THANKSGIVING WEEKEND by Ralph Bice October 16, 1973
The last weekend, besides being about the last holiday weekend of the summer season, will be remembered as just about the nicest one we have had. The fact that it was Thanksgiving weekend made it even better as a great many people made their last trip to the cottage and many more spent the few days at resorts. I know that wherever you went there were crowds of visitors and so many cars on the highways but the last trip will be remembered as just about as perfect as weather could make it.
Most everyone knows, or should know, that Thanksgiving started with a service and feast held by the Mayflower Pilgrims away back in 1621. Their crops had been good and they were grateful for surviving in a new world. President Lincoln did proclaim such a holiday to be observed yearly. The first proclaimed Thanksgiving in Canada was in Halifax in 1879 and later followed by Quebec and Ontario. The date was set as the 6th day of November which same date was also observed by our neighbours to the south though they may have selected the date before Canada did. For a number of years our Thanksgiving was held about the same time as Armistice Day November 11th, but since 1957 Canadians have been celebrating that day on either the first or second Monday in October.
There is an old record showing that the first Thanksgiving service may have been held in Canada in 1578 and Martin Frobisher, English explorer in the Arctic looking for the elusive Northwest Passage, was so pleased with his success that the Chaplain held a Thanksgiving Service to honour the event.
Lots of hunters in the woods as there usually are for this weekend. Those I talked to did not have much luck. One party Saturday morning had a goose and were taking pictures. I have not seen any flocks going south. Ducks are not too numerous, not even the mergansers.
Saw an eagle, the first of this season. Not too far from where they have been seen during the summer. It would be nice to find out where they are nesting.
Ran into a couple of hunters and one had just shot a bear. I was given the ‘honour’ of skinning it. I was surprised at the condition of the pelt as the fur was long and thick and the hide fairly prime. Hope this does not mean that winter is close. The bear had been shot by a boy on his first hunting trip. He was using only a 20 gauge shot gun, single shot, and slugs. Someone asked him what would have happened if he had only wounded the bear and it had turned on him and he calmly remarked that he still had one more slug.
There is a good crop of beech nuts this fall and anyone hunting bears would do well to look wherever there are beech trees.
Yes, Mr. Editor, I liked the picture of the deer. I liked better the caption used in another weekly with a similar picture as it stated that no doubt these deer would help keep the wolves from starving. Believe there were five deer in the group, and that is more deer than I’ve seen in the last three summers in Algonquin Park. Perhaps these are some of the deer we were told were being imported to be trained to keep away from wolves.
There are plenty of moose signs in the woods and no season. Deer signs are very scarce but some years they show up just ahead of the season. But they will have to come from somewhere as there are not too many in the local woods. However, from all the preparations being made we will be having the usual number of hunters in the woods again this fall. For some deer season means getting a deer for meat. For many it means getting back to the camp with the same crowd for another week or two and while a deer is nice to get the trip to the woods is the main thing. But l do know that this fall will be the first in many years that we have not had a group of hunters, I mean on a commercial basis.
So, let’s hope this nice weather will continue and perhaps then I can get some of the chores finished that I missed last fall.