December 2013 - Attention Hunters!!!!..Deer meat is now available for pickup at The Chief's. Dick is in Ottawa until January 4th, and alternately you can make arrangements with Chris after January 8th.
We started 2013 with some winter adventure in the middle of February. One of our hunters and his and his wife's dinner group braved the cold temperatures to ski into Lalande's Landing for a day of adventure that culminated in an exploration of North-Eastern Thai cuisine at Harry's Cabin.
In March, the road was plowed open and sugar shacking began! Four hundred trees were tapped by a hardy crew of experienced and not-so-experienced tree tappers (beech tree tapping???) and boy-oh-boy did the sap ever flow! And it’s a good thing the sap flowed so well, as plans were in the making for the biggest event Lalande Managed Forest was to ever host.
Fifty-eight Norwegians. Seven turkeys. 25lbs potatoes. Fresh carrots. Two nights of 12 to 14yr olds overnighting with no running water, no central heat, no dishwashers...you get the idea. Parents stayed in luxury hotels in Perth. It was awesome at camp! Filip, Dick's grandson, hosted (with a bit of help from Grampa Chief and several others) the most extraordinary maple syrup making demonstration and Canadian activity quest that's ever been held in this part of Ontario, and certainly at Lalande Managed Forest Everyone had fun, including our amazing volunteers, THANK YOU for all you put into it. Click here for photos.
2013 was an excellent year for not only quantity, but quality of Grampa Chief's Maple Syrup. Everyone in Canada and North Eastern USA experienced amazing yields and amazing quality syrup. We made well over 300 litres of small batch artisan syrup, largely due to the banner year, and somewhat due to some smarter production techniques.
In May, wild turkey hunting started off rather slow, but we learned where by scouting and from 2012's first turkey shot on the farm. Three turkeys were shot on the same day by different hunters. As with all hunting stories, there are stories that are better embellished and delivered after sharing a spirit or more.
The summer saw some wet and whacky weather and there was not a lot of activity. Cutting the grass and doing small jobs proved challenging as it seemed that every weekend was raining or cold.
In the Fall we started our tradition of two work weekends for our hunting crew. We had a dedicated crew blazing trails which was long overdue, a crew making a new fire pit at the sugar shack, lots of cutting and stacking of wood, and the construction of a new barn. The second weekend was simply beautiful weather and it also coincided, as always, with the opening of duck season. Some of our hunters brought their children with them, all young hunters, and it was amazing to experience their enthusiasm and interest in hunting.
The deer hunt in November saw 5 deer harvested, one "antlered" and 4 "anterless". As always, Award Night drew a lot of interest, awarding 3 coveted (and not so coveted) awards for 2012.
Award winners for 2012 were:
Pat Labine - Sportsman Hunter of the Year. Congratulations Pat!!!!!!
Pierre Laprise - Best Story of the Year. For a freight train deer story
Ilijia Czaharynski - F.U. Of the Year. For taking a 28ga while deer hunting
One big buck was spotted at least 5 times, making a big loop. Lots of deer were seen, and given that our anterless deer were shot early in the season, we observed lots of does in their natural habitat.
Our Partners: Eastern Ontario Model Forest, Forest Stewardship Council, Ontario Woodlot Association, Trees Ontario, Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, Ducks Unlimited, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Quality Deer Management Association (Canada), Ontario Wood, Rainforest Alliance
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