, "I got one"! It was a great hunt and I'm very proud of my first deer, thanks Hartwig and Tina!!! The great thing about going up to my In-Law's Place is that Hartwig and Tina know the area well. This season was good for them and more than one deer got put in the freezer. Now, my father-in-law doesn't like to boast, so I'll do that for him, and say that he's a good hunter. Here is a nice three point he got this year.

Carmen also shot her first grouse this year, and I can honestly say that I'm more proud of her than she is of herself. She went hunting with a .22 with her mom, and shot the grouse in the neck with one shot! Then she felt bad when she saw it flop and I wonder if it will be hard to get her to go hunting with me in the future! Carmen I love you, you make me a happy man!

These are some of the memories that I have of the hunting season and I am looking forward to coming home during the next one! Too bad the boys from the island don't have their licences! Matt Neilson, I haven't given up on you yet! Remember where we are planning to go in the Fall of 2010!