Excellent thread...thanks for taking us along    


 

QuoteOriginally posted by Hawkeye:
I realize your time in Shrew Haven isn't during the "hungry months" of the dead of Winter, but do you think there ever might be a time when the meat pole is not left alone by the wolves/bears?  

I know it is a different ball of wax, but our coyotes come into my yard regularly (their audacity drives my lab crazy!)

A few years ago we had a bear checking out our meat pole at night.....Rons beagle chased it off!

QuoteOriginally posted by Ron LaClair:
[QB]  I don't mind sharing the hunt with the wolf, but as I said if their numbers increase to the point they need to be killed so be it but I'll leave that job to the wolf haters.
Ron,  
Thanks for sharing this deer camp.  Fun to follow along for someone like myself that has never been to a traditional deer camp.  
I would say though that someone that has a desire to legally hunt wolves is not necessarily a "wolf hater" anymore than someone that legally hunts deer is a deer hater.  Although that is what the animal rights activists would like the non-hunting public to believe.
Thanks again for taking us along.
Gary

Cool stuff. Ive been in wolf country but never heard or seen them. Hearing wolf howls and seeing the aurora borealis are at the very top of my bucket list.

I always love to see the Shrewhaven threads, and just generally any post from Ron. He has walked the walk for many, many years, and for most of us we can only scratch the surface of your experiences.
    That said, when I read your post regarding man as an intruder to the wilderness, and those that hunt wolf as wolf "haters", I cringed. Those type of statements I expect from people that are diametrically opposed to the hunting lifestyle that we all love. I m never so at home as when I'm in the woods, the bigger the better. Humans are as native to the planet as wolves for sure, and as inhabitants of the southern edge of the UP, we've been there longer than these transplants.
 As far as those that hunt wolf being"haters", does that make those that deer hunt "haters" of deer? I would think not only do we all resent that statement, we wouldn t tolerate that talk from anti s, why should we let it slide here.
   Ron, your words carry much weight with me, always have. I can only imagine what people that are opposed to all hunting would do with them, given your long standing status as a sort of (usually) well spoken voice for those of us that enjoy the wilderness and hunting/trapping lifestyle.
  This wolf situation in the UP effects me in several ways, I have a good friend on Armstrong Lake, I m there at various times throughout the year and see what my friend and his boys are going through with the quickly deteriorating deer situation.
  It also effects me in that I'm in the process of building my own camp some 30 miles north of yours.  I do like the thoughts of sharing the woods with ALL native species including wolves, but not to the point of watching them go unchecked as they did in northern, hell, all of Wisconsin. They have, with some other poor WDNR choices, decimated the herd there.
 I'm hoping that maybe you just didn't chose your words as carefully as I would have.  Your long standing stature in the hunting world will always have my respect, I hope that you can understand the thoughts I am trying to convey here.

 Respectfully, John

QuoteOriginally posted by Izzy:
Cool stuff. Ive been in wolf country but never heard or seen them. Hearing wolf howls and seeing the aurora borealis are at the very top of my bucket list.

Me 2 man! All my life that is what I wanted! Never did either yet

Great post... ShrewHaven seems like an almost mythical place. Glad you all are keeping such a great tradition alive.

As for hearing the wolf and seeing the Aurora Borealis, Sign me up on your list!  Hard to beat that for experiencing the real power of wilderness!  

Have a great time Ron. I would love to share camp with you.  

More camp fun.......shooting bows and arrows. As noted above there were lots of Bear boys in camp. I shot my three Bear bows almost every day.  I also tried out the new 1959 Kodiak. A very nice bow. I really liked Kevin's Bear takedown with the Fred Bear grip. I shot that bow as well as any and I foresee one being added to the stable. As for arrows, I think Paul Jalon of Elite Arrows (sponsor here and he makes arrows for Ron's shop too) makes the finest arrow out there today.  I also see some of the Autunm Ledgends he makes for Ron in my quiver.

An awesome camp Ron. Deer camp in the great Northwoods is an experience like none other.

Why only once per year visit to the camp? Is that the length of the hunting season? If that place belonged to me, I'd spend at least half my time there, especially if I was as old as most in the pics.

QuoteOriginally posted by foxbo:
Why only once per year visit to the camp? Is that the length of the hunting season? If that place belonged to me, I'd spend at least half my time there, especially if I was as old as most in the pics.    

DITTO  

Greg spends close to three weeks at camp.  The rest of the group for nine or ten days. We also go there for a work bee each year asan excuse to get up a second time.

Do you have to drive very far to get there?

John and Gary, When I used the words "wolf haters" I  guess I was thinking of the person or persons our C.O. friend told us about when he visited camp this year. He said they had someone that was poisoning road kills in an effort to kill wolves. He said it was killing other animals as well that fed on the carcass's. Someone that would do that is definitely a hater. Then of coarse there's the standard joke when you get a chance to kill a protected wolf, the 3 s'es apply, "shoot, shovel and shut up". I wasn't referring to legitimate sportsman that hunt legally....sorry about the misunderstanding..    

I hunt lots of game but have never really hated any prey.  the wolf intro was not done based on science or biology.  It was purely political  and spearheaded by those believing we can return to a time before white men settled America.  I don't think very many will be taken by a recurve or longbow but would like to have a tag!

Shrewhaven is anywhere from 6-9 hours away for the respective group members. Our local caretakers are a few minutes away and they come to camp a couple times when we're up to celebrate and swap stories with us. The local Conservation Officer is also out a couple of times to visit and give a cursory check to the tags (he's always asking about if we're seeing any suspicious activity).  As a group, we would all love to spend 3 weeks there, however there are 2 other partners to the property with Ron and they have family/friends that they come to use the property (their own cabins) throughout the year.

Thanks for the clarification Ron.  I agree.  At least the management of the wolf is still being handled by the biologists and dnr rather than being decided at the ballot box by the anti-hunters and misinformed public as was the case with the proposed Michigan dove season.  Our deer numbers seem to be down considerably here and we don't have the wolf to blame... yet.
Gary

I started a new thread with the link to the TV show featuring our camp. Here's the link to the thread

 thread with TV show link first post page one