Bush Country (195-)

[Music] north of the Ottawa River in eastern Canada lies a great expanse of forest primeval a seemingly limitless horizons sprinkled with tens of thousands of lakes like raindrops on a lush green carpet these Lakes accessible only by airplane our veritable Valhalla's for camping and fishing enthusiasts once the exclusive vacation province of determined male Isaac Waltons the miracle of modern transportation has brought this rich paradise within reach of any vacationing family with a yen for the great outdoors versatile bush pilots operating planes of amazing capabilities are largely responsible for bringing the thrill of a truly wilderness excursion to the average family these planes can carry with ease the mountains of camping and fishing equipment needed to keep mother and small children comfortable and happy in the wilds using floats in the summer skis in the winter the bush plane is genuinely a can-do piece of equipment ferrying the family from the last roots of civilization the bush pilot locates exactly a small campsite set up by prearrangement with two Cree Indian guides the guides Ken Jocko and George batiste are on the spot to offer a backwoods welcome and take over where the pilot leaves off though the canoe is still the classic mode of transportation in the Canadian bush it has been given an assist by the modern outboard motor and a lift by the modern airplane this family brings all their own pet equipment including their favorite fishing rods and sleeping bags everything else is arranged by the guy this is a trip into a woodland paradise with a minimum of bother the pilots AMRO is an amiable sort characteristic of Canadians he will be back on schedule to pick up the adventurers a few days hands these explorers are well-armed for life in the wilderness even to their Mercury outboard motor a convenience that has become a necessity small powerful and a miser on gasoline this motor will expand the area of operations considerably ken and George have been here for several days are well acquainted with the surrounding country but all that remains to make these words a home is the erection of the family's tent that's part of the thrill for the kids a lesson in the great outdoors that will never be learned as well in any classroom this is practical application of the printed words in outdoor books centuries of tradition and heritage make french-canadian guides among the best in the business masters at wood crafts and magicians at creating tools from forest raw materials the birch tree relatively small in stature is a giant in the provision of makeshift tools the bark alone has hundreds of uses when properly removed it does no damage to the tree and is soon replaced without leaving a scar in our early years North American Indians used the bark of this tree to make everything from houses to ornaments this particular type is sometimes called the paper birch because its bark is thin enough to write on yet strong enough to make durable canoes ken is an evil instructor the kids are entranced at the running commentary as he fashions a bush hunters horn this country abounds with game not the least of which is the moose in the fall the woods resound with their grunts and bellowings as they choose a mate for the coming winter a bull moose will come to investigate just about any suspicious sound this bit of bark turned by experienced hands is an amplifier for weird noises that sound good only to a moose and now ma cherie another little trick watch closely first state perfect cut then a twist with just the right angle ah good now we add the little handle carefully voila a drinking cup this is one way to get a sip of cool refreshing water without getting your nose wet our dribbling down your chin what better souvenir to take home and show to the game the lake is also a home for those fine freshwater trout since the fishing pressure is light and the water found the pool it doesn't take long for George to pick up a real beauty how many places do you know of where a short pause in a sightseeing trip can be so rewarding wow what a face full of teeth just look at this scrapper securely hooked he literally turns up the water it takes a pretty fair fisherman to keep him from throwing the hook helen has him on this time and she gets all kinds of advice [Music] in the net and let's head for home this time they have something to show mom and dad gray and speckled trout everyone as tasty as any found on the menus of the finest restaurants it's not often that a fat 15 inch er is pulled out of the ordinary streamer lake and when you can bring back a string like this well the product speaks for itself ken chief cook for today inspects the catch just enough for all hands to eat well tonight a sharp knife under a steady hand and the meat is separated into a boneless fillet this trout is a relative of the salmon and is highly prized for both his fighting ability and his eating quality ken has prepared a secretly seasoned batter to enhance the delicate flavor his newfound assistants are eager enough to help him get on with the cooking what beautiful sights and smells boiled coffee and deep fried trout two fishermen and cappers this is a picture regal enough to hang in the Museum of Fine Arts done to turn more than enough for all the magic of the outdoors works up appetites that will keep the serving line busy the modern move to an outdoor life has been called by some a reverting to our pioneer antecedents perhaps it is but you can be sure the Pioneers never had it so good we'll take nothing away from the 20th century housewife but a camping man is sometimes moved to shaking his head in wonder [Music] and so to bed to dream of an untamed world dreams of a land of beauty and opportunity of unspoiled wilderness waiting for modern pioneers revelry what up you Claire this is Ken and his moose call the music may not be pretty but certainly most effective the noise that thing makes wouldn't wake Rip Van Winkle for some reason guides the world over impaired ibly know of a place to hunt or fish that is better than wherever you happen to be at the moment the fish in this lake for instance may be large and ravenous but miss you you should see the ones in the next Lake of course you must get up very early and work furiously to take advantage of this special treat that's part of the game it all goes to enhance the excitement and anticipation of any expedition the trip will involve a portage from Lake Blue to sampling the equipment must be sorted and packed with attention for once it is left behind it stays there the camp must be set to rights fires doused the provisions put out of the reach of bears and other noisy animals the average camper never knows how much equipment he is brought along until he is faced with the prospect of carrying it somewhere on his back the guides are experts at sorting the necessary from the luxury they have to be they end up carrying the lion's share once again the outboard motor proves its usefulness a small amount of horsepower will transport the party and all equipment to the Portage and save their energy for the pack trip the freighter canoe is a little too much to manage on a portage unless absolutely necessary it makes a good taxi but a heavy one the two smaller canoes are taken along and will be converted into a single stable fishing boat in times past the portage enabled the North American Indians to travel thousands of miles taking their goods with them often a relatively short Overland trip put the voyagers on a waterway stretching continuously for hundreds more miles the colonization of both the United States and Canada was due in no small way to this method of travel the early fur trappers wandered the length of numberless waterways in search of valuable pelts they lived off the land and carried only a birch bark canoe and the barest necessities today it is still possible to span continents by canoe if you are in no hurry and don't mind a little work since the object is to move only back which must be taken the age to transport are made on the spot an a-frame is whipped up from a maple sapling and leather thongs strapped on it is a portable motor stand and will be no loss when discarded at the end of the day carrying canoes is a little different when the whole thing is over your head you are free to spend all your time stumbling over rocks and running into trees for some reason all Portage's are uphill both ways these hills grow during the day to become mountains on the way home the rocky shores of San Lake bear a marked resemblance to the shores of Lake Blue the fish we are told are nevertheless in greater number fatter hungrier and better fighters this will make all the trouble worthwhile the game fish that abound in Canada's lakes are among its greatest attractions tourists spend 275 million dollars a year a great part of this going to the pursuit of the various kinds of trout found in the inland lakes in order to accommodate these visitors some strange jury rigs have been devised ken and George are in the process of making one canoe out of two sort of a Canadian catamaran since the family wants to fish together the canoes are spaced with cut saplings lysed firmly in place an improvised transom to mount the motor is added and the result is a powered pleasure barge this is a close cousin of the outrigger canoes of the Pacific Islands with the added advantage of passenger space in both homes if need be such a contraption could carry great loads of cargo and still be disassembled into Sulli transportable parts today's human cargo is a determined group of anglers action is immediate Helen a good provider of yesterday's lunch is added again the catamaran is highly serviceable as a fishing boat but it couldn't be handled with paddles well enough to keep clear of the frantic runs of a hooked fish its twistings and turnings are matched by the manoeuvrability of the mercury motor a great route one of the many species found in this lake he is a naval fighter and every bit as good eating as his cousin the speck an average specimen will weigh between two and three pounds the largest more than five just about everybody in the bush country travels by water or air even the game warden his territory is so large that he has to be a qualified and experienced pilot to make his rounds even with the remarkable bounty of Canadian wildlife the Game and Fish laws are strictly adhere to wardens keep a close check and are not impressed by a fisherman standard of weights and measures even one that says it takes three trout to make a string anything over twelve is one dozen and seven ounces make a pound a quick check of licenses and legal sizes a little friendly conversation tells a lot by flying from Lake to Lake in this vast country the warden can control fishing and collect valuable information in days instead of months Kippy gets in his links to he's pretty new at the business but coming from an outdoor family he catches on fast that spinning rod is learning to talk fish language already all it takes his special knack and a little working concentration this one doesn't care much for the sight of the boat hold on Kippy a speckled trout this time and big one he's found in nearly all parts of Canada and thrives in cool clear water over gravel bottom they usually grow to about 18 inches and three to five pounds the record weighed 14 pounds and came from a Canadian River the speck is one of the most beautifully coloured of all trout this one doesn't know he's late pretty and plump as a picture by Rubens time for some man talk about the battle and the victim about today and tomorrow Bush country this wonderful land is indeed bountiful the countryside has a lure and magnetism all its own the mystery and beauty of the untold ages lies at yours are any boatman's northern doorstep [Music]