Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada The Fall in Northern Ontario

Fall meant the changing of the seasons and the need to pack in the winter meat supply. Rich or poor, northern Ontario residents went into the bush for bear, deer and moose meat to get them through the cold months. Canoes or small, 12 foot aluminum boats were perfect for an afternoon of fishing. Being outdoors was part of our lifestyle.

Growing up meant fishing for "pickerel", known to most these days as walleyes. Some was eaten fresh, or frozen for later. A portion was jarred. The ladies were busy canning fish, fruits and vegetables from August to October. Families also hunted for ruffed grouse, colloquially known as "partridge" around Sudbury and most of northern Ontario. The younger boys were busy on weekends shooting rabbits and grouse that made great stews over the winter.

The grown ups had less time because of work, so some businesses used to shut down to let the men go hunting. Usually, young boys got hand me down rifles from their dads. Sometimes, it was a way for your dad or uncle to buy a new rifle from Canadian Tire, Simpson-Sears or mail order from the Ellwood Epps store.

"The boy needs his first rifle!"

Mom might not have agreed, but I don't recall anyone ever getting in trouble over it.

303s were popular for years because many men used them when they were in the army. It was the comfort of familiarity. And surplus meant inexpensive! Certainly much less than a new Model 70 or Remington. A few owned 30-06s, but $100-$150 was a lot of money to pay! I never saw or even knew what a magnum rifle was until I was a teenager. A close family friend harvested his moose every year with a Savage 340 chambered in 30-30. He thought 30-06s were a waste of money. Based on his success rate, it was hard to argue with him.

For many, turkey was the traditional Christmas supper and moose roasts were common for New Years. Venison was popular around the Soo (Sault Ste Marie) as was perch and other "wild" finger food. Some old folks used to refer to whitetails as Virginia deer, but that expression has disappeared. Calling walleyes "pickerel" has declined too. US television and magazines were a big part of that. The emergence of cable TV in the 1970s was a huge factor.

Before that, we looked forward to monthly outdoors magazines, the sports columns in our local newspaper and the Star weekly (later, The Canadian magazine) that came out on weekends. It was published in Toronto. Sunday gun shows were an excuse to socialize, get the latest news and check out vendors' tables for "new to you" equipment. Hunting and fishing was not considered by the press to be bad back then. It was something that northerners did recreationally and to feed their families. My own relatives still supplement their food supply with local hunting trips.

We were content to live where we lived. No one wanted to move south to Toronto! That was a place 350 miles away where "the citiots" lived. We saw a few every fall during the hunting season, but mercifully, the cool temperatures kept most away from October until after the long weekend in May.

Christmases were more traditional. We used to cut down a tree every December and take it back to the house. It was put into a metal pale full of sand, kept exclusively for that purpose. While many of the decorations were store bought, we had some "heirlooms" made by relatives when they were kids. There were paper chains and decorations made from tin foil, old wrapping paper and painted wood.

They are great memories.

Meat freezers have replaced cold cellars. Modern rifle cartridges have replaced 303s. Better roads have made it easier for people from southern Ontario to travel north. Sudbury and the Soo have changed a lot since I was a kid, but I get nostalgic this time of year. I miss friends and relatives who have passed on and simpler times when my Cooey and I managed to bag a couple of rabbits on a Saturday afternoon.


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Pretty cool . The good old days.

Yes, but the winters could be nasty.

The fellow who hunted with the 30-30 Savage lived about 18 miles off the highway and hunted no more than 1/4 of a mile from his cabin. This is a picture of it. He built the place with the help of his nephew and a couple of friends over 5 or 6 years. It was re-built twice. A fire took the first one and a few years later, bears went in and smashed a lot of stuff.

The plans came out of a magazine for cottages. The interior had a kitchen and bathroom with all the fittings, but no running water, hydro, phone or anything. The place was heated with a wood stove. You cannot tell, but Lake Matamagasi is about 50-75 yd behind the house. It is 99 yr leased property.

Until the late 1990s, Al's place and an old saw mill were the only buildings on this lake.

These pictures were taken in 2008 a couple of years after he died. It was run down by then. It was left to his niece but she never looked after the place.

great post about the past , i mis those days too i have always lived in Northern Minnesota and was our life style too . those were the days for me the 30-30 was king of the woods . thank you ,Pete53

Yep, right on the money Steve. Used to see women pushing a stroller down logging roads with an old single shot shotgun stuffed along side the baby. If we met up with one we would turn around & pick another road. Seems like way better times then, we all have more gear than we can use now. Great memories Steve, great memories!!! 🐾👣🇨🇦

Thanks guys. We were rearranging the living room so we could put up the tree. It got me thinking about when I was a kid.

SO northern Canada is in doing good huh? It seems many counties in Upper Michigan and northern Wis are loosing population .

Right on....NW Ontario was my second home for years....great province.
Boozhoo....Darrel Wick

They are holding their own. The population is stable, as are jobs, but employment in the mining sector is slowly dropping.


After I got out of the service, I tried to convince the wife that we should move north again. The trouble is, our kids are all around Barrie and North Bay so that got nixed. I wanted to move to Elliot Lake. Near Sudbury on the east with relatives sprinkled along Hwy 17.

Nice story! Doesn't sound much different than the way I grew up in NH , back in the 50's and 60s. When I told my two daughters about the the two seater outhouse they looked at me like I had two heads. I remember getting a flush toilet in fourth grade, it was a big deal!

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Originally Posted by Bogtrotter

When I told my two daughters about the the two seater outhouse they looked at me like I had two heads !

[b]Two heads is a good pun for an ex-seaman sailor. But my point is that tales of living and hunting in the big North woods years ago is special these days and to those who can write should do so before it’s too late. You’re the last of a breed.

Rick

The head, to borrow from the navy, is the second, smaller window as you look at the front of the cabin. I should have taken a picture of it years ago, but the real toilet was beside the vanity. In front of the toilet, there was a large plastic pail with a toilet seat on top. The ladies used it. The men went outside to the outhouse or the woods.

That said, my mother in law used the outhouse ,except in the middle of the night. She appreciated that one of the men would have to carry the pail out and dump it when it was full. She was afraid of crows however and one or two would always perch on the roof of the outhouse. She came back to the cabin one afternoon after having spent about an hour in the bog. Apparently, a crow had landed on the roof. She could hear it and would not leave.

I took Al's 30-30 and dispatched one who was stupid enough to stand there as I got closer. Another came back later. I tried a few times to take it out but missed.

In the UP population has been dropping most of the Motels are closed and rotting away many of the small business no longer exist that were open in the 60's-70's many of the hotels are only open during the summer and snowmobile seasons....
We drive 50 miles to go to the Soo to grocery shop once a month theres a Walmart now and prices are the same as Down State....nearest store is 18 miles away to buy gas and pop, chips and beer prices are high.....

That's sad to hear. Is there a reason why this is happening in the UP?

Evnin, most of the motels in central, & near north Ontario, Are being fixed up into rental units. Room, wash room, hot plate. All some people can afford now. I didn't understand 5 to 10 yrs ago why people were buying these run down motels for??? I guess I know now. GWPGUY. 🐾👣🇨🇦

I used to drive by this place all the time. I never stayed here, but apparently it shut down in the 1990s. The Longbranch was literally abandoned. It's on a list of abandoned properties. For those who do not know, this is on Hwy 69, the major north-south artery. It's near Still River which is about 90 km south of Sudbury.

Cool post !!!

Been to "northern" (really western) Ontario a ton of times, starting in 1974. 23 hour drive from west Pennsylvania. But never minded. All worth it when you got there. Boat gas and minnows.....a few groceries from the IGA. Then up Rte 599 and then 23 miles of logging road to an old abandoned logging camp (bare spot in the woods) where we'd set up camp for a week or more. We'd fish up to 13 miles by water from where we camped. Long ride for 5 or 6 people in a 16' Starcraft with a 1957 Evinrude Fastwin 18 hp.

The good ol' days.

I've hunted and fished around Dryden and Kenora a few times. Always came up thru Frostbite falls, and spent the night there. Northern Minnesota and Northwest Ontario are great places if your an outdoorsman.

A few years ago we were on a trip which took us past the motel where we spent our wedding night. At the time the motel was being used as a senior citizens home. Sad commentary on where our lives are going. I think I was depressed for days!

Jim

It also reminds me of how time slips away.