Tom and I and all the Dogs would like to wish all a Happy New Year of Safe and Prosperous Hunting for 2009. The sunset in the background is a photo perfect way to bring the year to an end. Good Health and Good Hunting.

 

Snow boarders ready themselves for first day of 2009 skiing and  boarding on the slops of Asessippi Ski Hill near Russell, Manitoba

We a return family gathered here hoping to spend 4 days hitting slopes, sharing stories and companionship with aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandmas and grandpas. We had 6 inches of fresh snow over night so the snowblower and scoup shovel will be out clearing paths and the lane to get out. 

Walleye on the ice in no time. First day and weather is great NO WIND which is always blowing in Manitoba.

Here Tim Toms brother has 2 keepers on the ground in no time. Limits of 4 and a slot of 12-18 inches for keepers.

The moldy green loaf of bread is our hut, holes for 4, nice little wood stove to heat some water for tea, and hot choc. or to take the frost out of your bones. Tyler, Toms Nephew (in front) is in the HONEY hole. 4 14-18 inch Walleye in 15 minutes, that is not fair. Tim pulls up quite a few also that afternoon. 2-5pm is prime time these days. Then in the background Warren and son-in-law Kevin have their shack set up also. Check out the black smoke from their house made by the bark from birch. Never would have guessed that.

 Coming on to the Lake of the Prairies the fishing shacks sitting along west shores looked like a

small city. Then looking up and down the lake there were little groups of huts scattered all along the

lake for miles.  Must be a lot of fellows Hooked on Ice Fishing.

WE passed the ethanol plant on route home from Minnedosa one evening. When passing through the

valley near this plant smog/fog are thick. Recently completed this plant employs good numbers of local residents and takes many bushels of local farmers grain. Also the spent grain is hauled to many feedlots and feeder barns  in area for animal food

Tom and I traveling to the City to do some shopping and here the ravens are feeding on a

whitetail in the ditch. Population of Deer near the city are growing and they it creates the accident claims

on vehicles. It is amazing how fast these ravins show at a kill seems like they are only minutes away from a

death.

IT is so cold in Manitoba right now the chickadees even have frost on their eye brows and face. These little fellows feed steady all day picking and chipping at the seeds and the rib cage from Toms deer. We have a great gathering of birds at the feeder each day.

5:15 pm Supper comes out of the woods. A Ruffy Grouse had just walked accross the trail but we are waiting for a whitetail. Tom had said the deer were moving through here and Vincent and I decided to sit in this stand just back of the lodge. We did have a good time and possibly no deer showed as we were laughing and whispering so much all the animals in the woods likely knew we were there. But we had fun and we made up this good story of this huge Non-typical came in but we could not get a shot at it .

Sunflower seeds attract many things at bird feeder. Everyday   this Ruffy shows just after daybreak and before dusk , spends about 5 minutes eating sunflower seeds and then walks back where she came from.

The flock of Chickadees come and go all day long. I have seen over 12 at the feeders at one time. IN the summer there must have been a hatch as there were some little tiny ones.