Len you still just look like an older version of that kid!





I showed this picture to my dad the other day and asked him who it was.

"I'm not sure" he says " Maybe one of your buddies?"

Oh no Dad... it's me.

We were on Stagg Lake which is just off Great Slave lake. I had an interest in a small fishing lodge up there and had gone out on the lake with buddies fishing under the midnight sun. The master guide, me, got lost and we drove around for hours looking for the right bay that held the cabins. Finally i saw smoke and we got back in time for breakfast

All you Canadians will recognize a Lee Enfield 303. This one is a rarer jungle carbine or Mark 5. came out of the factory on May 1945. I bought this one last weekend for $650 for my NWT buddy who has been looking for one for years. They have a 10 shot clip so guys like hunting with them. Super tough and used by our Canadian Rangers for years.

All you bushmen will recognize an old tough bushman. This one was built on July 26 1930 AND IS SUPER TOUGH!

And the old guy can shoot. I marked his 3 shot string with orange

The Lee Enfield 303's were the most popular gun around for years all over the bush in Ontario,and likely all over Canada.The deer hunters used them,and the moose hunters used them.You could buy one for $30 bucks almost anywhere.Shells were available everywhere too.The 303 was a way better calibre than the 30-30 for accuracy,range and hitting power,and had a good reliable tough action.Some guys spent money "sporterizing" them,but the vast majority were "user guns" that could take the abuse.
I remember going to an MNR auction of seized goods at the arena in Timmins one year-there were many rows of tables with just 303 enfields,lol.
Like you said Bushman,some versions of the enfield are worth a lot of money as collectables.There was a factory at Long Branch just outside of Toronto where one version was made,and I believe those have some collector value.
Here is an add from the 1963 Ellwood Epps Catalogue.

Shot my first moose with one of those 303's Boco, and with military hard points. Those shells passed right through the moose but I got enough into it to do the job.

There was a Ross rifle which was a Canadian version of the 303. crap gun though.

You can tell by the hats Bushman and Family trapper are from the same Era!

And what an era it was!

I found a drummimg log that a ruffled grouse is using so I set up a blind.




I went in at daybreak this morning and the male was already sitting on his log



If you look at the base of the tail you can see what appears to be eyes looking at you. I'm sure it is an evolutionary development and helps with predator avoidance

The male drummed on average every 12 minutes. In between drumming sessions it would sit quietly scanning and listening for females. The grouse make a lot of noise walking through the dry leaves so I believe often they hear them before seeing them.

https://youtu.be/s1zNfbMHpdU

Heres a shot from this morning

https://youtu.be/aiFzrnFzN1Q

slowed the action down. The grouse made about 50 wing strikes in a row. A first you can see his wings come to a complete stop between beats but as it speeds up it uses the momentum to really get going. If you look at the mirror on the right you can see it moving from the force of the wing beats.

Great stuff! The slo mo is pretty cool. Takes some effort, I saw he worked a turd loose in the process.

Comment on male sitting on log at day break—as over the years I spend time scouting for turkeys and most of the time i am in the woods at least an hour before first light depending how far I will be covering. Not unusual to hear drumming well before any break in the sky of light. At times I can barely see the ground before me and the birds are drumming. Makes me feel welcome and at home.

GREAT VIDEO AND major thanks for your efforts.

Oh that was cool. Sure go the footage slowed down all right. Fond memories seeking out ruffs in the spring to photograph.
Thanks for Sharing Brian really enjoyed seeing that.

I just inherited my Grandpa Bobby's jungle carbine earlier this year. They are nice guns.

It's been a long drawn out spring. I haven't been in the mountains for three weeks as its that crappy time of year when you need a quad and snowmobile to get in. However my Dad asked me to go back with him to his childhood home in the Muskoka country of Northern Ontario. I can see why I like the bush so much as that country is straight rocks and lakes, plus some million dollar cabins. The land that my great-great-grandfather homesteaded in the early 1800's is now worth millions! WE SOLD TOO SOON.

I had to fly out of Ottawa so I went to the National Gallery of Canada. Some outstanding Canadian art. I was pleasantly surprised to see a pair of Mukluks on display from Ft. Providence. I'll be fishing there next week.



But what really blew me away was this Inuit made coat

I'm overdo for some excitement so I'm heading up to the NWT next Saturday fro some jet boating and fishing.. Gas is at $1.27 a liter or about $5 a gallon here but $1.50 where I'm going. So I'm prepared.



Put the boat in the water and took it out for a blast to make sure it's in good running order.



While on the river my buddy and I looked for some fossils. He found petrified wood and I liked the looks of this rock

Cool looking rock. That coat is a real work of art, what kind of fur?? My youngest daughter and her husband just came back from a trip up into the NWT near your old stomping grounds. They had a great time but were a little to early for fishing as the rivers were still frozen. They are Yukon bound this month and itching to get out to their new trapline.

Caribou hide I believe Yukon.

Just did 2750 km or 1700 miles from home to NWT and back. Great route up through northern alberta and then back through northern BC.

I had a buddy with me who just retired after 30 years in the traces at an auto plant. This trip was his reward to himself for sticking it through. As I had a "tourist: with me I stopped at a few of the waterfalls along the way.