Lows Lake solo canoe in deer camp

[Robin]

In 2012, and again in 2014 I spent opening week of the northern zone deer season camped at Lows Lake, NY with my wall tent and a wood stove. I hunted the Tomar Mt area, I saw more moose sign than deer sign, but just having an opportunity to spend some time in those big woods was very rewarding. 

I don't hunt hard, at 66 years old my days of sitting  in the woods from dark to dark are over, but I enjoy time around the camp as much as time in the woods, so not seeing deer was no big dissapointment. I live in Connecticut and always manage to have venison in the freezer by years end, so the pressure is off at Lows, just relax and enjoy.

 

I posted a couple of videos on youtube,

Here are some pics of 2012 and 2014

 

My wall. tent, I cut an 8x10 by 6'6" high tent down to about 7x6 deep by 54" high, with an interior frame and a 12x12 by 8" high wood stove

 

 

I paddle a 16' Chestnut Pal wood canvas canoe,

 

 

I eat prety good in camp, this picture is from 2012 when the wood stove was 12x12x12, I have since cut it down to only 8" high

 

 

 

 

Cruising the shoreline early am,

 

 

 

Enjoying some time in the big woods,

 

 

 

Up on Tomar Mt,

 

[Skillet]

Wow, that's nice. Great job with the filming. You took a lot of extra time to get some of those shots & It definitely paid off. That's the way hunting should be. I'd trade a whole deer season for a week like that. I could almost smell the campfire! Good for you.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Skillet

[NFA-ADK]

Welcome to the site!!!  That is a very cool hunting trip!  Thanks for sharing, very cool!

[Dinsdale]

NFA-ADK, on 11 Jan 2015 - 10:50 AM, said:

Welcome to the site!!!  That is a very cool hunting trip!  Thanks for sharing, very cool!

+1

 

Good stuff!

[grampy]

Welcome Robin, good to have you join in. Very nice video work, can almost smell the coffee. The camp looks cozy and well thought out and packs into that beautiful old canoe very nicely. This is how hunting was done for hundreds of years in the dacks. So great that you're keeping some of the old traditions alive. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Look forward to hearing more from you!

[MountainHunter]

Great video. Very beautiful country!

[gastrodoc]

A trip like this in the 'dacks is on my bucket list

 

Great pics and welcome to the site

[Robin]

Thanks for the kind remarks.When I bought that wall tent, it was too big for anything but car camping. I'm not a sewer, but I learned via youtube. I bought a $25 Brother sewing machine on CL, and went at it. Making those first cuts on the tent where scary, but it all turned out ok and I'm glad I did it.

 

Sitting in camp on cold rainy days with the wood stove keeping the coffee warm is hard to beat. Maybe too comfortable, and maybe I should be beatin' the woods, but it's fun and I really enjoy the whole experience.

 

sittin' out the storm,

 

 

Taking in the beauty of the Adk's,

 

 

 

 

[Lawdwaz]

Well done!  That has to be quite a load in the canoe, do you know approx what your loaded weight was?

 

I spent a fair amount of nights in wall tents and it really is the "high life".  About as good as it gets.

 

I didn't watch the vids yet, but will.

[ncountry]

That is fantastic!  It has been a few years. My brother and I did the trip from Lows lake , portage across to the headwaters of the Oswegatchie, and then down to Cranberry lake . Trip was awesome,3.5 mile portage , not so much..lol...You are truly in the wilderness when you get out there. I have always wanted to go back and do just what you did, but haven't yet. Bass fishing on Lows lake was great. You could catch brookies as fast as you could throw your worm back in the water on the upper stretch of the Oswegatchie.

[Robin]

I'm not sure what the loaded weight was, pretty heavy though. I built a heavy duty portage cart and stashed it in the woods at the carry at the upper dam, but I was able to make the trip across the carry in one trip with everything in the canoe and one pack on my back. 

It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from home, then about 4-5 hours paddle into the site I used (about 12 miles), I made it there just before dark, long day, I slept well the first night. 

 

I agree, wall tents are as good as it gets, Thank You

 

Heading in, loaded canoe,

 

 

Comfortable camp,

 

 

 

Beautiful NY

 

[Lawdwaz]

That is fantastic!  It has been a few years. My brother and I did the trip from Lows lake , portage across to the headwaters of the Oswegatchie, and then down to Cranberry lake . Trip was awesome,3.5 mile portage , not so much..lol...You are truly in the wilderness when you get out there. I have always wanted to go back and do just what you did, but haven't yet. Bass fishing on Lows lake was great. You could catch brookies as fast as you could throw your worm back in the water on the upper stretch of the Oswegatchie.

 

3.5 mile portage?  Holy Buckets.....................that's NUTS!

 

 

It sounds like a great time other than 'tage thing. 

[MACHINIST]

Would you still have room for a deer if you got one?Looks pretty full to me.This is something I have always wanted to do.I think I better do it,not getting any younger!!!

[Lawdwaz]

I'm not sure what the loaded weight was, pretty heavy though. I built a heavy duty portage cart and stashed it in the woods at the carry at the upper dam, but I was able to make the trip across the carry in one trip with everything in the canoe and one pack on my back. 

It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from home, then about 4-5 hours paddle into the site I used (about 12 miles), I made it there just before dark, long day, I slept well the first night. 

 

I agree, wall tents are as good as it gets, Thank You

 

Heading in, loaded canoe,

 

 

Comfortable camp,

 

 

 

Beautiful NY

 

 

Thanks, very nice job.

 

[ncountry]

3.5 mile portage? Holy Buckets.....................that's NUTS!

It sounds like a great time other than 'tage thing.

Exactly what we thought,1/2 way through.

[Robin]

Would you still have room for a deer if you got one?Looks pretty full to me.This is something I have always wanted to do.I think I better do it,not getting any younger!!!

 

No, it would have required 2 trips, probably leap frogging, but...

 

I brought a pulley system and in the event I did get a deer, I would have boned it out at camp. I had the bags and that would have probably pretty much put the canoe at it's limit. 

 

I wouldn't be mounting any more heads, so that would cut down some on the load too. 

[Paula]

Looks amazing, your views and set up. Years ago i camped on my own but it was in a public camp site. wish i had the guts to camp in a private place and feel safe from people

 

[Robin]

Thanks Paula, I understand your concern. I had Lows to myself the 5 days I was there, and the Assistant Ranger (Dawn) checked on me one day.  She lives on the lake at the BS camp with her husband, so help is nearby if needed.

I never saw another person after the parking lot besides the ranger.

[Paula]

I am checking it out for place to go this summer!

[First-light]

Awesome, thanks for bringing us there!

[DirtTime]

This was outstanding! Vids were great! Pics just as great! This the backbone of hunting! Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Daveboone]

I spent many summers up at Sabattis, and several  return trips between then and now. One of my all time favorite spots in the world. It is very easy to imagine yourself 150 years ago. I haven't been up there in at least 15 years...you inspire me to get back up there. Thanks for sharing!

The last time I was up there was after the last "big blow"...in the mid 90s. a lot of the virgin timber on the south west end was flattened. Sad to see,  but it was a natural event, probably happened 100s of times over the centuries.

[Robin]

I'm set to head back up there again this year last 8-10 days of October. I just got back from a canoe trip in North Western Ontario, 10 days-70 miles, great walleye and pike fishing, saw wolves, bear moose, First Nation people, great trip.

 

 

I'm still going back to Lows Lake, great country in there, hope to take advantage of small game season while I spend some pre deer hunt time in the big woods. 

 

I'm hoping for good weather, it's a long paddle out if it turns cold and wet, but that's the chance you take. 

[grampy]

Would like to see more pic's from the Ontario trip. Awesome video of last years trip to Lows. Hope this year is just as nice for you!

[Robin]

Here's a few more from NW Ontario we put in about an hour 1/2 NW of Nakina, Ontario via a logging road and 1 mile portage ran down some rivers and lakes 6 of us for 6 days then I stayed 4 more solo,

here's the wolf at a distance saw another real close on a river the next day

 

 

My canoe on the left, and a stripper built on the right. Mines a Chestnut Chum, 15'x 30", makes a great little solo canoe

 

 

My camp for 4 days solo on Marshall Lake, Ontario

 

 

My canoe in front of solo campsite

 

Cooking Klick (Canadian spam) with home fries in a cold handle stove with a pot of bush coffee too

 

 

Long beach, only 2 cabins on this 8 mile lake, one is an outfitter's and the other is owned by a first nation couple,

 

 

My co-trippers on a river,

 

 

 

Two canoes, two fish on. It was easy to catch walleyes at the bottom of most portages, no canoes had been through here this year from what we could tell. We carried a chain saw to open some of the portages of blow downs,

 

 

setting up camp for the night,