The Word - Winter 2025-26

Let’s begin this entry with an apology.  I know in my last post I said I would stay more current on these blog updates.  It started monthly, then dragged to quarterly, and now here I am, over a year later, updating the internet in writing with my whereabouts.  So again, if you are one of the 21 people who has read my latest update on this page, I am sorry.  In the span of things that occupy my time for Woods North, the blog page often gets relegated to the back burner in lieu of shooting and editing video; it's a full time job that pays next to nothing, for now.

I could probably write ten thousand words with what I’ve been up to since November of 2024, but since that sounds like too much to go on about, I'll keep this recap to within the last few months of my life.  If you’re interested in what transpired between November of last year until the end of this summer, go get caught up on the YouTube channel if for some reason you haven’t already.

September was a lot of fun.  As I’ve found myself now for the last decade, ending up in Pulaski, New York on the World Famous Salmon River in search of migrating kings and cohos was no surprise.  I’ve been making the five hour truck ride from the shores of Lake Champlain since 2016, always with a friend or on my way to meet up with one.  2025 in Pulaski, however, was a solo adventure for my first time ever.  Most of what makes that trip so spectacular isn’t the fish, but the company.  Working in a restaurant, it’s easiest for me to schedule a trip between Sunday and Tuesday, exactly when anyone with a ‘real’ job would be unable to commit.  Even without a net guy and cameraman, I managed to have one of the most successful and memorable trips to Western New York.  Three giant hen chinooks landed in the net with the kicker being a beautiful female coho pushing the 12lb mark.  The video of my trip has been online now for a couple months, and has been viewed almost 7,000 times so far.

My effort in the woods for deer this year isn’t up to my usual standards.  By the time October rolled around, I’d had a few cameras out in the wild in Vermont and New York for the better part of eight weeks.  The bow stand behind my parents stayed dormant for more of the month than I care to admit, some because of a busy schedule but also because of a lack of deer showing up during the daylight.  I managed a few fishing trips here and there, most notably my annual trip to Sterling Pond in search of the last dry-fly brook trout of the year, which I’m happy to report, was a resounding success.  Go watch that video too.

November saw my second most ambitious trip of my three decade experience on planet earth: a week long trip to Oslo, Norway.  It’s hard for me at this stage of owning and operating a brand to make a trip like this exclusively to hunt or fish, but luckily I have great friends that understand my intentions that allow me to tag along on some crazy adventures.  Unsurprisingly, this trip was also connected with the work we did in Ukraine in the summer of 2024.  A hospital network in a town called Drammen, Norway was being decommissioned and being set for upgrades, which meant there was a whole bunch of used medical equipment that needed a place to go.  The NGO I worked with in Ukraine and Poland called Actions Beyond Words reached out to see if an American presence was possible to show up and help deliver some of this aid to communities in need in Ukraine.  Alex Sumberg, Colin Hilliard and myself answered the call and hopped on a flight over there on October 28th.  Along with two other NGOs, Pute and Paracrew, our group was able to load two semi trucks with over 20,000kg of aid headed for folks who desperately need it in a country even further away from home.  Once again, I agreed to come if I was able to do something outdoorsy as it pertains to Woods North, whether that be hunting or fishing.  Early winter near the arctic circle is an odd time and location to ask for fishing help from the locals.  Getting out definitely wasn’t easy, but after exhausting every possible lead, the three of us were able to get out on a remote lake 90 minutes north of Lillestrom, Norway, fly rods in hand.  I won’t spoil the rest.  Please go check out my short film HOMECOMING, live now on the Woods North YouTube channel.

So that brings us to now.  I have one more shot to fill a buck tag in New York with a rifle this Sunday before switching back over to the muzzleloader here in Vermont.  I really don’t expect to harvest any venison for the freezer at this point, but I’m certainly going to try.  With only 3 weeks left in 2025, my mind is starting to wander to ice fishing.  It was two degrees Fahrenheit last night and not much higher this morning, so the hard water is in the near future for us all, and I’m ready for it.  

That’s what I got.  As I stated last year, I’m going to do my darndest to make sure this blog stays current, but no promises.  Comparatively, I’ve had close to 200,000 people tune in on YouTube since I last updated these posts here, whereas 21 have clicked here in the last 12 months.  If you’re reading this now, I don’t mean this as a slight by any means.  I very much appreciate anyone consuming my content, regardless of platform.  I only bring up those numbers to show why my efforts are biased the way they are.  Until we meet here again, I wish you all tremendous luck in your ice fishing endeavors, and a wonderful holiday season filled with friends and loved ones.  Be good people.