Avid Outdoorsman

Saskatchewan Waterfowl Hunting Outfitter

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Prairies Edge Outfitting www.prairiesedgeoutfitting.com Saskatchewan, Canada has some of the best waterfowl hunting of anywhere in the world! If you are looking for an outfitter to take care of everything you need for a successful hunt then check out Prairies Edge Outfitting

NEW BLOG GO TO WWW.OUTDOORSMANSOASIS.BLOGSPOT.COM

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:32:00 +0000

Avid Outdoorsman has joined The Outdoorsman's Oasis to create the worlds best Hunting and Fishing / Outdoorsman Blog!!!! Please Check Us Out Online At http://www.outdoorsmansoasis.blogspot.com/

A Costa Rican Sailfish Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

In the winter of 2008 I travelled 5497km from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. I went for a relaxing vacation however I promised myself as soon as I booked the trip that I would do some fishing there. After some intensive research I found that the sportfishing industry in Costa Rica is largly run by American's and quite expensive. I decided to take the risk and not book a fishing charter until I arrived in Costa Rica and checked out the locals and all the available options. I realized that in a country like that not every fishing guide is going to be able have his charter business on the world wide web. After arriving and speaking to some locals I was told of a location (Quepos) that has the best fishing at that time of year (April) when I arrived in Quepos my beach front hotel http://www.verdemar.com/ was more than happy to help me book an offshore fishing trip that met my expectations and my budget, the hotel employees were extremely helpful and concerned that I would get the right fishing guide for my money. You have several options as far as the size of boat goes and if you want luxury you can go with a yaht for the low price of a few thousand US dollars per day. As my budget is in the lower end and I was going to be chartering the entire boat to myself I chose a small 24 foot cruiser. This size of boat is just fine for up to three fisherman any more than that and you will be bumping into each other all day. As I get seasick easily I came prepared with a motion sickness patch as well as gravol. If you have never been out in the open ocean (im talking 20 miles or more offshore) I HIGHLY recommend bringing gravol with you at the very least. Seasickness is the worst feeling in the world and once your 30 miles out in the ocean there is no getting away from it. So back to the fishing story, I met my boat captain and deck hand at 6am and with very little messing around we were off and running. We cruised straight out from land for 45min to an hour and then started fishing. Sailfish feed near the surface and often in schools, a favorite technique is to surround a school of bait fish and drive them to the surface where they are helplessly trapped and the sailfish can have their fill with a minimum of effort. Because of this the way you fish for sailfish is to troll several baits out the back of the boat in the wake at a decent speed and keep the bait skipping across the top of the water or swimming just under the surface. On this trip my experienced Costa Rican fishing guides placed weights on all our baits so they stayed just barely submerged they also set out two teasers which are large colorful plastic squid lures without hooks. The idea with the teasers is to draw sailfish in with the added flash and movement. With all the rigs out behind the boat in a staggered formation it actually looks like a group of baitfish swirling on the surface which of course is the whole idea and it obviously fooled the local sailfish because within an hour of fishing we had a hit! Then another and another! Three hits in a row but nothing had gotten hooked, I held my breath and then suddenly, only 10 meters behind the boat a 130 pound sailfish leaped its full length out of the water!

As it splashed back into the shimmering blue ocean I heard the line zinging off of the reel. Carlos rushed to the rod holder grabbed the rod and set the hook with three strong heaves on the rod, as he passed me the rod the sailfish jumped again, and again!! Four times the massive fish leaped in an effort to shake the hook but to no avail. As I fought with the jerking rod and tried to slow the line spinning off the reel without burning my thumb, Carlos buckled a rod holder around my waist and helped me into the fighting chair. It was a very exciting moment with alot of fast spanish and hand signals flying. After the intial thrashing the sailfish dove straight for the bottom all I could do was hold on to the rod. When he finally stopped I began the process of pumping and reeling, pumping and reeling, it was a long, slow, muscle burning battle to the surface and when we finally got the huge fish to the side of the boat he had lost almost all of his color. Carlos expertly slid the fish over the side of the boat while the captain grabbed the camera and snapped a couple pictures.

After the quick photos we slid the sailfish back into the ocean and Carlos gently pulled him back and forth to get the water flowing through the gills.

It took about 15 minutes before the mighty sailfish got his strength back and when he fully recovered we watched him in awe as he swam off with his huge fin slicing through the water. I was pretty happy with the fact that I had just landed an estimated 130lb sailfish! My first one ever! As Carlos got the lines back into the water I rubbed my sore arms and massaged my stiff hands and it wasn't a second or two later when we had another one on!!! I couldn't believe my luck until I grabbed the rod and realized that I had just started the whole 45 minute process over again but this time my muscles were aching to start with!! Anyways it was an endurance test but I took it with a grin and survived and we successfully landed the second fish as well. This one was a bit smaller coming in at an estimated 110lbs. The remainder of the day was spent chatting as much as possible with my two friendly guides that didn`t speak much english and I speak almost no spanish so it was fun trying to have a conversation. As we cruised along we would periodically see a sailfish leap out of the water 400 yards away but unfortunately no more took the bait. I didn`t mind at all I was more than happy with my two fish and so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, occasionally I dipped into the ice chest for refreshments and a sandwich. Towards the end of our day we came upon the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. Off in the distance the captain spotted something, as we headed towards it we could see alot of splashing and rolling and large fish leaping out of the water. The captain was confused at first, Can't be Tuna can it? He asked the deckhand. Carlos proceeded to climb up onto the roof of the boat and finally when we got close enough he said its dolphins! What I saw that day is absolutly unbelievable hundreds and hundreds of dolphins jumping, rolling, and slashing through the water as well as two giant sea turtles!! I snapped pictures as fast as my little underwater camera Olympus Stylus 550WP 10MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black) would take them and just stared in amazment.

Needless to say I was a bit sad when the captain said we had to head back but it was actually the perfect end to a perfect day. I had the time of my life and can't wait to do it again sometime. If you ever get the opportunity to do some sailfish fishing please do yourself a favor and do it!!! Good Luck and Good Fishing!!

Duck Identification

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Here is a useful website that will help you identify all species of ducks

Duck ID - A Guide To Identifying the Ducks of North America

Or here is a Waterfowl Outfitter if your interested in Waterfowl Hunting in Saskatchewan Canada

www.prairiesedgeoutfitting.com

Wild Game Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Soon I will be regularly posting wild game and fish recipes as well as campfire cooking tricks and tips. So stay tuned. Untill then try any of these cookbooks to give you a good start. If you have any favorites let me know

Product Review-Primos Duck Call

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Before the Sept. duck hunting season opener rolled around this last fall i decided to try out some new duck calls. My old call was pretty well destroyed from years of rolling around on the truck dash, being dropped into ponds, and getting full of mud, blood, and snow. Plus i just like buying new gear!! So i went into Bass Pro Shops http://www.basspro.com/ and bought a P.H.A.T (pretty hot and tempting) Lady, Single Reed, Arkansas style mallard call made by Primos Hunting Calls http://www.primos.com/

Now normally iam a double reed duck call kinda guy but i decided i would give this single reed a try just for fun. Well i have to say i was very disapointed with this call, i like the primos team and have lots of their gear as well as some of their elk calls, but this duck call just doesnt cut it. First of all the quality of sound is just not there (although this could be because iam used to double reed calls and they sound better...??) and second of all and most importantly the reed STICKS!! I blew this call for 45 seconds to a minute inside a warm house and the reed stuck! Not just for a second ether iam talking stuck good. Now i understand that some calls need to be tuned more than others but as far as iam concerned if it sticks right of the box i dont want it! I have purchased many duck calls over the years including some of my first which came from wal-mart and cost only $6.99, but this is by far the worst one yet! I know for a fact i will never use this call in the field and if anyone did they would most likely just be continually frustrated. There is nothing worse than spotting some low flying greenhead mallards winging towards your spread and you raise your call to your lips and blow and nothing happens because the reed is stuck!! Hunting is not about frustration its about enjoying yourself and hopefully being successful, the last thing a hunter needs is a crappy duck call. So that is why i am posting this review, i know most reviews are at least partially good but i felt the need to share with all hunters that this call is not worth your hard earned money. So thanks for reading and stay tuned for some good call reviews!

Click Here For The Latest Fishing Hole Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Getting Started Ice Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:31:00 +0000

I think by now most of us realize winter is here to stay, and here in Alberta, Canada alot of our lakes have been frozen over for a month or more which means its time to get fishing! Alot of people have been discouraged by ice fishing over the years and its true it can be disapointing when you sit on a frozen lake all day staring into a tiny hole in the ice and nothing happens. However ice fishing can also be action packed and actually some of the best fishing of the year can come through the ice. As with anything the key to success is in the preparation. Iam going to help you get started for a successful ice fishing experience. If you have never tried ice fishing there is no better time than now. First and foremost you need to be prepared for an emergency, it can get very cold out on a frozen lake very quickly, even if the day starts out warmish you never know what can happen. You always need to be prepared for extreme cold, what if your vehicle won't start? What if a winter storm blows in? Or worst case scenario what if you go through the ice and get soaked? When you head out ice fishing you MUST be prepared to survive the cold. Dress with warm layers that you can take off/put on as you get too warm or too cold. Also here are some good items to include in your vehicle: a Shovel Folding Survival Shovel, Tire chains, Fire starters/Windproof Lighter Windmill Trekker Stormproof Lighter (Orange), BlanketsAll Weather Space Blanket by MPI, Candles Long Burning Survival Candle, a Flashlight/Lantern The AMAZING 95 LED Aluminum Flashlight, and some food Mainstay Emergency Food Rations. One Pack.. Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when your planning to come back and make sure to bring a cell phone and charger. Now that we are prepared to head into the great outdoors in the middle of winter what do we need to catch fish through the ice? Ice fishing can be as basic or as technical as you want it to be. Head out to any popular lake on a saturday and you will see old timers in skidoo suits sitting on 5 gallon buckets jigging with an old peice of baseboard they got when they renovated their house, however you will also see guys with 6 man portable shacks, underwater cameras, sonar, and the latest and greatest ice fishing rods, ice augars, and tip ups. Most of us will be somewhere in the middle and where ever you choose to be, however far you want to take ice fishing is totally up to you. The main thing is that everyone has fun. While the guys with $1500.00 worth of gear may catch a few more fish i can guarantee the guys sitting on the pails are more relaxed, not a care in the world, just enjoying a day on the ice and at the end of the day they probably wont even remember how many fish they caught. So how much gear you want to buy is up to you but here is the basics of what you will need. An ice auger you will need something to cut a hole in the ice before you can do anything else, there is a couple options here on the low budget end you can get an ice spud or a hand auger Eskimo Standard Hand Ice Augers 8" (HD08) for $50.00 or less but make no mistake these tools require some manual labour if you decide to go this route make sure to take a few layers off before going at it so you dont get all sweated up and catch a chill because that could make for a very long miserable day. From there the sky is the limit but an average gas powered 8 inch auger will cost you $400.00-$900.00 StrikeMaster® Strike - Lite Auger remember bigger is not always better if you ever will be walking on to a lake you want something light enough to carry or pull behind you in a sled Medium Otter® Sled Black if on the other hand you will be fishing for large lake trout or northern pike then you will want a 10 or 12inch auger. My suggestion is to look at as many augers as you can and do your homework go with a reputable company with a good warranty program and you should be fine, of course if your uncle joe happens to have a nice one that he hardly ever uses........even better!!! Next on the list is an ice strainer when you drill a hole in the ice it will be full of ice chunks and shavings and you cant get your lure down into the water so you need a hand held strainer to scoop the hole clear. Next you need some kind of ice fishing rod and line, at any outdoors store you can get an ice fishing specific rod and reel such as a: Berkley CE Ice Fishing Medium Rod & Reel Combo or you can build your own, ice fishing usually doesnt require fishing at great depth so 30-50 feet of winter line such as:Sufix® Ice Magic Line, CLEAR, 6 LB will usually be plenty. Next you need lures, this is of course species specific and for the most part you can use your normal summer time lures, however in the winter time most fish become less aggresive so a good rule of thumb is to go smaller, slower and use bait where legal. For example if you use a 3/4 ounce jig at your favorite walleye lake in the summer but it doesnt seem to be working in the winter try the same jig in a 1/4 ounce tipped with a leech for better results. The only summer lures that wont work are those that are meant to be trolled through the water. For example crankbaits will not work for ice fishing any lure that can be verticlly jigged is fine. Of course the best thing to do is talk to the locals, go out to your lake of choice on a weekend and ask the other ice fisherman what they are catching, what they are using, what time of day is the most productive etc. The next best resource is your local tackle shop they are usually in touch with many of the hardcore locals and should be able to suggest local hotspots and good bait/lures. Those are the basics that you need to catch fish through the ice, of course i could expand and go into underwater cameras, ice fishing shacks, and what to use for specific species of fish but im going to save those subjects for another day, so remember to check back often to see my latest blog posts. So Good Luck and Good Fishing!!

Merry Christmas Outdoorsman

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Hope everyone enjoys the holidays and after all the family stuff is taken care of maybe sneak out for a coyote hunt, or ice fishing trip! Whatever happens stay safe and have fun!

Mike's Youtube Bear Hunting Video

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Spot and Stalk Black Bear Hunting In Northern Alberta, My favorite type of hunting
Enjoy!

Shooting Sticks are the key to success when spotting and stalking bears

YouTube - mikes spring bear hunts 2009

My First Moose Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

After three years of applying for an antlered moose tag in western alberta's foothills i finally was successful in getting drawn. Right from the start i was very committed to getting a bull with my bow. Being a hunting guide I have a couple friends that have guided moose hunters with great success and i got as much information as i could from them about calling, season, and locations. As much as that information was a help to me i knew the rest was up to me so i commenced scouting the area i was planning to hunt. Over the years i had been bear hunting and deer hunting in this area so i knew it quite well and had seen plenty of moose sign so i had a few locations in mind. It was with high hopes that i set out one day in early august to scout some moose hunting hotspots. After a full day of hiking and studying tracks in the mud i knew where i was going to be chasing moose with a bow and arrow come October.

Fast forward to the first week in october. I had been shooting my hoyt trykon bow almost daily and had it tuned to perfection, i also had my calling skills as good as they possibly could be with only a month of practice. I finished guiding my last group of waterfowl hunters and headed out to my moose hunting hotspot. I got there in the early afternoon and set up camp. My camp consisted of a tent and a 3-D archery target. I was planning to stay at least three days and possibly 7 if it took that long, i was determined not to come home without my moose. I got camp set up by 3pm and got geared up for the evening hunt. After a half hour hike i was at my treestand. This was a stand my friends and i call the bushman stand. It is situated at the point of a triangle between a cutline and a creek and is mixed spruce and poplar with lots of muskeg, Perfect moose habitat!! After getting settled in the stand and letting the woods quiet down i commenced calling. Long wavering cow calls accompanied by several bull grunts echoed through the northern boreal forest but nothing happened. i called for 2 hours with no response. More than a little disappointed i climbed down from the treestand about 1 hour until darkness shut down my hunt for the day. I decided to move down the cutline until i intersected the creek and try my calling there, as i stepped out onto the cutline i spotted movement out of the corner of my eye, i turned and froze! there was a moose 20yards away!! After several seconds of facing off with the young bull i slowly moved back behind a spruce tree out of sight of the bull. Knowing the hunt was almost ruined and just hoping for the best i let out a low bull grunt. Much to my surprise the bull returned with a blasting grunt!! tilting his small antlers down and to the side he began to close the distance between us grunting and swinging his antlers with every step. Heart pounding i waited for an opportunity to draw however no shot presented itself. finally at 3 yards looking the bull square in the eye i decided i had to draw my bow or risk getting head butted by a bull moose. I drew as slowly as possible but of course the bull didn't like that and deciding he had been fooled long enough he spun around and charged away, i let out a grunt but that didnt stop him so i let out a long desperate sounding cow call and he froze in his tracks looking over his shoulder at me i had a perfect quartering away shot at 15yards and thats all the opportunity i needed i released and the arrow flew straight and with a solid sounding "Whack" passed completely through the bulls heart low down right behind the shoulder. A perfect hit i thought as i tried to contain my excitement. Watching the bull run 200 yards down the cutline i decided to let out another cow call and managed to stop the bull he started to wobble and ran into the woods with a crash. I found him laying 50yards from the cutline. My first Moose!! With a bow!! I was very proud to say the least.

Want to Learn how to call moose?? Check out the Callmasters, Very good video

Hunting and Fishing Shows Online Anytime, Anywhere. Wild T.V Recoil Video On Demand (Product Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Wild TV is a Hunting and Fishing television network available to viewers in canada. Today im going to talk about an extension of this network that is very cool! Recoil VOD (Video On Demand) is a product available for purchase online at http://www.wildtv.ca/index.php?page=Recoil Recoil on demand allows you to watch a Hunting and Fishing television network over the internet from your home pc at your leisure. You can simply click the link and browse through their free shows that they have available for general viewing or you can subscribe for 3 months of access for $34.95, 6 months of access for $49.95, or 1 year of access for $89.95. I chose the 1 year subscription for the best value and i have not been disappointed yet. you choose a username (your email) and a password then once you have activated your account you have 24-7 unlimited access anytime anywhere to a massive library of Hunting and Fishing tv shows from years ago to the most recently aired. as long as you can get an internet connection you can watch all your favorite shows, this is a great product i use it quite often to watch Hunting shows on my laptop. I used to buy all the Hunting dvds as soon as they came out but now we have the option of subscribing to recoil video on demand and watching unlimited shows for 1 low price. Wild TV has a very handy searching feature as well so you can easily refine your search to get exactly what you are looking for. For example i could simply search for Hunting or i could specify Bowhunting or choose a species. Videos can be viewed in full screen mode and stream quite flawlessly most of the time. the only small downside is that the quality is not the same as a dvd.
Overall i believe this is a great product for the price. If you spend any amount of money on Hunting dvds i would highly recomend Recoil-VOD

Let me know what you think

Billings MT Outdoor Show Jan. 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:13:00 +0000

If you have cabin fever this winter check out the Great Rockies Sport Show on January 15, 16, and 17 in billings MT for hunting, fishing, camping and outdoor gear as well as a boat and R.V show and wildlife displays. click the link for more details

Ptarmigan hunting in Iceland (Good or Bad?)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Ptarmigan hunting controls reap reward in Iceland | IceNews - Daily News

Zimbabwe suspends hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:43:00 +0000

Once again poaching ruins it for all law abiding sportsman, the problem as always is enforcement. I just feel sorry for anyone that was planning their hunt of a lifetime.
Zimbabwe suspends hunting

A sad day for hunters-Dene chief opposes decision to ban caribou hunting in N.W.T.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Dene chief opposes decision to ban Caribou hunting in N.W.T.

Saskatchewan offers $20 bounty to coyote hunters

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:27:00 +0000

A Coyote Hunters dream come true!!!

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Sask. offers $20 bounty on coyotes

Welcome to my blog

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McLane) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Thanks for reading my blog!!

If you love to hunt and fish you have come to the right place!!!

Avid Outdoorsman is all about the great outdoors. I live to hunt and fish and enjoy any kind of outdoor activity. Iam going to be using this blog to provide information about hunting and fishing and outdoor related products and services. I will be posting in-depth reviews of products that i have purchased and used over the years under real life conditions over long periods of time. I hope this information will be usefull and help you decide if you want to purchase a particular product or not. i will also be keeping you updated on outdoor events/sportsman shows, important outdoor community news, and my personal adventures.

Please come by often to check out the latest updates
enjoy