Late Winter Camping on Funky Ice

[@Woodswalker1965]

Glad you were able to get out. Despite your equipment issues it looked awesome. Brings me back to my hardcore ice fishing days of staying overnight in my ice hut. That ice would snap crackle and pop!

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thanks Wade. I have never fished this lake before and I suspect it is a 'night bite' lake. In some lakes walleye only feed at night because the water is so clear. That was the whole point of me staying over there. It all worked out in the end, but I may have to explore it again another time when the ice is better.

[@Lord-DavidWhines]

Another great video in a beautiful location. Thanks mate...

[@KevinOutdoors]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@1967AJB]

Great video - sleeping on ice, mental! :)

[@KevinOutdoors]

Nice and flat, no debate which is the high end of the bed, but a little chilly. :)

[@woodswalker7119]

Bunmer on the air mattress!! Still a good trip!! On another note I finally picked up a copy of Backcountry Eats. Looking forward to trying some of your suggested meals. I dehydrate my own meals now but mostly chili, pasta with sauce and much simpler meals. Lots of other great information in the book as well. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@KevinOutdoors]

Yes it was a great trip despite the mattress failure. I scoured the surface of that thing looking for leaks, I suspect it is the valve but I will look it all over again. Thanks for picking up the book! I had two different audiences in mind when I wrote it. 1) raw beginners who need to know how to start and 2) experienced dehydrators who want to take their meals to the next level. Sounds like you are in category 2, I hope it hits the mark.

[@Woodswalker1965]

Try the lasagna, it’s fantastic!

[@woodswalker7119]

@@Woodswalker1965 will do. Looking forward to trying you sweet potato chana masala as well!!

[@pvesely299]

Fantastic video. Pretty dang cold. I’m from Wisconsin near Lake Michigan and I remember those cold days. Interesting sounds coming from the ice. Great aerial shots. Thanks Kevin.

[@KevinOutdoors]

Glad you liked it Paul. All the best.

[@l214laus]

An interesting experience to see the glassy ice on the lake. I hope you successfully track down where the claw holes are.

[@carlinsavell4207]

Cool video

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thank you.

[@froglizard6135]

Awesome video 👍👍👍

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thank you 👍

[@1enediyne]

Geez, where did you find snow around here before yesterday? Bummer about the sleeping mat. Since switching back to an air mattress, I always bring either a closed cell foam or a breakdown cot, even when backpacking. Hauling extra gear is worth it to be to have some insurance against a cold/terrible night.

[@KevinOutdoors]

Yeah, I got lucky somehow there was a little snow around those islands. I also chose the spot because I was able to have snow to pile on the snow flaps of the tent. I normally bring a foam pad with the air mattress but with the warm weather, (and the confidence that I had finally repaired that pad properly) I thought I would be alright. A cot makes a lot of sense in a hot tent since the floor is always the coldest place. Thanks for the comments.

[@marianfrances4959]

👍😎🇨🇦 Hello from Alberta

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thanks!

[@mazman9355]

I loved your aerial shots! The ice really did look cool. I guess the wood stove doesn't melt the snow/ice in a tent like that? It would be awkward if u sunk AND your mattress deflated...

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thanks. Because heat rises the floor of the tent stays really cool. That is why I hang everything up to dry, even boots, they won't dry on the floor. I do get some melting around the stove and I use the reflective foil oven sheets to help protect against that. The stove legs sank about an inch into the ice so next time I think I will make some insulative supports for under the legs.

[@adventureswithbecketandxena]

This definitely has been a wierd winter. I got out to Finlay Bay at Sleeping Giant for an overnighter a day before that last big dump of snow.

[@KevinOutdoors]

That's great, good to bump into you the other day. Cheers.

[@adventureswithbecketandxena]

@@KevinOutdoors It was nice meeting you

[@CanadianSledDog]

Good point about moving fish from place to place when you use bait. What about worms? I find they're pretty hardy in a cooler.

[@KevinOutdoors]

Worms tend to not survive in the water but people do tend to dump them out after a day of fishing. The European earth worm has established itself in North America and in some places is harmful to local forests. I don't get too excited about it, in most cases the damage is done and one or two more worms or minnows won't change things.

[@CanadianSledDog]

@@KevinOutdoors that's odd that people are dumping them so often, it's not something that ever occurred to me to do. I bring em home and put em in the fridge for next time. It's not like they're cheap lol.

[@flt528]

Kevin, I love your videos and your book! I do a lot of winter camping too and I also have a hot tent, but I use it infrequently, and bring my own wood. It seems too high-impact to feed the stove with trees from the forest. Dead trees are a crucial part of a forest ecosystem, especially on an island. If every camper burned 5 dead trees every time they camped, it wouldn't take many campers to empty a forest of this nutrient source (we see this on islands in upstate NY - not a twig on the ground). You're an experienced and thoughtful outdoorsman, so I'm curious what you think about this.

[@KevinOutdoors]

Thanks for the good question. I am also a trained forester so I appreciate your perspective. I think it is all relative to where you are. In a place like upstate NY where there are a lot of people camping, campsites can become heavily impacted. I wouldn't worry too much about the nutrients, fire just releases any back into the ecosystem and the trunk of the tree is mostly carbon, the nutrients are mostly in the leaves/needles and when they rot the nutrients go back into the soil. Dead trees do provide structure and habitat for many birds, insects and mammals though. Up here in the boreal forest of Northwestern Ontario there are a lot fewer people camping and the forests are vast. I am sure I am the first person to camp in that location in a long long time, perhaps ever given the rocky shore and the fact I was tenting on the ice. And I really doubt that lake gets any campers even during the summer.

[@alanbierhoff6831]

That’s really too bad about your air mattress. I’ve had fairly decent results with Berkey power bait grubs and mealworms on tip ups and dead lines like yours. I’d tip the hook of a Kastmaster with them. The shiny silver lure would spin and make a great attractant. I was allowed 7 lines, in any combination, when I lived in New York

[@KevinOutdoors]

That's a lot of lines to manage! I think my scented bait is a Berkey power bait. I wanted to spend a few hours there but the weather didn't cooperate. I suspect that lake might be a 'night bite' lake for walleye. There are a few in the area like that. The water is clear and walleye only feed at night when they have more of an advantage. You can't catch fish during the day but at night they are very productive. That was the whole rationale for sleeping out there. If I didn't get any during the day I was going to try in the dark. Perhaps next year.

[@CM-of9ef]

Would you be able to share where you purchased the water bottle insulator? It's not linked in your store. Please and thanks!

[@KevinOutdoors]

It is made by Chinook and I got it from Wilderness Supply. They have stores in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay but they also have an online presence. I see online they are on sale for $12.50. In store they were $10.

[@CM-of9ef]

@@KevinOutdoors Thanks very much!

[@bimikawe]

It's pretty wild weather up here! Though this snow storm here in TB feels like our first taste of real winter! I know this seems like a silly question even to ask it, but are you ever concerned with cougars out there in any season? They seem to be popping up on cams in the area a little more and it's beginning to make me a little more on edge just thinking about the possibility of encountering one on a portage.

[@KevinOutdoors]

There are cougars here in Northwestern Ontario but there doesn't seem to be a breeding population here. So far all individuals found seem to be dispersing young males from far away sources like the Black Hills. Young males of most mammals tend to disperse widely. A cougar from the Black Hills was found in Connecticut a few years ago, DNA was used to identify the source. So they are rare but they do seem to be more common. Fatal cougar attacks are also more rare than bear attacks. There are about 2.7 fatal bear attacks in north America each year and fatal cougar attacks are about the same per decade. So I guess I will continue to just take my chances :)

[@SublimatedIce]

Hi Kevin, wondering where you purchased the Water Bottle Insulator? I've been looking for a while.

[@KevinOutdoors]

I bought it at my local outdoor store Wilderness Supply. They have stores in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay but also have an online presence. The insulator is made by Chinook.

[@SublimatedIce]

@@KevinOutdoors Thank you Kevin!

[@1enediyne]

And now to find a pot cozy like the ones MEC used to make. @KevinOutdoors you should see if Bill Ostrom would make one!

[@KevinOutdoors]

I will pass along the idea!@@1enediyne

[@dwrivers47]

Still a lovely overnight trip. Hope all is well Kevin 😊

[@gordthompson4664]

13:48 - So how many takes were required to get your signature "one stray bit" motif into the video? :) Also occurred to me how funny it would be to do a video where you set up your hot tent and then get Mike Holmes to give it an "inspection". I can hear it now: "This is all wrong! No vapour barrier, the attic isn't insulated at all, and the foundation is ICE fer cryin' out loud. I bet you didn't get permits for ANY of this!" ;)

[@KevinOutdoors]

LOL, when that bit of potato fell I thought the same thing. Then I completely forgot about it until your comment. You made my day! :)