How do you pass the Winter?

[Amphibious]

well, for those of us that lack open water during the winter months, thisngs can get gett pretty slow freediving wise.

so, besides doing endless laps in the pool, how do you pass the winter months?

 

[Bindlestitch]

Amphibious,
Nice pic. Do you guys mainly call in your coyote's and wolves or do you also use dogs. Both is done where I'm from. I was just wondering which you prefer.
This time of year is pretty slow for me too. All the deer seasons are over by January so things get real boring. I spend way to much time on the computer because of the time change. It's dark by the time I get home from work. But I just bought a new boat so that's taken some time to get rigged for diving this weekend...hopefully I'll be going this weekend.
Do you guys do any big game hunting where you are? Elk , moose , deer anything like that?\
Later,
Stitch

 

[Bindlestitch]

Sounds like you're ganna have a full plate soon.
We don't get real hard winters here so the diving is pretty nice this time of year. The ice is on now but it's nothing like the ice you guys have I'm sure. The ice here rarley gets more than a couple of inches thick. So you can usualy be diving after a few days above freezing. I'm ganna try and do a bit this weekend.
Have fun brother. Be careful hunting those bears. Just take somebody with you that you can outrun, or be prepared to shoot them in the knee cap and make your escape.
Later ,
Stitch

 

[flyboy748]

I've always heard that if you get a grizz in a toe hold he's yours... any truth in that??

Seriously though Amphibious, I'm kinda jelous! That's one fantastic wolf. Best around here are some really big racoons! Well I guess there's black bears season in the spring, but there arn't enough of those left around here. Unless of course you're talking to the cottagers on the Bruce Penninsula!

Nice lineup your crew has there too. In these parts a .22 is considered big bore...

Cheers!
Aaron

 

[Murat]

poor creature...

Whats the point of shooting wolves? Just fun?

 

[bluecape]

Hey, I agree with Murat, maybe I do'nt understand hunting though, but I could never get myself to shoot a wolf.
A friend of mine has a Timber Wolf cross Husky as a pet, and although it's character is quite different to a domestic dog, it's a beautiful animal and I have developed a close bond with it. The Timber- wolf gene's in her animal are by far the dominant gene,It looks quite similar to the wolf in Amphibious's pic.

 

[bluecape]

Makes sense ! We also have controlled hunting here in Africa, which actually has direct benefits on the population of animals and vegitation etc etc. I guess my first instinct is to compare the wolf with the Timber Wolves which are getting bred here, but the situation is completely different.

It's gotta be a rush to head out into the snow with all that gear and have to track and hunt the animal!

Another thing which needs to be clarified here...people say we South African's are crazy to spearfish in the water with Great Whites...but for me...sharing a piece of forest with Grizzly's takes serious balls !!

Cheers

Jeff

 

[flyboy748]

I've seen undernourished and dying whitetail deer around here. These animals have no natural preadators in SW Ont. and therefore multiply to the point of starvation. Although I don't hunt at all anymore, I have more pity for starving deer than for hunted deer. We (humans) have interfered with what was a balanced ecosystem, and now I believe we must help balance things out whenever possible.

On the other extreme, I worked on a survey of black bears on the Bruce Penninsula for a year and a half. Through protection and research, they have re-established themselves in this area to the point where some hunting is once again allowed. Although I respect them, it does my heart good whenever I see one, rare as they may be!

All things in moderation I guess. In my opinion, spearfishing is no different than dryland hunting.

Aaron

 

[Murat]

GOLDEN rule is not to touch ecosystem balance but somehow if you hunt deer regularly then you can help to control the number of the wolves in the area for both species good. If the population of the deers is too much then you better to hunt deers instead of wolves, by hunting wolves you help the deers to achive great population which is bad in food less areas....

We here hunt grey partridge, francolin, rabbit and so... ( 11 weeks and only sunday, thats makes 11 day hunting for whole year.) There is to much hunter here and partridge population went down few years ago, after that we start to hunt magpies and crows to help the recovery of the grey partridge population. We also started to produce grey partridge in cages and the we let them go. This year is the second year of this application and adaptation levels going higher. So if you will touch the balance of the nature you have to calculate it very carefully.

But Amphibious my friend, hunting animal for pelt is something that i can not tolerate.... I am sure tigers, cheetahs, jaguar, leopards pelt worth much more, then let the hunters hunt them again....Don't forget, those animals were not endangered before pelt hunters...

 

[DiverD]

Sounds like the Elk need to be hunted to help create a balance. Elks at least can be eaten and their hides worn. Not a complete waste. Hunting wolves? A complete waste.

I like to walk in the winter when the weather is cold. That's fun.

 

[flyboy748]

I think the fact that the pelt can be used is something. On the farm where I grew up I hunted 'coons and dog packs because they were killing livestock. The racoon pelts wern't woth a cent then.

Remember we're talking about two wolves in 12 years, and also what these poor animals go through when trapped or poisened. I've seen leg hold trapping, and it's not nice...

Aaron

 

[flyboy748]

Spearfishing has been banned here...

Well maybe not entirely, you can hunt carp and suckers and freshwater ling during April and May only, and only with a pole spear... for what it's worth. No propelled spears allowed in Ontario at all. But a bow & arrow is ok... I can't figure that one out!

If people are against hunting though, it seems they're also against spearing. There are some groups who would like to severly restrict fishing (angling) too, however enough people do it to make it "normal" and something like that would cause too much public outcry.

Man, I hope the ice melts soon!
Aaron

 

[Murat]

Originally posted by Amphibious
hell yeah flyboy! I found leg-hold traps with just a leg in it animal may have chewed it off.

Yes it chew it off. This is a common act of wolves when cought by trap. I saw it on TV or heard from few people. I wonder if they survive later. They can't hunt with one absence leg, isn't it? Of course if it not die from blood loose before..

 

[Memo]

I hunt wild boar in winters. Although I couldnt go regularly this winter, I've managed to catch some. This one is shot a month ago.

 

[flyboy748]

Geez, I think if that thing looked at me the wrong way I'd turn tail and run! Nice one Memo! Bet there was some good eating in the days following eh?

Aaron

 

[Murat]

Are they good to eat

 

[Memo]

sure it is they are extremely delicious when properly cooked. You cant believe the taste of them when smoked! Our hunting group is about 8 people and we usually shoot 2 boars on average, and we are always hungry so all of the meat is used and nothing thrown away...

 

[Amphibious]

NICE HOG!!

Murat - Wild Boar is some the best meat you will ever eat, now just let me whipe the drool from my keyboard....

Nice peice of steel to! is that a BRNO/CZ ? Ruger?

 

[rigdvr]

to those who dont understand hunting...with a limited amount of land, populations of wild animals must be culled to ensure a healthy herd. There are MORE whitetail deer in N. America today than when Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett hunted the frontier...thats a fact. If animal numbers are not kept in check you will get disease outbreaks and many, many animals will starve to death. Looking at an animal like a wolf or deer different than a fish b/c it has fur and is cute instead of scales and slime is a symptom of Disneyitis brought on by one to many disney movies with talking deers and rabbits. What do you think the average person feels about spearing now that we have Finding Nemo out there?

This is the same thing as removing bass from a pond b/c there are too many small ones which will stunt the growth of the entire ecosytem due to an inbalance in the food chain.

Hunters pay for the majority of animal conservation efforts through an extra tax on hunting related items(ammunition, liscences, ect) not Greenpeace or PETA. This is the same in the world of fisheries management. We are paying to save the animals that many would like to see us not have access to.

 

[Memo]

Originally posted by Amphibious
Nice peice of steel to! is that a BRNO/CZ ? Ruger?

My gun is 308 win. Sauer 90 with 2-7 redfield illuminator scope. thanx for the compliment