Looking for family cottages to rent, or a fishing destination? Seek no further than Mac's Camp on Manitoulin Island! John and Debbie Kada extend a warm welcome to Mac's Camp, situated on the largest fresh water island in the world in Spring Bay overlooking beautiful Lake Kagawong on Manitoulin Island.

Enjoy your vacation time relaxing by the lake, day tripping and exploring Manitoulin Island, fishing on beautiful lake Kagawong. There is an abundance of holiday activities awaiting you on your island getaway! Manitoulin Island is home to many historic sites. The Indigenous peoples welcome visitors to the various reservations on the island - take in a Powwow and learn some of the traditions, customs and foods.

Looking for spring, summer or fall fishing – a fall deer hunt – maybe just a little down time with the family – stay at Mac’s for your next vacation adventure in northern Ontario.

To take a virtual tour of Mac's Camp, please view the links on the left side of the page. Thank you for stopping by our site!

Fishing – Get Hooked

The amazing clear, clean waters of Lake Kagawong invite you to drop your line. Lake Kagawong features for Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Pike and Pickerel. Mud Flats is one of the better pike areas, head over to the north side of Long Bay for some excellent Smallmouth or fish for a feed of perch right in the bay off the camp. Compare "fish stories" overlooking the lake while you clean your catch in our enclosed fish - cleaning house. Lake trout, Rainbow and Brook Trout, Whitefish and Salmon abound in area lakes and streams. Charters are available for those that would like to venture out with a guide on board.

For your fishing and boating pleasure we have boats and motors for rent by the day or week. Docking available by the day or week.

Paddle boats and canoes can be rented hourly or daily.

Compare "fish stories" overlooking the lake while you clean your catch in our enclosed fish cleaning house.

Other facilities include Live Bait and Ice, Tuck Shop, Childrens Play Area, Swimming, Excellent Fishing, Goose and Duck, Hunting Packages on Request.

Book now to join us for the spring and fall perch and rainbow runs.

Housekeeping Cottage Rentals

We offer 9 - two bedroom housekeeping cottages, nestled in the trees overlooking Lake Kagawong. Modern, fully equipped, clean, comfortable cottage accommodations along with a rental campers cabin, tent and trailer sites and central campground. All rental cottages are equipped with hot/cold running water, bed linen, dishes, cooking utensils, and also have a self-contained three-piece bathroom Bring your tent and camping gear - pitch your tent in our wooded camping area or sleep in comfort in our Campers' Cabin. Mac’s Camp has central campground showers and flush toilets.

...featuring modern cottages, campers' cabin, tent and trailer sites and central campground. We offer two bedroom cottages overlooking Lake Kagawong, nestled in the trees.

Fully equipped, clean and all ready for your holiday getaway..

Bring your tent and camping gear or sleep in comfort in our Campers' Cabin.

Our central campground has the amenities camper's need.

Other facilities include: Live Bait and Ice, Tuck Shop, Children's Play Area, Swimming, Excellent Fishing, Goose and Duck, and Hunting Packages on request.

Salmon Fishing on Manitoulin Island

The surrounding waters of Manitoulin Island is Lake Huron and this large body of water offers some of the best salmon fishing in Ontario. There is also excellent salmon fishing in the rivers on Manitoulin Island. Providence Bay is world renowned for its Salmon and Rainbow fishing. The fishing is excellent, there is a splake derby in May, and a salmon derby in the summer.

Manitoulin Island is " The Worlds Largest Freshwater Island " located in the northern waters of Lake Huron. Manitoulin Island, with it's unique scenery, and slow pace, draws cottagers from all over North America. If you enjoy hiking, fishing or just relaxing, this is the place for your next vacation.

Hunting Manitoulin Island

THE WHITE-TAILED DEER

Where they live.

This deer can be found in southern regions of Canada in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

It likes the wooded areas where it can hide in the trees and eat leaves.

Appearance

The white-tailed deer is about 2 meters in length and 1 meter high to its shoulders.

Males have large antlers that make them look taller. They shed the antlers in the winter but a new set grows in the summer.

In the summer the back and sides of the deer's coat are brown. In the winter the brown coat turns greyish. The stomach and insides of the legs are white. The underside of the tail is white.

Food

Deer eat grasses and leaves. They will also eat mushrooms and berries. In the winter deer nibble on twigs and buds. Deer also eat the grain that is left in farmers' fields after the harvest.

The white-tailed deer eats its food twice. It has four stomachs. The deer starts eating early in the morning. It gobbles down grass and leaves to fill the first stomach. Then while it takes a rest the food goes into the second stomach where it turns into little balls. Now the deer can bring the food back up to its mouth and chew it well. The chewed food goes to the third and fourth stomachs.

The young

One or two fawns are born in May. They are able to stand and walk shortly after birth. Newborns are protected by a lack of scent. Their enemies cannot smell them. The mother keeps the young fawns hidden in the thick bushes. Fawns' coats have hundreds of white spots which disappear when they are 3 to 4 months old.

The mother does not stay with the fawns but checks up on them 5 or 6 times during the day to feed them. The young deer stay with their mothers for one or two years.

A buck fawn (young male ) has bumps on his skull where the antlers will grow.

Enemies

Man, the wolf, lynx, coyote, bobcat and cougar are the deer's enemies. Even though a deer is very fast a pack of wolves or coyotes is able to catch them. The deer cannot run fast if the ground is covered with deep snow. The deer's thin legs sink into the deep snow.

Protection and adaptations

When the deer is alarmed it raises its tail like a flag and dashes away. The flash of white fur warns the other deer.

Deer have a keen sense of smell, good hearing and good eyesight.

With its antlers and sharp hooves the male deer can sometimes kill a wolf. It will butt the wolf with its horns and then stamp on it with its feet.

To prepare for the winter deer grow a thick coat and eat alot of food to store up body fat. If it is a very long and cold winter deer may gather in small groups for protection from the cold.

BLACK BEARS

the smallest North American Bear

RANGE

• found across Canada, including the north
• found in western United States
• lives in wooded areas and mountains

APPEARANCE

• smallest bear in North America
• male can be 2 meters ( 6 ft. ) in length ; 1 meter ( 3 ft. ) to the shoulders
• not all are black, some are dark brown or rusty brown
• brown patch on the nose, stubby tail, sharp claws

ADAPTATION

• able to climb trees, wraps front legs around the trunk
• eats campers' food, goes into trash cans
• sleeps during the winter, might come out on warm days

WINTER

• looks for a den under a fallen tree, in a hollow log, in a cave.
• may also dig a small hole in a hillside
• females line the den with grass and leaves
• eats alot in the fall to fatten up
• not a true hibernator
• very hungry when it comes out of the den in spring

ENEMIES AND PROTECTION

• was once hunted for sport
• now protected in some areas of Canada and the US
• illegally killed for their bladders, paws, other body parts
• has few enemies, animals are afraid to attack the bear
• strong, has powerful paws and sharp teeth
• can move fast for a short distance and can swim

THE YOUNG

• two or three cubs
• born every two years born in January or February
• newborns are naked and blind, 15 to 20 cm. long
• spend the winter in the den drinking mother's milk
• by May their coats have grown
• spend second winter with mother in the den
• cubs whine (sounds like a baby crying)

FOOD

• spend most of their time looking for food
• eat plants - twigs, buds, leaves, nuts, roots, fruit, berries, plant shoots
• also eat ants, honey, fish
• use sharp claws to tear bark from trees and to rip open rotten logs to look for insects and grubs
• climb trees for birds' eggs and to get to beehives
• sometimes eat small mammals
• catch fish with paws or
• teeth stand up on hind legs to smell

CANADA GOOSE

The Canada Goose is the most common of all wild geese. It is one of the largest waterfowl in North America. Only swans are larger. The Canada Goose is also called a honker because of the loud, honking sound that the bird makes. The male is called a gander, the female is a goose and the young are goslings.

DESCRIPTION

• black head and bill, long black neck and white patches on the cheeks (white chinstrap)
• black legs and feet (webbed)
• black tail feathers, white underneath
• beige to light brown breast feathers and belly
• grayish-brown to very dark brown on back and upper wings
• size depends on type of Canada Goose (there are 11 species or groups)
• weight - from 1.4 kg to 7 kg (3 lbs to 15 lbs)
• wingspan - from 90 cm up to 2 m (3 ft to 6 1/2 ft)

HABITAT and RANGE (where Canada Geese are found)

RANGE

• found throughout North America
• nesting range is from northern Canada (Arctic) to central US
• winter range (where the geese are for the winter) is from southern Canada to USA and Mexico (places where water does not freeze in winter and food is available)

HABITAT

• prefers nesting in marshy areas (swamps, bogs, ponds, potholes, lakes, rivers)
• winter homes : marshlands and lakes near farmers' fields

BEHAVIOR and ADAPTATIONS

ADAPTATIONS

• webbed feet for swimming
• legs are set forward, so geese are able to walk better on land than ducks and swans
• fluffy down feathers help to protect geese from the cold
• oil glands (near the tail) are used for waterproofing the feathers
• form flocks to fly south for the winter
• might not migrate if there are open waters and a food supply for winter
• found in cities (where there is water and food nearby)

BEHAVIOR

• eat by grazing on grasslands or fields; or dipping and dabbling in water

graze : to walk about eating grass and plants dip and dabble : put head underwater and come out again, splash around

• fly in a v formation
• have different sounds to communicate (about 13 different calls) honk (when flying), cluck or cackle (when feeding), hiss (when angry)
• also communicate by body movements
• mate for life; pair stays together as long as both are alive and well

FLIGHT and MIGRATION

FLIGHT

moulting

• in summer adults moult (lose old flight feathers and grow
• new feathers) new flight feathers grow in time for fall migration
• cannot fly for 3 or 4 weeks during moulting

how Canada Geese fly

• parents teach the young to fly after new flight feathers have grown
• usually run along the surface of the water or ground for takeoff
• movement of wings : downstroke, pull forward, lift upwards, spread again
• fly with strong and steady wingbeats
• speed 50 to 90 km/hr (30 to 55 m/hr)
• can travel more than 1000 km in a day (over 650 miles)

MIGRATION

When snow falls and the lakes and rivers of the north freeze over, the geese are unable to swim or find food. The geese migrate to places where it is warmer and where food is available.

Migrating birds usually follow the same path every year. These paths are called routes or flyways. The flyways used by the Canada Goose are : the Atlantic flyway (along the east coast of North America), the Mississippi flyway (named after the river), the Central flyway (along the Rocky Mountains) and the Pacific flyway (west of the Rockies).

FALL MIGRATION

• families gather together to form flocks
• as days get shorter, the geese eat more to form a layer of body fat
• migration begins in late August or early September (depending on how far north they are)
• flock travels by day or night
• fly in V-shape, often an irregular V-formation, sometimes in lines
• flying in a V-shape requires less energy, birds can fly longer distances
• it is easier for others to follow (birds can see what is ahead)
• one of the larger, stronger birds is the leader
• change leaders during flight to give lead bird a rest
• flock lands to feed and rest at familiar places (marshes, farmers' fields)
• when cloudy they may fly closer to the ground
• Canada Geese spend the winter in southern Canada, the United States and Mexico.

SPRING MIGRATION

• leave at different times, depending how far north they are going
• early migrators leave in late January, early February
• fly northward following the melting snowline
• stop often to feed and build up strength
• nesting and egg-laying occurs as soon as geese arrive at nesting grounds

DANGERS DURING MIGRATION

• exhaustion - too tired from long flight and not enough rest
• starvation - not enough food available
• shot by hunters - hunters wait near fields and ponds where flocks of geese land to eat and rest
• bad weather - strong winds, thick fog, snowstorms
• flying into things - tv and phone towers, power lines, tall buildings

NEST-EGGS-GOSLINGS

NEST and EGGS

• arrive on nesting grounds in early spring
• may use same nest every year
• like to nest where there is a good view
• nests are on the ground near water; found on small islands, river banks, wet grassy areas
• nests are built of grasses, twigs, bark, leaves, reeds and mosses; lined with down
• photo of a nest
• five to seven white eggs which hatch in about 28 days
• if nesting in the Arctic, eggs hatch later (June)
• gander (male goose) guards the nest
• female leaves only to eat and take a short swim

GOSLINGS

• goslings are yellow-gray or yellow-brown in color with dark bills
• feathers become gray in about a week
• can walk and swim right after hatching
• family leaves nest soon after young have hatched and heads for the water where it is safer
• the female leads, goslings next, gander follows from behind
• about half of the goslings survive
• yearlings leave their parents in spring
• young geese find mates and nest when about 3 years old

CANADA GEESE EAT

CANADA GOOSE FOOD

FINDING FOOD

• bills are sensitive, used to "feel around" underwater for food
• tooth-like spikes around the edges of the bills serve as strainers
• graze (walk about on a grassy area or a field) or swim and dip under water for water plants (leaving tail and back end up and out of the water)
• spend more than 12 hours a day eating
• usually feed early in the morning or late in the afternoon

WHAT DO CANADA GEESE EAT?

• on land - grasses, marsh grass, berries, seeds
• in water - pond plants, tubers, roots, algae
• also feed on crops like clover, alfalfa, wheat, rye, corn, barley, oats and grain left in farmers' fields after the harvest

ENEMIES and PROTECTION

CANADA GOOSE ENEMIES and PROTECTION

ENEMIES

• eggs are eaten by raccoons, foxes, skunks, weasels, crows, gulls
• goslings are prey for larger birds (eagles, owls)
• wolves, foxes, coyotes and bald eagles can kill adult geese
• hunters shoot geese

PROTECTION

• have guard geese to warn the flock of dangers when grazing in fields
• attack by hissing and flapping wings, may bite
• try to chase enemy away
• pretend to have a broken wing to lure enemies away from goslings
• nests built on small islands provide better protection from some enemies

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS CANADA GOOSE

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

• There are at least eleven different species of Canada geese.
• The species differ in size, length of neck, body shape and voice (type of honk).
• The smallest is the Cackling Canada Goose which weighs about 1.4 kg (3 pounds) and are just slightly larger than a Mallard duck. It lives in the Arctic region.
• The largest is the Giant Canada Goose which weighs about 7 kg ( 15 pounds).
• Canada Geese are protected by hunting regulations. Governments are involved in the saving the wetlands and providing areas for resting and feeding. The geese were re-introduced in some parts of the US.
• Aleutian Canada Geese are listed as threatened. Many were killed because of a large population of Arctic foxes and red foxes in their nesting areas in the north (Alaska).
• Canada Geese have become problems in towns and cities. They inhabit parks and golf courses, eat the grass and leave droppings everywhere. If people get too close to the goslings, the parents may attack.

Hunting on Manitoulin Island

Mac's Camp is the place to stay for the fall Deer Hunt. White Tail Deer are plentiful on Manitoulin Island, a hunter can be assured of a successful hunt.

Mac’s Camp is located in hunting area 43B, which has a large number of deer per square mile. Right behind the camp is 39 square miles of forest, prime-hunting territory. We offer tree stand hunting on over 1000 acres within walking distance of the camp.

Our area continues to produce Trophy Bucks resulting in an exciting hunting experience. Camper Bruce Cairncross has hunted with us the past few years and bagged 2 great deer. One Big Bruin weighed in at 236 pounds field dressed, was 12 points and scored 161.

We Offer:

• Bow and Crossbow hunting only
• A 6 - day hunting Package
• Limit 1 deer per hunter
• Comfortable housekeeping cottages with hot showers
• No extra charge for Trophies
• Boat & motor for the duration of your hunt for some great bass, pike & perch fishing

Not Included:

• Meals (restaurants nearby) Bring Groceries
• Trophy care
• Canadian Taxes

Need any more information? We would love to hear from you!

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Cottages for Rent in Ontario Canada

Mac's Camp and Cottage Resort
John & Debbie Kada
R.R. # 2
Spring Bay, Ontario
Canada P0P 2B0

Tel:   Summer (705) 377-4537
Tel:  Winter (519) 892 3312
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E-mail us at the Cottage