What is deer camp? What does it mean to you? What are the crazy some of the crazy stories told, the food, the locations, the pictures, or the memories? :campfire:
Hunted for many years from a camp that was formed in 1922 in the southern Adirondacks. It's right on the edge of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness area. Many a good meal, many a great day in the big woods.....even a few deer taken. I hunted from there with a bow also and had many great days in the mountains. Tough country, few deer, but great times, spent over 40 years in them hills. Now I stay closer to home and I see more deer most years.
Early morning campfire, hot coffee and anticipation of the day to come.
I wish I had a deer camp. When u guys post pics and stories I reall enjoy them.
Deer camp is the guys. Dad. Les. Len. Young Len. Dang, I miss them all.
Memory? Terry walking in to camp with a deer over his shoulder, him covered in blood.
But deer camp is the guys.
homebru
Deer Camp is for sure Good Friends. The Experience. Cold Mornings. Campfires. Moonshine. The Sound of a Running Creek. The Colors of Fall. Longbows. The Memories.
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Have never experienced it other than thru the members here.... Have always only had farm ground to hunt and never been part of a group that hunts together..... Maybe one of these days ;)
I'm a little different. My dad didn't raise me deer hunting, but my wife's dad has managed a 4200 acre lease for 35 years.
He doesn't hunt anymore, but I shot my first deer on his lease with his gun (Marlin 30-30) when I was 28.
It is great living out your childhood as an adult. Now I have a 4 year old son to live it out with me.
QuoteNestled in a secluded valley, far off the beaten path, on the banks a of a small stream, is a little cabin called Shrew Haven.
Originally built in 1936, this rustic pine cabin was only recently moved to it's current location. The original intent was just to have a hunting camp, a place to hang your hat and bow.
But Shrew Haven has become more than that... much more.
Shrew Haven has revealed itself an enchanting environment, where the bow hunting experience is enhanced ten fold. It is a place of peace and tranquility; a place where a person can recharge their spirit, feed their soul, and share wonderful times with fellow bow hunters.
In today's modern world we have created for ourselves an unnatural environment; but God created man to be part of nature. And although we may survive in our big city's and urban neighborhoods, we need the wilderness to help keep us mentally healthy.
Shrew Haven is an Oasis, where we must return as often as we can, to drink deep of it's healing waters, and thus be sustained 'til we come to this place again.
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Our place is simply the called, "The Camp". Having been retired for almost 15 years I have spent a lot of time up there sprucing things up, running the backhoe clearing up some old stumps and getting small areas ready for food plots.
The cabin is a one room shack with a couple of bunk beds. I have another building with running water and a shower.
My son and I have put on a memorial archery shoot to honor my father for the past three years which is held on the weekend that is the closest to the 16th of July . We put out 20 2 D and 3D targets. We had around 40 archers at the last weekend during the memorial.
I have an area where I have a hunting shack on a small field where I sit on opening day of gun season. It is a place that I call my field of dreams. I sit in it, choose not to shoot anything but dream of a big buck walking out and me taking aim. When I sit there I think if my dad and what he has done for me and my family, raising 6 kids on one income, sending all of us to a Catholic school and at night and on weekends running his small archery shop. This was back in the 50's and 60's when archery was pretty simple and not so many gizmos and gadgets.
I run the grandkids around (they live on the property) in my Polaris ranger telling them what needs to be done to make the camp better. I tell them that "the camp" will be theirs one day so they need to help keep it up and make it better.
Deer camp is to me about people and comradery. Especially if it involves new friends..... oh and good food. It has very little to do with killing a deer.
Its all been said above, spending time with friends and family reliving old memories, and creating new ones. KSshrewman, and Ron thank you for sharing the pictures of your camps, it gets me pumped up and ready to hit the woods again. Fall can't get here quick enough!
Ron, sounds, awesome. A special place.
awbowman, Well said!
I searched for a photo of the 1950 Rollohome that I use for camp, but must have deleted them. It is painted camo, (by previous owner) and sits under a hay shed to keep the snow off the roof.
A great investment of $300. I have used it for about ten years now. It has made some great memories possible.
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I was very fortunate to hunt the Chequamagon (she-wam-again) for over 20 yrs both with bow and rifle at my best friends deer camp. I got about 1 million stories as I am a born southerner living in the north and hunting with cheeseheads and yoopers. What a mix of cultures and ideas that was. I learned some from them and visa versa. They like to cook venison in skillets while ice fishing..great idea. Id bring homemade ham/bean soup and fried cornbread...the 239 kind cause one more would be 240..two farty. They liked that too. I like to froze to death the first year as -11 and 20mph winds I had never felt and didnt know existed. We killed a lot of deer and I got to help them with their kids' first hunt as I like kids and whatnot. Went to my first chicken shattin drawing too. You place a chicken in a cage.. place a 10 spot on one of the squares inside the cage on the floor... and if the chicken does his business on your square you win a 30-30..pronounced turty turty rifle. They also sold womens underwear with the name of the bar across the backside...kid you not. I almost bought a pair for my missus but decided against it..lol. Hunted with all kinds of men from all over the north of Wisconsin. One man who has passed on spent his last year with us. He had diabetes so bad he couldnt hunt but close behind the cabin and only for a short time. He gave me some doe in heat scent wafers and asked me to use them as his daughter had given them to him as a present. I said sure but finally decided they would be worthless. I set them out right under my stand as an after-thought that next mornin. Wadnt a half hour later I noticed a movement under my stand but thought it was a squirrel....nope..10 pointer and he nailed me and I shot at him 3 times as he ran away. No hits. Went back that afternoon and killed a nice fork that came to the same scent wafers that I had smartly place 20 yds in front of my stand as I had learned the lesson of the previous mornin. The guy was as happy as if he killed it himself. He died 3 weeks later. That camp is still there. There are no deer to speak of around as the wolf/bear/bobcat/coyotes and cold winters take a huge toll on fawns and yearlings. There has been no deer killed in 3 yrs at that camp and only 2 seen.
Great thread. Over the years, deer camp has been everything from an old, cheap Coleman tent, to a fancy canvas wall tent with stove, or a stationary travel trailer in a campground and places as simple as a friend's home.
I started building a new chapter of my deer camp story this spring on a farm in Ohio that I purchased last year. It has been great seeing it come together and I cannot wait to see all the additions, updates and great experiences to come in the future.
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Beautiful country Brian. :thumbsup:
Better get a meat pole up Brian. Bad luck not to have one you know. ;)
It is the camaraderie. Without the guys, it is just another outing in the woods. But the meals, the beverages, the lies.. er..stories just would not be meaningful without the buddies.
QuoteOriginally posted by Sam McMichael:
It is the camaraderie. Without the guys, it is just another outing in the woods. But the meals, the beverages, the lies.. er..stories just would not be meaningful without the buddies.
What lies.......... :biglaugh:
My father. My brother. Brody. Jesse. Ryan.
These are the people I hunt with, and that, to me is what "hunting camp" is.
Great thread.
Jake
This is a great thread that saddens me. My hunting buddies went there seperate ways. They have there favorite places to hunt or just quit hunting. Some are in search of bigger or more trophies. The worst part is that the majority of them are dead. I started a hunting lodge to rekindle the fire with the spark I have.
Wallydog,
Enjoyed that very much. For me, deer camp is hunting with my buddies Mudd and Cobweb at Cobwebs cabin. No deer but, that's ok. Deer hunting is about being with my friends.
We had a good time up there Butch. Best deer hunting was in a primitive area where the deer drag was always over 3/4 mile.No wheels of any kind were allowed in there. Not even a helper wheel. Nicer yet was there was/is a lake there and crappies thru the ice averaged about 13" long. We'd have venison heart one night and crappie fillets the next.Them boys didnt know how to fry taters right till I showed em. They never had greenbeans cooked down with ham in em either till I got there.
Best visitor we ever got was a gunsmith from Texas who made beautiful muzzleloaders. One guy in camp ordered a 60 cal from him and then invited him to Northern Wisc deer camp. That poor man like to died in the cold. I mean he had never been in 12" snow and -10..ever. He hunted one morning and was headed back to Texas the next. Said his wife called...hahahahaaaaa.
A coworker's brother bought a farm several years back and decided that he couldn't hunt all the stands himself, so he invited 4 of us out to hunt his stands....
First order of business was 'camp meat'... Any critter in season that would support an evening meal.... Squirrels were the norm, but every once in while a doe would walk down the wrong trail.
When that happened, deer loin with taters were put on the coals to be enjoyed at dark when everyone returned....
Great days and wonderful memories!
God Bless
Rodd
Forgot to mention, we were camped out in an old barn... up in the loft...
no electricity, no phones, no worries!
Rodd
Forgot to mention, we were camped out in an old barn... up in the loft...
no electricity, no phones, no worries!
Rodd
I envy these deer camps.
When I was a teen ager the closest deer hunting was 120 miles from home. I enjoyed being a guest of a bunch of veteran archers (1969-1973)who made camp in a school bus.
I've camped when hunting out of state but I simply walk out the door to whitetail hunt.
One of the real treats about out-of-state hunts for me is the time in camp after hunts sharing stories and being on the hunt 24/7.
Love these threads....more pics please!
This will be mine fore this year!Click on pic for video.
(http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq321/GUYDODIER/th_006_zps3f72678e.mp4) (http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq321/GUYDODIER/006_zps3f72678e.mp4)
MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.
Some of the fun at our deer camp has not been during deer season.
Because of the "home on wheels" we searched for the best camp site for a number of years. One year we moved it about 300-400 yards down a trail.
After deer season we thought it would be fun to hike in and camp for a night.
We had to use a toboggan for supplies and hauled up and down hills through knee high and deeper snow.
We built a nice oak fire and ate a hearty supper before climbing into our toasty beds. Little did we know our wives became worried and insisted another friend hike in the next morning to see if we were still alive! Funny.
It was a great night and morning listening to the Northern MN forest as we drifted in and out of sleep.
One of the more colorful guys at camp was a real nut job but in mostly a good way. H'd try anything to get a deer. So he brings some doe in heat and empties the bottle on himself. The whole bottle mind you. He sits down on the edge of a swamp and bout half falls asleep. He is awaken by the sound of a pig snorting he says, Close too he says. Looks behind him around the tree and there is a sex crazed Buck giving him the evil eye and snorting like a pig. The buck wasnt even scared by him he says. He as intent on that rich aroma worn by our boy. He had to poke his bow at the Buck and yell to get him back to reality. He wants to get in my truck for the ride home. No says I..no way. He rode in the back (it had a topper) all the way home. The truck bed stunk for a month after I got home.
This is our deer camp, the "4R".
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We used to have a true log shack built with chainsaws and 4wd trucks. It was the quintessential "hunting shack" where only guys stayed.
I loved that place and miss it but my brother, Dad, brother-in-law (more of a brother than in-law), and myself went in together on new property and put this up. 4R stands for the four Reilly families and it's become a focal point of our get togethers throughout the year for family and friends. I feel blessed to be part of it.
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Ron already posted about Shrew Haven. What an awesome privilege. It takes a strange hold on a guy. I drifted away for a couple years....I told Ron I wanted to tramp around out west while I was able. He said go ahead...come back when you are ready.
One year I went to Idaho and didn't go to Shrew Haven....then I went to Wyoming, and although I had a successful and awesome hunt, all the way home I was thinking of the guys getting ready to head up to the UP. I called Ron, and he told me in no uncertain terms to get my rear up to camp. I took vacation I didn't have, and it was worth it. The best guys on earth. I won't miss camp again.
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Wow NBK...just Wow!!!
Thanks Wally, the credit goes to my brother for ramrodding it made easier by the fact that the carpenter, electrician, and plumber are all guys we grew up playing hockey with and they have permanent access to the fully stocked fridge. ;)
Best part is that my brother and brother in law are trad guys too. If my brother can just draw his first blood with his Tall Tines then it will be a real hunting camp.
Still has some finishing touches but it is good to go. Just got it up a few weeks ago. 1/2 hrs S of of St Louis. Hope to make some memories...
Cherryville, MO just S of Steelville, Mo on 19. 160 acres of up and down oak, hickory and cedar. Not a soybean or cornstalk with in 30 miles.
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Got an outhouse
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The shower tree. Haven't figured out winter yet :)
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I feel like Lou Gehrig. I am the luckiest man in the world.....
100 yds from the cabin
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100 yds from the cabin
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I have three springs on the place
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I have a new version starting this fall. It is a 100 acres and has a 450 sq. ft. "primitive" cabin on it. Lights come from a car battery/inverter setup and the well is run off a generator. There are some nice rolling oak hills and I am working on plots. I have 8 small ones I will plant this weekend and another I am opening up. I have planted some fruit trees and more will come. My brother and a nephew will be the first camp members, but I hope many friends will enjoy it too.
D.P.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/dpagel77/Northern%20Michigan%20Hunting%20Camp/DSC01845_zps11ccb0a6.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dpagel77/media/Northern%20Michigan%20Hunting%20Camp/DSC01845_zps11ccb0a6.jpg.html)
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Wayyyy nice John and Dave. Our place looks like a train wreck next to these camps. Obviously you fellas have a good deer herd up where your at. Our camp is all but closed due to low deer numbers for the last 5 yrs or so. Its been real bad for 2 though. The introduction of the wolf has put the hurt on us.
I just bought 3 acres that joins a National forest wilderness area here in Va. A small cabin is in the works. Looking forward to making lots of memories ! I really enjoy seeing pictures of others cabins.....gives me more ideas ! :thumbsup:
Last year marked the first season in our new deer camp. We've been hunting the area for a long time but finally finished building our cabin.
I love travelling to other states to hunt but there's just something special to me about hunting the big river bottoms at home.
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(http://i.imgur.com/9qV1tzJ.jpg)
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QuoteOriginally posted by DarkTimber:
Last year marked the first season in our new deer camp. We've been hunting the area for a long time but finally finished building our cabin.
I love travelling to other states to hunt but there's just something special to me about hunting the big river bottoms at home.
(http://i.imgur.com/QlDcOJf.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9qV1tzJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ymakAqD.jpg)
What size is your cabin ? That's awesome ! Got pics of the inside ?
Hunting camp for me is when Butch shows up at Cobweb's place aka "The Farm".
Hello(s) are said and then to fun begins.
I started to say "Harmless fun" but last year it ended up costing me about $1,800 in damages to my "ride".....lol
All my fault.
God bless,Mudd
Here is one camp we use to use very primitive.
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We moved into this one has elect. and running water.
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Above camps are a hunting club I am in and hunted with this bunch for many years.
This camp I own myself and great times had with family and freinds.Pond has fish, woods has sq. rabbits deer and hogs ducks in the bayou.I spend a lot of time at this camp.
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Thanks Nathan. The cabin is 24' x 36' w/ an 8' wide front porch (860 sf down stairs and a 275 sf loft). I don't have any pics of the interior right now but will be going down in the next couple weeks to work on a few small projects and will snap some. Once thing I've learned about having a cabin...there's always a project to work on.
Guyzer, thank you for your post. It is apparent you are an experienced outdoorsman. I look forward to your future posts.
Let's not let this thread die. Let's see some more cabin pics.
I need some ideas on shower / cleanup in an off the grid cabin when it's chilly out,late fall and winter. I have the cabin rigged where I can plug a generator in an outside outlet and will have propane heat but showering will be tough. Any ideas? and the wife (who is a trooper) will be there a lot.
Thank you for you nice words fmscan.I will post new ones for sure!! See you soon.
MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.
oops no camp pics yet..
this is an easy one for me,,, hmm hunting camp where do I begin.
usually its just me byself, its very quiet, boring sometimes , nothing to do but cook, sharpen broadheads, gather wood and wonder about my morning spots,, wondering if I'll spook anything on the way in I guess..
Its all memories really,,, I spend most of the time remembering when it was always 5 of us, it was fun with alot of laughs, lots of help in camp cooking, settng up camp sometimes all 5 of us recovering someones deer, good stories just a good time away.. now I wonder why none of my friends hunt anymore, maybe a total of 11 traditional hunters all sitting home doing whatever a few raising kids, a couple with strict wives, a few that feel old now, a few that just vanished.
I do like going away for a few days and camping while hunting but in camp for too long and you start talking to yourself, or thinking of the past or I just wonder why I bother with a camp.
its a blessing in diguise for me,, ha ha I'm such a boo hoo :biglaugh: .
Because we have to draw for tags for specific areas, we do not have the luxury of a static camp. We, like many of you, consider the people our "camp". Whether we are near Elko or Ely, our tents and trailers are filled with friends=camp.
Wish we had places like some of you....
Hey John,
My camp is off grid as well.
We use oil lamps and propane heaters on cold morns.
For facilities...I had an outhouse built. But instead of a hole....I bought a bucket w toilet seat. Use trash bags and kitty litter scoops and it works great. For a shower I put a wooden 4x4 platform next to outhouse. I don't have any good pics. But we use the Coleman hot water on demand machine and a 5 gallon water container. Easy way for a hot shower. Just use camo burlap for the curtain. Not fancy but effective.
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