Ok, I can't stand it any more. My new tent I recently bought from Whip is sitting in the corner wanting to go camping. So, I'll be gathering some gear, and a couple of boys itchin to DO SOMETHING this weekend and we're gonna head up to deer camp for some winter camping and bunny huntin.
My woodstove I ordered for the tent won't be here in time for this trip, so we're gonna use a propane Mr Heater to take the chill off indoors.
I made up a few extra bunny stoppers- I'm low on judo points, so I glued some .357 magnum casings(68gr each) to some 100 gr Woody weights and attached to some mix and match arrows. Our game plan will to arrive in the morning, and set up camp, gather some firewood and stomp for bunnies and squirrels.
The boys will be required to gather tinder, and kindling as they explore the woods, and to start their own fire with flint/steel to heat their dinner. Dad too! Water will be filtered from the ponds, or melted snow. Sunday, a practice run at building an emergency survival shelter will be the order of the day in between rabbit hunts.
A little practice with the compass, and some late season deer sign interpretation will round out what looks to be a fun weekend.
Evenings will be a campfire, hot chocolate and if lucky, a rabbit or two to cook over the fire. If not, a pot of chili in reserve,a couple of deer steaks and the percolator with some hot coffee keepin warm over the coals.
I'll post plenty of pics when we get home.
Time to kick ol' man winter in the be-hind.
Very nice.Take lots of pictures.
Looking forward to the pics!! Jason
Can I come. Just kidding. Sounds like a good time. Have fun. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
me..too i want to come..lol! wonder if i can talk the boys into a backyard fire and sleepover in the tent..
Sounds like a blast John.
Man do I miss doing some winter camping with my son. I think the last time we did a little winter camping jaunt he was 16. He is now 20 and off at college. My girls and wife love to camp but I couldn't get them to winter camp in a million years. LoL Looking forward to seeing all the pics of your adventure when you get back.
Enjoy!!
JOHN
Supposed to be good weather for just such an adventure!!!
Enjoy...give the old man a swat for me!!!
Have fun, be safe, and don't waste time getting pics up for us!
When the wood stove comes in, you are going to LOVE it!
I am really looking forward to morning to get the ball rolling. I havent winter tent camped since I was a kid, and love it. Truck is all packed, just gotta grab a couple things on the way out the door. Hopefully we can find some rabbits, they have been pretty scarce up there last few years as we have several fox running the property. My wife got one during muzzleloader season that I need to get tanned. Maybe we'll get lucky and get a crack at one.
Have fun and enjoy the time spent with your boys. :thumbsup:
Sounds like so much fun bud,,,,,big update and pics please.
Good luck
JB
Sounds like a great time.
Enjoy the experience!
What a great weekend adventure you will have John! Can't wait to see the pics and hear how things went. Have a great time!
John,
Sounds like it will be a great winter camping trip....in addition to a valuable learning experience for the lads.
Have a great time and if you remember or have time for photos...it would be great for posting. Outdoor skills/survival skills is something that is severely lacking in today's kids.
My wife makes a good point......God help the majority of folks on this planet if something drastic would happen.....most don't have even the most basic of survival skills. "Where does food come from Mommy?" "The grocery store, my dear"
Thanks for setting a great example.
Sounds fun. :thumbsup: Take lots of pics. Especially how you get the tent pegs in the ground. :confused:
Sounds Like An Awsome GOOD TIME!! Way To Go Dad!! :campfire: :archer:
We arrived at the property we hunt Saturday morning, to sunny skies, and temps to be in the high 30's. We pitched camp in an old favorite spot. The tent went up easily, although twith the frozen ground I wondered if I'd have trouble getting the stakes out when it was time to break camp.
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We set the tent, and awning, and got prepared to start a fire. Since it was lunchtime, I decided I would demo starting it with a small piece of char cloth, a birds nest and some small kindling. There is something simple and special about making your fire with traditional materials. In no time, we had a pot of gumbo simmering over the fire, while we strung out bows, and finished getting camp situated. We gathered some more firewood for the evening campfire, and headed out for some bunny huntin.
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The snow revealed to us the preferred travel paths of the wildlife on the property, and we took note of a few trails near some of our bowhunting setups, as they indicated perhaps an adjustment or two of some of our setups. We caught these girls moving through the woods, there was a buck with them, still had his rack, but couldnt get him on camera, and couldn't tell how big he was.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/007.jpg)
Many trails showed regular use,this one runs along a narrow ridge 15 yds behind our tent. A regular travel lane, its is pretty much impossible to set up on.
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We spent a good part of the day stump shooting and hunting with our bows, but later the boys were itching to carry thier shotguns around, so they switched gear, while I continued to hunt with my longbow, The Mistress. As we slipped through an area near one of my ground blinds, Austin (11) spotted movement, and soon enough, he had taken his very first small game animal- a fat raccoon, with a perfect shot. I could have shot it with my bow, but it was his to get. The boy was all smiles, and we will tan the skin for him.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/downsized_0220001522.jpg)
This kid was on a roll, earlier not far from camp, he discovered a dead fox, frozen solid laying along the edge of the woods. It was in excellent condition, and had obviously not been ther more than a few days. I could not find any sign of a wound, no blood, no obvious injury, and appeared in good health. The pelt was perfect, so we took it back to camp, and probably have a full body mount of it done. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of it.
As late afternoon gave way to evening, we wandered back to camp. We did jump one rabbit, but it managed to give us the slip, after me doing my beset beagle iimpression to try to roust himn out of the briars.
The warm sun melted the snow at an unbelievable rate, which in turn made our camp a muddy mess in no time. We warmed dinner over our campfire, and settled around the fire for the evening, with plans of more hunting in the morning.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/022.jpg)
Our tent was warm, but I can't say it was dry. while we were out stomping and exploring, the melting snow made a wet mudbath of the ground inside the tent. Apparently out campsite was a slight depression, and the snowmelt made for aome squishy mud. We managed, and stayed warm and dry through the night.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/020.jpg)
This morning, we restoked the fire to warm coffee and breakfast, then off for some more stumpin and rabbit hunting. We broke camp a little earlier than planned, as it was gonna be a bit morework when we got home getting things cleaned up and stowed awsy until our next trip.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/025.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/autumnarcher/027-1.jpg)
As a side note, we didnt get to some of the stuff I had planned. The kids did gather a few birds nests and other firestarting materials, but they were busy shooting and hunting, and before we new it it was time to break camp. None the less, there were several good opportunities to learn in our outings, and set the stage well for our next trip. I'm gonna throw them a curve though, instead of going to our usual haunts, I think we'll drive a bit further, and hit the national forest land further north. Deeper snow, and by then I'll have my wood stove for the tent. New ground will be good for all of us.
Nice set-up. I like the evening picture with the tent glow. Looks like you had some nice weather.
Way cool...
I`m gonna show my wife the pictures, and show her that me and my boys WON`T DIE if we tried winter camping.
Thanks for the pictures and for being a good dad to your kids. I can`t say enough about this.
Way cool!!! :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Bonebuster:
I`m gonna show my wife the pictures, and show her that me and my boys WON`T DIE if we tried winter camping.
Thats funny, my wife must have called or texted me a half dozen tmes worrying about whether we were freezingto death. I keep trying to get her to go so she can see its not bad at all, but she'll have no part of it. LOL.
great stuff = looks like fun alright
Oh, you lucky fellow. Thank you for sharing!!