Any stand names you would care to share?? With views as pretty as what is shown they have to have some great names to go along.

Thanks again for sharing!

Beautiful!  

Ron,if you keep this up I will have to wear a diaper,Cause I wont leave the computer due to my day dreaming of Shrew Haven.

Where the pines come close to the creek on the left at the top of the picture in the bottom picture is the "Creek stand" hunted buy Chef Greg.  If you go about 250 yards to the right, up the bank is the famed "Tressel stand" (named after it's view of the old railroad tressel spanning the creek). I've hung a lot of deer sitting in that stand, even a double header with my brand new Super Shrew Samurai back in 1999 (2 does in 15 minutes that fell at the top of the bank above the creek only 30 yards apart). But my favorite stories from that stand come from other members of the 'gang'. Kevin Marshall shot his first bow killed deer from that stand years ago after I recommended he give it a try.  It was a spike buck and he was worried on the tracking job.  Tim Cosgrove was in on the track as well and when we got to the deer there was a joy and relief on Kevin's face that only fellow bow hunters can understand.  Of course before we set out on the track I asked Kevin and Tim if they had everything needed to get the deer out of the woods.  Low and behold they only had a dull pocket knife with them.  Toughest gutting lesson I've ever given!       Of course the best part of the story was hearing Kevin tell the story over and over again back at the cabin that night.  I think after the 15th telling the rest of us looked at each other and laughed.  Of course Rogers story from the same stand was pretty descript and it's a scene I've heard/seen many times over the years and that's having deer come down off the steep hill known as 'Banana Ridge'. Many times there is not a whisp of wind and deer coming off the ridge sound like a herd of cattle coming. Roger said he couldn't beleive it the first time he sat the Tressel stand. I remember watching a pair of spike bucks sparring about 20 yards away in the aspens. They went at it for about 20 minutes thinking they were quite the studs.

I also can remember the first year I was up at camp with Tim, Ron, Greg and myself.  Greg and I went up on banana ridge for a scouting mission and all we did was bump deer and see droppings and acorns everywhere.  I finally just picked out the best looking oak to put a stand in and that night I had no less than 30 deer parade through (but none in range) as they meandered through the oaks.  After watching this for a couple of days, I moved my stand up the hill and the next morning shot a beautiful doe that toppled over in 30 yards.  The interesting thing was within 15 minutes of sitting there basking in the moment, ravens were circling overhead (they spot that white belly showing from a long way off). The local conservation officer that Ron pictured told us long ago, "if you can't find a deer shot from the night before, look/listen for the ravens the next morning".

My favorite stand is the "Junction stand" in a pine tree on the north side near the bottom of the Banana Ridge. It's near where two trails cross and usually never fails to make for an interesting sit. I've seen everything from bears to coyotes to some dandy bucks from that stand. In past years when some of the guys were having a tough time seeing deer,I loaned them my Junction stand and it always pays off for them.

Over the years we've had many guest at Shrew Haven.  Fred Asbell has been there a couple times and I even talked Shrew bowyer Gregg Coffey into coming up one year. Gregg's a pretty busy guy but he thoroughly enjoyed a few days of R & R at Shrew Haven.    

That's Gregg on the right, doesn't he look relaxed?..    :D  

The only picture I've got of Fred at camp is one of him shooting at the practice target in front of the cabin in his long johns...and I don't think he'd appreciate me posting that picture...   :rolleyes: ...      

   

Wow, you guys get the www up there? Pretty cool!  

Looks great guys!!  I have always enjoyed hearing the stories of Shrew Haven.    

QuoteOriginally posted by BowHuntingFool:
Wow, you guys get the www up there? Pretty cool!      

That's Tim Cosgrove on the computer. I think he wasn't full from the prime rib that night, so he's ordering for a late night delivery pizza on-line (not all cell phones work up there).  Tim always gets into the food stash right before bed. I think he was tired of red meat and wanted a little junk food.

No we don't get internet service up there, Tims just looking at pictures on his lap top. Cell phones are spotty, sometimes I've made calls from the front porch but most of the time we have to go to high ground to get service.

There was a time before cell phones when the only way to call home was to drive to the nearest "town?" which was a bar and a Post Office. They had a pay phone in the bar back behind the pool table. We didn't make many calls in those days.

Cool....can't wait to hear the annual stories that come out of Shrew Haven.    

Having Gregg Coffey up there was one of the best trips, in my opinion. He is an awesome guy to share a camp with.

My cell phone works either on the porch....sometimes....or on the North side of Banana Ridge.

I never really named it, but my Banana ridge stand was pointed out to me by Ron, and is along a little bench North side of the ridge top. It's within view of Ron's original campsite when he found the place. There is still a pulley in the tree and some tipi poles about 20 yards from my stand. I have killed 3 or 4 deer from that tree, and I always think it's a pretty cool, historic site because of Ron camping there. The area is "copper country", and I have a couple chunks of copper ore I took from the base of my tree on display in my office.

Some fine stand names. Always enjoy hearing names of stands and the stories that are attached to them.

Thanks guys!

Anybody think Tim Cosgrove of Kustom King isn't a hardcore hunter? Here he is hobbling around the bush on crutches:

Maybe spotty cell service isn't such a bad thing?

Roger: Just got done watching Jerimiah Johnson for about the 1000th time....love that line in the movie.

If this picture looks familiar it's because it's on the cover of Kustom Kings catalog. They forgot to put a picture credit in the catalog. It's Armstrong Creek flowing south towards the Brule river. Shrew Haven is about 1/4 mile down on the left side of the creek from where this picture was taken. A dark and gloomy cedar swamp is on the right and that's where the "Ghost Of Armstrong Creek" resides....       ...      

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N99b5ZsGzDw    

   

OK, here's another famous Shrew Haven story. We usually have 2-3 guys in on a track. Kevin shot a deer that would have fallen in the thick stuff on the upper right of Ron's picture above(about 50 yards to the right of the pine trees sticking out in the photo). We were dragging the deer out of that swampy, pot hole, log ridden mess and we had a guy in the lead with a flashlight, myself and Kevin pulling the deer (I use an old safety belt around my waste with the line looped around the deers neck) and there was an extra guy hauling out daypacks, ect. in the back.  Once I get a critter moving, I like to keep my momentum going. About half way through the drag I felt the load get a little heavier and a few moments later "Ray,hang on you're dragging Kevin too". After that, they just let me drag the deer.    :D  

I missed last fall up there with the 2 Erics. They're both young strapping builders, so I'm kind of hoping I can retire the dragging strap and allow the young bucks to do the heavy stuff. I'm thinking it's like the story from Dick Lattimers book on Fred Bear and the opening/closing gates while hunting the Keim Ranch. There are generals and privates. Generals sit in the front of the car and the privates jump out and open/close the ranch gates. I'm thinking private Eric and Eric need some training in deer dragging.  

Ray, Li' Eric has already learned the gate closing thing. Kevin, Eric and I were the last ones to leave camp from the last work detail. I pulled through the gate, stopped the truck and started to get out and go back and lock the gate just like I always do. Before I could get out of the truck, "Private" Eric was half way to the gate, he closed and locked it without even being told.

Like I always say, "If you can't BE young, USE the young"....  

You should see Private Eric tote water up that hill! About as quick as I can go DOWN hill!!!!

P.S......watching Ray haul a deer is a thing of beauty. I have a picture somewhere of him dragging (or floating) one of Kevins deer up the middle of Armstrong creek on an icy day.

Is that the one where Kevins riding the deer like a surfer?...