OUTDOORS GUY JEFF MORRISON
Just itching to get back
With the opening of trout and turkey
seasons just around the corner, our local sportsmen and women are no April fools when it comes to hunting and fishing. Early spring is generally regarded as a
time of renewal and rebirth, and nowhere is this more prevalent than with the devotees of hunting and angling. As we enter the dreaded stretch between
the end of ice-fishing and the start of trout and turkey seasons, we conservationists must band together for support. But alas, with the ice starting to break up on our local waters and snow disappearing from the woods, many folks, including me, are itching to get back to nature. You know, spring can mean different things
to different people - the rumble of a ruffed grouse ‘drum’, to the familiar call of the white- throated sparrow, or the swirl of a feeding brook trout; rising to the surface to snatch a fly. These are just a few images that come to mind. Being the well-prepared outdoorsmen we are, most of us have already planned that first big outing of the year. For those, however, who still require some help, here are a few ideas you will find are right up your alley. The Valley Fishing and Outdoors Show
is always a sure sign of spring, and it annually draws sportsmen and women from across the region. The Carp Show, as it has become known, gets underway April 8 -10 at the Carp Fairgrounds and Arena. This year it will feature everything from fishing and casting ponds, to archery, shooting and fishing simulators. With more than 100 exhibitors on-site and more hunting and fishing gadgets than you can shake a 7-foot-medium-action-flipping-stick at. Show- goers will be treated to seminars from the Ottawa Fly fisher Society; Thundermist Lure Company; wild turkey expert Adrian Hare;
30 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
crappie aficionado Art Cunningham; our old friend Big Jim McLaughlin; Mike Snow from Salmon Express; and renowned tournament angler JP Ostiguy. The really special thing about the Carp
show is that, being surrounded by so many like-minded people, you are bound to run into someone you know. For more information, please contact: Dave Arbour at (613) 257-7489. For all the white-tailed deer enthusiasts
out there, the 16th Annual Big Buck Day takes place April 10 at the Community Center in Little Britain. This event is one of the most popular big
buck days in Ontario, attracting “deer nuts” from Central and Eastern Ontario to the quaint little dot-on-the-map near Peterborough. Ontario-harvested deer and moose will be officially scored on-site by members of the Foundation for Recognition of Ontario Wildlife (FROW). Trophies are awarded for the largest typical and non-typical whitetail and for the largest moose. Each year there are several Boone & Crockett-class trophies entered and scored. The event, sponsored by the South Central Ontario Fish and Wildlife Association, is a must for all trophy fanatics. For more information, please contact: Randy Love: (705) 439-2983 or by email:
rmlove@sympatico.ca When the Ontario government announced
the end of the coveted spring black bear hunt more than 12 years ago, it sparked controversy and outrage. Bear hunters have since resigned
themselves to the fact that pursing “old blackie” would remain a sport of the fall. Ontarians are, of course, glumly reminded of that fact each spring. Do not despair! The province of Quebec
still offers spring bear hunting. It’s just a stone’s throw across the water, and they are more than happy to have the cross-border business. Not
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