January Tracks Newsletter

8/14/2019 January Tracks Newsletter

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The One That Didn’t Slip By (Conway Marvin OC-MN)

As a rule when you get my age, birthdays are something that you try to let slip by without anyone noticing……As thesaying goes every rule has an exception!

In January of 2009 I was presented with a birthday gift that will no doubt be one of my favorites! In a very coldJanuary day in 2009 my four grown children presented me with a very unique gift….a family hunting trip!

There were some logistical challenges to pulling this trip off: group of seven (five hunters and two non hunters), busyschedules that minimized the time frame that would work, three males and four females, and a family that likes tohunt a variety of species.

We felt confident with the recommendation of this outfitter in Texas and the planning started in earnest! I never wantto “wish time away” but it seemed that December 28, 2009 would never arrive.

We descended on Knox County, Texas in the middle of a “record breaking” blizzard on the 27th of December (50weeks after my gift was presented). Arriving by truck and plane from different destinations, all geared for the samepurpose; be together as a family, enjoying the great outdoors. Along the way we hoped to make new friends and har-vest some animals.

We spent the next seven days enjoying the best that the outfitter had to offer. We hunted whitetail deer, javelina, wildhogs, pheasants, and shot some coyotes when the opportunity presented itself. We found the facility to be not onlyunique but very comfortable, the staff was outstanding and very accommodating, and the food was sinfully delicious.

In its own rustic way we found the scenery to be beautiful, open grasslands, brush chocked draws and the ruggednessof the “breaks” that followed the rivers through this wide open country.

Tracks TM

InsideInsideP AGE 2THE ONE THAT DIDN’ T SLIP B Y CONT. (TXH2)MISSOURI M ALLARDS(MOH7)

P AGE 3STREIFF SPORTING GOODSK UUJJUAQ ADVENTURE(QBH3)SPECIALS (BCF2 & AF10)

P AGE 4K UUJJUAQ ADVENTURECONT.(QBH3)

TracksTracks TMTM

January 2010January 2010

For more information about this Texas hunting destination see below For more information about this Texas hunting destination see below ..

(continued on page 2. Want to learn more about hunting in Texas, contact your Outdoor Connection franchise owner.)

P AGE 5K UUJJUAQ ADVENTURECONT.(QBH3)SPECIAL (PMF2)



Now it is January of 2010….in many ways it is notmuch different than a year ago….snow on theground, bitterly cold outside, and a busy worldracing us by……but, we have another exception!

Great memories created by a family doing what itloves to do. Taking a “time out” to ignore thebusiness of the world and spending time together

enjoying all that the great outdoors has to offer…I am glad this was one birthday that I did not let “slip by”!

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(from page 1)

Missouri Mallards (Marc Glades OC-KS)

There is a place in northcentral Missouri known to waterfowlers as the "Golden Triangle." This is an area bounded byFountain Grove Conservation Area, Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Grand Pass Conservation Area. I recentlymade my first trip to this area to see first hand what the commotion was all about. It did not take long to learn asfrom the drive into the area we knew we had entered "ducky" country.This area literally was marshland, swamps, creeks, streams, and cropfields. You could not ask for a more "ducky" feel.

We spent two full days in this area hunting with Tony Vandemore and hisgang of waterfowl chasers. They have just completed their new lodgeand I can say without hesitation, that it is one of the neatest retreats Ihave ever stayed. The evening meals are simply spectacular and areprepared by the Pear Tree Restaurant, a five star restaurant recently

inducted into the Missouri Restaurant Hall of Fame. After dinner, have aseat at the bar for your favorite cocktail and watch the game on the flatscreen TV.

The hunting? Let's just say that my group of four had one of the bestexperiences we have had on a trip and enjoyed each and every minute.From the fast paced, timber style pass shooting, to the hand built, sixperson blind over a waterhole created by flooding a corner of a crop field, we had all of the shooting a duck huntercould ask for. The attention to detail and land management practices that Tony and his crew abide by set them apart

as one of the ones who do things right. They spendcountless hours (not to mention dollars) managing the areafor the habitat of the waterfowl and as a hunter whochooses to hunt with them, you will be rewarded for their

efforts.

My group has already booked themselves back to snowgoose hunt with Tony this March. I will probably join themso I can bring you an update on how they handle thosehunts as well. If it is anything like the video we watched of their snow goose hunts from last year, it will be nothingshort of amazing. Don't take my word for it though, callyour Outdoor Connection agent today and get yourself booked for the 2010 season.

For more information about TXH2 , contact your local Outdoor Connection franchise owner.

For more information about MOH7 contact your local Outdoor Connection franchise owner.


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Kuujjuaq Adventure (Ted Hickman OC-CA)

Kuujjuaq . . . just about as far away from Dixon as you can get. This was another one of those impromptu trips thatcomes with owning a business that books quality hunting and fishing trips all over the world. Outdoor Connection isour family owned business and we were at the Yolo County Fair when we got an urgent email asking if we wanted to

take advantage of several cancellations that had just poppedup for a caribou hunting trip, in mid-September, in the farflung reaches of Nunavut, Canada.

Our eldest son Trey, 33, and I had been there before but ouryoungest son Joel, 30, had never been anywhere before anddidn’t even have his passport. So when everyone’s scheduleworked out Joel had to hustle to San Francisco and get anemergency passport to get him in and out of the country.Then we had to hurry to get our permits to take guns andbows on the planes and to make arrangements on the otherend.

We flew from Sacramento to Denver and then on to Montréalwhere we overnighted before flying another two and one-half hours by jet to Kuujjuaq (an Inuit village in the middle of

(continued on page 4. Want to learn more about hunting inQuebec, contact your Outdoor Connection franchise owner)

P RISTINE A LASKA F ISHING E XPERIENCE (AF10)3 D AYS / 3 N IGHTS

$2,545I NCLUDES FLOATPLANE FLIGHT FROM ANCHORAGE

ELEGANT B.C. F ISHING DESTINATION (BCF2)4 D AYS / 3 NIGHTS

$3,495I NCLUDES AIRFARE FROM V ANCOUVER TO LODGE

Outdoor Connection is more than a booking company, our success since 1989 has been built upon our ability toprovide value added services to our clients as they pursue their “trip of a lifetime.”

Not only can we help our clients choose the right destination for their trip but we are uniquely positioned to help themwith additional value added services: Customs forms/paperwork for international travel, trip insurance, taxidermywork, importation of trophies from foreign countries, etc.

Another strategic alliance that we have formed to bring value added services to our clients is in the area of equipmentneeds. In 2008, Outdoor Connection teamed up with Streiff Sporting Goods, and independent retailer that specializesin quality hunting and fishing equipment. This strategic alliance brings the knowledge and expertise of OutdoorConnection and its destinations together with Streiff Sporting Goods 25 year history to ensure that our clients havethe best possible equipment in their possession before they head into the woods or onto the water for that “trip of alifetime.”

This extensive program goes much beyond equipment recommendation in that Streiff Sporting Goods has developed acomprehensive electronic system that not only recommends product for specific trips, it also makes it very easy topurchase, not to mention some very nice savings are available for Outdoor Connection clients. To learn more aboutthis alliance visit with your Outdoor Connection agent.


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nowhere). Once there, we took a float plane to an outpost campcalled Kodiak…just about as far away as you can get on thiscontinent…and not that far from the Arctic Circle and closeenough to see the Northern lights each night. The last two ridestook us over thousands of miles of “barren” tundra withthousands of lakes and little hunks of land dotted throughout,without seeing a single building, vehicle or sign of life.

During our first trip with this outfitter we saw less than a dozenanimals the whole trip. We just weren’t where the animals were.This time we were hunting animals from both the George Riverand the Leaf River herds. The number of animals in the GeorgeRiver herd has increased exponentially from about 15,000 animalsin 1958 to 800,000 in 1993. Both herds now number between450,000 and 500,000 animals and the Wildlife and Parks of Quebec tries to manage the herd number to keep them frombeing too many, or too few, to prevent another extreme drop innumbers. Not only the animals, but the environment must bemanaged in the delicate eco system. Each hunter, Canadian orvisitor, is allowed an annual take of two animals.

Because of the pristine environment the animals are among the best eating in the world. The water is pure with noindustry within more than a thousand miles or more in any direction. They weigh between 300 and 400 pounds andact like a big mule deer on speed. They feed as they move and move at a frantic speed, always going somewhere, butin reality nowhere. They migrate in a huge circle in an area the size of the state of Texas and being in the right placeat the right time is the key to success. You may see hundreds one day and none the next. This happened to us…andthen the next day far away from the camp hundreds were spotted again. They follow age old paths and beeline towherever it is they are going over, around, and through rocks, lake, islands…it doesn’t matter. Wherever the leadergoes the others follow.

If you know someone who wants to book a hunting/fishing trip of a lifetime now is the time to put down a depositand sew up a space for the next season. The hunts are all inclusive including round trip air fares from a major airport,heated sleeping quarters with showers, great meals, etc. It is usually one guide for three hunters so if you can go as a

group its even better. They only operate for 11 weeksand there is a quota for the number of animals whichcan be taken…and you are guaranteed to take at leastone mature bull or your trip the following year if free!We took six mature bulls in the all around greatesthunting trip we’ve ever had.

The fishing is unreal (arctic char, brook trout, laketrout) the same as the ptarmigan hunting. The fishhave never seen a lure, the caribou likely have neverseen a person and the ptarmigan show no fear of youeither. It is possible to see black bear, musk-ox,wolves, foxes, geese, etc. We saw wolves and theyhad seen musk-ox near camp just before we arrived.

We each took the limit (2 caribou each) as Trey gothis first one with a bow and arrow and Joel his firstone period. We also took a half a limit of ptarmiganwhich amounted to 15 birds. They were in a colorphase change, were just going from brown to whiteand will make beautiful mounts. They are uniquesince they have feathers covering their feet.

(continued on page 5. Want to learn more about hunting in Quebec,contact your Outdoor Connection franchise owner)

(from page 3)



Outdoor Connection ®

The Worldwide Hunting and Fishing Authority TM

This complimentary issue of Tracks is provided by your local Outdoor Connection franchise owner.For more information on any of the adventures in this issue or other expeditions worldwide,

contact the franchise owner below:

Page 5

Outdoor Connection’s PartnersOutdoor Connection’s Partners

Tracks is published monthly free of charge by Outdoor Connection, Inc. No portion of this publication may bereproduced without the written consent of Outdoor Connection. Readers may forward issues of Tracks freely, solong as the publication is not altered in any way. The information in this issue, including pricing and availability,is subject to change without notice.

Tracks is composed byOutdoor Connection, Inc424 NeoshoBurlington, KS 66839

Angie Merkel & Tracey Splechter, EditorsMarc Glades, President

© 2004-2010 Outdoor Connection, Inc. All rights reserved.

Questions or feedback?Contact: [email protected]

http://www.outdoor-connection.com

TracksTracks TMTM

MARK ELPERS

Cheney, KS

316-542-9970

[email protected]

We once again we were surprised by both the weatherand the flora and fauna of the tundra. We packed forthe arctic and found mellow temperatures that rangedfrom the mid 50’s during the day to maybe the high20’s at night. One time we saw a few snow flakes andsome winds but most of the time it was light dress…”stupid hot” one Canadian called it. Believe it or not ittakes the weather to get the caribou moving during

this kind of weather pattern. When the winds die downthe bugs come out and the biting flies bug the caribouto the point where they get on the move.

Panama FishingPanama Fishing (PMF2(PMF2 ))

6 Days, All-Inclusive Fishing*Was $3,195 NOW $2,556

For more information about QBH3 contact your local Outdoor Connection franchise owner.

(from page 4)

20% OFFAll 6 and 7 Day Packages

May through October ONLY

*Rates are per person

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