Hunting Property For Sale

We are selling our hunting property:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1282346557&edited=true&posted=true&adActivated=true

Assiniboine Hills property that includes marsh, forest, pond and wildlife. Extensive cover, water, game trails and access to a variety of forage mean this property hosts trophy whitetails, rabbits, game birds and migratory birds to provide an outdoors paradise. Close access to Baldur and Glenboro for staples, Pelican, Swan and Rock Lakes are all very close to provide more opportunity for your getaway pleasure. A box blind will give some insight to the deer patterns. Exact information on the hot spots can be supplied or left to learn as part of the adventure. A target backstop supplies shooting opportunities out to several hundred yards for sighting in or load development. 
A furnished 16 X 22 cabin is included on this secluded piece of tranquility. The wood stove and propane furnace ensure comfort during the coldest hunting seasons. Two twin beds and a pullout couch accommodate larger parties. The cabin has been wrapped in TyVek and sheathed in plywood over the original insulated post and beam construction to reduce drafts. This off grid camp uses solar power, LED lights and wood heat to provide a great retreat, the deck is a great place to gather in the sun before shifting to the fire pit in the evenings. 
This property is bordered by a posted no hunting property on the West that shares the 20+ acre pond. 
Available immediately, asking 69,500.00

Kayak Adventures - Trip 1

We took our first trip out in the kayaks Saturday, it was quite an adventure. For those that watched the you tube video it is not news, but for the rest we had ordered two Pelican Catch 120 kayaks from Costco. Shortly after that Andrea found an Old Time Predator 13 on Kijiji in Winnipeg. As I was on vacation looking after her after her surgery I was promptly dispatched to go buy it for her. When the Pelicans arrived I unpacked one and promptly returned the second one to Costco in Winnipeg.

We did a bunch a rigging to the kayaks, including installing trolling motors. We also added Garmin fish finder GPS combos and set off. At Lake Minnawasta we were forecast to have a few hours before the wind shifted to the West and started gusting 50 Kph. As Andrea is still extremely limited in what she is able to accomplish I set up her kayak and pushed her out into the water, the trolling motor propelled her very well and she was off fishing while I set up my kayak. After a small hiccup with my fishfinder battery being dead (I guess it just will not hold a charge) I launched. Meanwhile the wind decided to blow enough to create whitecaps and Andrea was having no issues with her kayak. The wind was pushing her around a bit but she was extremely stable. I on the other hand was hanging on for dear life, the pelican was not stable at all, I nearly flipped it several times and was definitely being tossed around more than Andrea in her predator. I managed to cross the lake and get out of the wind enough to fish, this was a bonus as I quickly caught 10 black crappie. They are quite fun on an ultra light rod and 2 lb test line, I really enjoy catching them. Maybe I really am a crappie fisherman :)

Catching fish aside, the Pelican was not stable enough for me - I think my weight and gear combo really pushed its weight capacity to its limits even though it should have been 25% under rated capacity. Andrea's predator is rated for and extra 50 lbs and she is a good deal smaller than I am so no doubt that contributed to her comfort level. it was evident after the hour on the water the Pelican was not going to be a good option for me and Andrea really pushed me to return it to Costco asap (have to love Costco's return policy).

In my mind there are three kayaks under 2500.00 I would consider suitable: (list in no particular order)

1. Wilderness Systems ATAK 140
   

2. Ocean Kayaks Prowler Big Game II

3. Feelfree Lure 13.5

Arriving back home I unloaded all the gear and then stripped the Pelican of the additional gear I had added. In the meantime Andrea was researching fishing kayaks with higher stability and weight capacities. She found an Ocean Kayak Big game II on sale in Ontario. One thing that makes this very hard is there is only one serious kayak shop in Winnipeg, they only carry Wilderness Systems kayaks which I do like but they are not well suited to rigging with external trolling motors and are a few hundred more. Additionally they are hard to get, there is a wait list with delivery possibly in August and possibly not at all this year. Kind of pointless to bother shopping for one of them< I even looked as far away as BC.

I know there must be Feel free dealers as lots of people post online that they have them but their website does not show anything for Canada. MEC says they carry them so it maybe possible to get one but it is complicated as they are not available for purchase online and the Winnipeg store does not stock them. I get annoyed with companies that treat Canada as non-existent...

A shop in Ontario has the brown camo version of the Ocean Kayak BGII on for 250.00 off through today. Online purchase completed in seconds, no hassles so I think you can figure out what my next kayak is...I knew they were a really good kayak but when I started to research I was amazed how similiar it was to the Old Town Predator Andrea has. Turns out both Old Town and Ocean Kayak are owned by Johnson Outdoors, Old Town was originally the canoe side and Ocean Kayak was of course the kayak side. Side by side comparison of the two...

Predator 13

Ocean Kayak Big Game II

The Big Game II is rated for up to 600 lbs, the predator 13 for 425 lbs. There are subtle differences but they are essentially the same kayaks in features and layouts.Sunday morning saw me on my way back to Costco to return the Pelican. I had no issues of course and quickly was on my way home...

We plan to go to camp next weekend and spring clean (I clean Andrea bosses lol) and get it ready to put up for sale. We will be listing it privately. Hopefully it sells easily.

Later...