Helipads 'R Us

When not romancing the ladies,
I install helipads with my buddy, Hardcore.

Chainsaw vs. Mountain Lion!

Seeing as I'm in a defending myself against wild animals mood, I was much amused by an Associated Press article:

Ex-Marine uses chain saw to fend off attacking mountain lion

So, that's pretty awesome, right? Mountain lion, AKA cougar, AKA puma. Here's some choice lines....

Dustin Britton, a 32-year-old mechanic and ex-Marine from Windsor, Col., said he was alone cutting firewood about 30 metres from his campsite in the Shoshone National Forest about 43 kilometres west of Cody when he saw the 45-kilogram lion staring at him from some bushes.

The 6-foot-tall, 170-pound Mr. Britton said he raised his chain saw and met the lion head-on as it pounced — a collision he described as feeling like a grown man running directly into him.

“It batted me three or four times with its front paws and as quick as I hit it with that saw it just turned away,” he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Go Easy On the Bears

This morning Ma Pocock bought a hand pump air horn to scare bears away.

So, not ten minutes ago I hear Ma storm onto the front deck, clapping her hands, yelling, "You get out of here. Go on!".

I figure it's the deer eating her garden plants again, so I keep on typing.

She comes inside the house and tells me it was only a young bear. It was 20 feet from the house near the two cats, Silly and Smokey. That's just too close for the bear to be to cats, I suppose.

"Why didn't you use the air horn?", I ask.

"I don't want the bear to become accustomed to the horn", she replies.

All I Need Is A Fire Extingwisher...

Went into Home Hardware today to order the Forest Management Office's (FMO's) wood stove for cold weather heating. I always wanted to install a wood stove and chimney.

What could go wrong?

It's the smallest fire code box I could find - heats 400 to 1200 square feet. But the office is only 108 square feet. Do I really need insulation?

So, Ma Pocock fairly demanded that a big fire extinguisher would be nearby just in case. So, now the office has got the big red can at the ready. Just in case.

Shed Light

I busted my kerosene hurricane lamp trying to fit in a new wick. Cheap metal crap. To be fair, my first response to most challenges is to smash. Now I've got ten gallons of fire excellerant to play with.

So, now I'm onto the cheap plastic crap with a solar powered LED shed light. It's charging in the sun as I type.

Gotta have something to read by in the Office when the sun goes down!

MNR: You're On Your Own

Survived the walk through the bear infested dark wood.

While I was at my construction job today, Ma Pocock called the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to report the undeterred bear of last night.

The MNR won't do anything about it. Apparently, due to the lack of berries this year, over 300 bear complaints have been made in the last two weeks in Parry Sound District.

MNR recommended packing an air horn and bear pepper spray. And wished us good luck.

That and a suggestion to check out an Alberta company selling wildlife control products.

I love the look of this guy with his bear spray.

Rogue Bear?

I witnessed the three year old bear (?) this evening eating out of one of Ma Pocock's deer feed troughs (40 ft. from the house). I came out onto the deck and shouted at it with arms in the air and it stood its ground and started huffing at me (wanted me to back off). Ma manages to chase the bear off by banging pots together.

Two minutes later, the bear comes back and won't be driven off. The deer feed is inside, but the bear just lurks outside the house. I don't think it's afraid of me.

I cannot be afraid of the bear. If it attacks me, I will kill it.

Here's an informative article about Living With Bears.

Now I read this article - with great interest - as I'm about to visit the Forest Management Office in pitch dark.

Ma Pocock says, "Better take your sword", like wear mittens in the cold.

The Forestry Forum

I was considering the issue of skidding trees out of the woods the other day and visited The Forestry Forum on the interwebs for some skuttlebutt.

I find the sort of chatter these good 'ol boys type up both amusing and compelling. I knew (sadly?) that these were my kinda guys when I got into the 'growing mushrooms' thread. Forestry, mushrooms? Yaup.

Here's a sample of the thread titles...

• Boot break in...
• Intermitent saw head with rotation
• Skidding under powerlines
• Women in logging
• Smuggling problem??
• Log prices
• One of my crazy equipment ideas

What's his crazy idea this time?

Has anyone ever taken a backhoe boom and stick and put a grapple on it to use for a log skidder? I would think that it wouldn't work good on a backhoe, but a different tractor for a carrier. Maybe a way to convert a cabble skidder. I'm sure that backhoe attachments are pretty easy and cheap to get.

Haven't tried that yet.

Treed Powerline

Saturday's minor wind storm brought a maple tree down and over the Deerwood power line.

After Ontario Hydro crews shut off power down the lines (1:15 am Sunday) I hobbled out later that morning to cut down the hung trunk in sections. But, with three broken branches hooking what appeared to be a levitating, small tree in mid-air, we called in the professionals (with a longer pruning saw than I).

Thanks to MacKenzie Triemstra's expert touch, the hooked branches were cut from the power lines and I am able to post this little note.

Wild Strawberries

Yippie!

It's wild strawberry season again.

They may be small, but they pack a sweet taste explosion!

The SARO List

Ever wonder what plant and animal species are at risk in Ontario?

Check out the Species At Risk in Ontario (SARO) list.

Here's the write up on the Northern Cricket Frog...

Features: Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitanis) is a small, rough-skinned member of the Tree Frog Family. The toe pads which are a characteristic of tree frogs are not well developed in this subspecies. It is normally brown or gray in colour and has a distinctive V-shaped marking between the eyes. The call is said to resemble the sound of "pebbles clicking together." This subspecies is more highly aquatic than other North American tree frogs. After the breeding season, it remains in shoreline areas of marshes, ponds and streams, and can often be found in emergent aquatic plants bordering these sources of permanent water.

Status: Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Range: This subspecies has an extensive distribution in its United States range, which extends from Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky west to South Dakota, and south through Texas into northern Mexico. Although considered abundant in parts of this range, it has declined in some areas. The subspecies is likely extirpated in Ontario. Confirmed records for the province exist from Point Pelee, Essex County, where the first Ontario specimen was taken in 1913, and from Pelee Island. Range Maps

Threats: Habitat loss resulting from drainage, dredging and landfill was responsible, in part, for the decline of Northern Cricket Frog in Ontario. Natural flooding which occurred over the winter of 1972 was likely responsible for the disappearance of Northern Cricket Frogs at one site, and may have affected other sites on the Island. In addition, introduced, non-native Carp (Cyprinus carpio) which eat Cricket Frog larvae gained access to the frogs' breeding ponds during periods of high water. Since the apparent disappearance of the Cricket Frog on Pelee, the highly predatory Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) has increased dramatically at the last known Cricket Frog site, which decreases chances of a recovery, should a small population remain.

Protection: Northern Cricket Frog is listed under Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007, which protects the species and its habitat. A recovery plan, sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources, has been developed.

Text Sources: Oldham and Campbell 1990; Cook 1984

Kerosene Light

Now and then I'll be in Deerwood's forest management office at night and I need a light to read by. I've tried to be the good 'ol environmentalist and do the LED wind-up flashlights and lanterns, but the near constant winding is all-consuming. Until there's a wind-generation, or solar set up, I'm trying out the old standby - the kerosene hurricane lamp.

From the wiki on kerosene, I discovered that it's still used extensively in Japan and in the Amish community.

Even though my triple filtered kerosene oil is 'clean burning', I always leave a window at the top of the office cracked open to reduce the build up of carbon monoxide. Getting sleepy....

Ma Pocock says that great granny's old farm remedy for colds was a spoonful of brown sugar mixed with kerosene. Yes, you had to swallow kerosene, kids.

Maybe I should try that. What do those doctors know anyway?!

Deerwood: MFTIP Approved!

Eight months of effort have finally paid off!

My application to register Deerwood as a managed forest under the Ontario government's Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) has been accepted. The Ontario Woodlot Association approved the plan. Many thanks to our forestry consultant, Ken Webb, for his expert guidance.

In exchange for improving the health of the woodlot through an improvement cut of the forest, the woodlot owner will receive up to a 75% reduction in property taxes. My forest management plan will be eligible for renewal in ten years time.

In essence, Deerwood is now a privately owned conservation area.

MNR: Bear Wise

The MNR has a pamphlet on what to do in case you encounter a black bear. Here's the ministry's advice...

• If the bear is not paying any attention to you, slowly and quietly back away while watching the bear to make sure it isn't following you
• Do not approach the bear to get a better look
• If the bear obviously knows you are there, raise your arms and let the bear know you are a human. Make yourself look as big as possible. Speak in a firm but non-threatening voice while looking at the bear and backing away
• Watch the bear to gauge its reaction to you. Generally, the noisier the bear is, the less dangerous it is, providing you don't approach the bear. If a bear huffs, pops its jaw/or stomps its paws on the ground, it wants you to back away and give it space
• If a bear closely approaches you, drop any food you are carrying and continue backing up
• If the bear continues to try to approach, stand your ground and be aggressive - use your whistle or air horn, yell, stand tall, wave your arms and throw objects
• If a bear keeps advancing and is getting close, continue to stand your ground. Use your bear spray and anything else to threaten or distract the bear - bears will often first test to see if it is safe to approach you
• Do not run or climb a tree. Bears can run faster and climb better than you
• If the bear makes contact, fight back with everything you have

source: www.ontario.ca/bearwise

Kit Guns & Samurai Swords

I started to think about my close encounter with the female bear and her cubs the other day. That was a dangerous situation I was lucky to get out of. And if the big bear decided I was enough of a threat to her cubs, it wouldn't be the first time a bear attacked a human to defend her young.

This bear and her unpredictable cubs are here now and I have to deal with this daily reality.

Mentioning to Ma Pocock that the time may have come to "get a gun" just in case, she replied that it was illegal to shoot bears out of season. And live trapping a mother bear is out because the cubs wouldn't likely survive.

"I'm not gonna worry about the legality of shooting a bear when it's coming right at me", said I.

Even one of mom's quilting buddies carries a sidearm into the bush with her - just in case. You don't want to be in the bush wishing, gosh, if only I had something to defend myself right now....

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends people in bear country like me should carry a long axe with them in the bush. First of all, a long axe is a big and awkward item to carry everywhere. Second, you've got one chance at best of hitting an attacking bear (on the head, I guess) with a heavy axe. And you better kill it with that one blow, but more likely piss it off even more.

And rifles are awkward to carry and not as good as pistols at close range (charging bear) with sighting problems in dense bush foliage.

So, I figure, if I'd pack a gun it would be a holstered pistol. Remember kids, revolvers are more reliable than clip fed. I even picked up some RCMP pamphlets on courses and such. Of course, if I was in the USA, I'd probably be able to pick one up right away at the country store....

Anyhoo, I thumbed through a back copy of my trusty 'Backwoodsman' magazine and found a nifty article on kit guns.

The pipe included in this photo is a nice touch.
(photo and text: 'The Backwoodsman' March/April 2009)

Here's a short passage from The Backwoodsman on kit guns:

For pot shooting, running a trap-line, plinking, and even self-defense while hiking, the sadly discontinued S&W Kit Guns have achieved a cult-like status....

But then, I'm not too sure I can trust myself not to shoot human trespassers on sight. So, having a pistol at the ready, is maybe not the best thing.

I remember a report of a rogue bear attack on a boater on Vancouver Island last year. Good Samaritans were stabbing away at the bear mauling the guy to no avail. Then some old sea dog plunged a 12 inch blade into the bear and killed it.

So, I think I'm gonna settle on the short, single edge sword I've got as a forest 'attitude adjuster'. Guess those years of sword fighting instruction may have some practical use after all! A sword can stab and slash quickly. Mine is a good close quarters Japanese-style sword with a one or two hand pummel. After I pick up some army surplus webbing, I'll holster the scabbord on my back as it reaches from waist to head behind the spine so it won't be awkward, or catch branches, and be a swift draw against trouble.

And with some handy-dandy hockey tape wrapping on the handle, I'll have a more frictional grip in case it gets covered in slippery blood.

Now, back to our regular programming....

Camera Problems, Again.

My cameras get some pretty rough backwoods treatment.

After another hard knock last week, my old camera has finally called it quits. Now my backup camera won't work either.

Looks like MOSSONWOOD will be an all text blog for a while until I pick up a new camera. You guys were getting tired of the nature photos anyway. Right?

Bearwood

Yesterday, after spending a few weeks away from Deerwood, it was nice to get back to some sugar maple milling with my brother-in-law, Scott. He helped me sort through some milling details which will make for much better cutting in the future. Thanks, Scott!

Anyhoo, I took a break from milling to grab a sandwich. As I walked back to the milling area, I surprised a big momma bear with three baby bears at the edge of the clearing. These curious bears were eating insects from a decayed log momma bear had clawed into. The bears, about 20 metres away, looked at me and I at them.

I put my hands up into the air and hollered, "WHHHHOOOOOOO!"

Momma and two of the black bear cubs skedaddled 180 degrees into the forest ridge while the brown cub ran sidelong into some bush.

Seeing as the most dangerous bear is a mother bear with threatened cubs, I decided to backtrack slowly - away from the separated brown cub - and give the bears some space for a while.

Now the official bear count is five in Deerwood: Momma, three cubs, and a two or three year old bear about the size of a large Rottweiler dog. Looks like I'm gonna become a full-time forest yodeller now, boy.