Thanksgiving 2014

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, speaking of being thankful, we have had the camp for a year now. We actually did not head up this weekend until Saturday morning. We needed to work on Andrea’s saltwater tank and had to wait for new filters for the RO/Di water system. No real loss though, we made it up before lunch. A lot of things have changed with the camp over the last year.

We arrived on the property and noticed a few ducks on the pond so we parked in the middle of the field. We attempted to sneak into the cattails and bulrushes, thought maybe we could get a duck or two for Thanksgiving dinner. No luck there but an exciting start to the weekend.

We had been talking about switching around the counters so the sink would be under the windows, well Andrea started cooking brunch and I started tearing things apart. Great timing I know but it all worked out really well as I (with help of course) ripped out all the cupboards and then moved everything around. I moved the batteries from the counter and put them under the sink, adding two more from the boats trolling motor and rewired everything from the charge controller off the solar panel in. I still have to bring up some pipe next weekend to plumb in the sink drain. We also ripped out the old enterprise cook stove that took up so much room, it was never hooked up right and we could not get it to be useful. After moving that out we were able to move the wood stove and run the stove pipe vertically instead of a long horizontal run. It went all the way down to 12 degrees in the camp Sunday night so I lit a fire Monday morning to see if that made the stove more effective. We had debated on possibly buying a larger stove as the heat given off that last year was minimal for the size of stove. It now appears being able to actually draw will allow Andrea to bake my brain inside my skull…

We had bought five led light bars that really light the place up and draw less than one of the 50 watt halogen lights we used last year, far less drain on the batteries. We also bought a small fridge and a 750 watt inverter, it runs the fridge no problem but we are having issues getting the batteries to recharge. I will have to bring a multi-meter next weekend to check all the voltage levels. I am wondering if the solar panel just does not produce enough juice through the charge controller to handle four batteries.

We also for those that do not know, wrapped the camp in ty-wrap and sheathed it with 3/8ths plywood which we then stained. The difference in the warmth levels is incredible, the wind does not blow through the walls anymore so the insulation that is there can do its job. We found interlocking rubber floor mats and have now covered most of the floor so you can walk around comfortably in sock feet.

The idea for the weekend was to test a bunch of rifle loads, and make sure our hunting rifles were zeroed. I plan to hunt mostly with a new Marlin 336 in 30-30 this year, with a choice of either my 7-08AI or my 260 Rem as my backup rifle. Andrea is going to be hunting with her 243 as always and with her 270 Win as back up. Noah is borrowing one of my 243’s, a carbine I bought from Doug and will have his heavy varmint rifle from last year as backup.  So after all the work was done, Sunday afternoon we headed down to site everything in. I had also made a bunch of test loads for a 243 I parted with, so Andrea thought she would play with those, load #4 produced a 0.3” group. 95 grain Nosler CT BT bullets for those that care lol. The best I managed to find with my 260 was 0.5” but that will have to do, 140 gr Sierra Game Kings. I wonder if the 140gr might be a little heavy for the Tikka. I will load a few this year but save the other 375 for when I finally get my 6.5 Swede. Have to save a while for that, a stainless, laminate Sako…I also had re-zeroed my 7-08AI last weekend as it had gone on a cross country trip, visited a guy in AB, them found its way to my friend Doug…I managed to bring it home like the prodigal son. Shooting the loads I had made for it before letting it go, (used that combo to shoot that very decent Grand Manan buck before we moved to MB). Last weekend I played with it and got it to shoot 0.72” @ 100 in a 40+Kmh cross wind. That will work. The new Marlin from the Remington factory is a very nice tight rifle, all the mechanical parts function very well, the wood and checkering are decent and it shoots decent for a lever action. Three shots into a deer style target put 3 in the vitals at a 100yds. What they use as an excuse for bluing on these rifles is sickening but I will oil the heck out of it and it will make a dandy bush rifle and stand rifle for close work.

We finally put out our trail cameras last weekend, I had pictures of three does, one a very large body, one was so curious she came into the camera for three close-ups…

unfortunately after the last two severe winters destroyed the deer population we are only allowed to shoot bucks with antlers over four inches…unless they come around during the rut that could be a wish and a prayer. We had over 20 different deer on camera last year, this year so far three on mine and it appears one on Andrea’s that is the medium sized one I seen on mine. We went out this morning to celebrate Thanksgiving and moved her tree stand, her camera and cleaned up the area for some shooting lanes. We then came back and she made me French toast, hash browns and newfie steak for breakfast. Now we will head down and move my stand from where I shot the doe last fall into my honey hole. I see more deer there than anywhere else on the property, I pulled it out on the Thursday before the season ended in an attempt to get the large buck that was crossing on the ridge, I now have a hanging stand there so it is covered as well.

We plan to go back next weekend to hopefully play with our muzzleloaders and of course do some more target shooting. Last year we were tripping over grouse everywhere, this year nothing.