Deer season medmories

[gophergunner]

I tend to wax nostalgic this time of year. I also tend to get a little long winded so I'll do my best to keep this short. Deer season is upon us, and for many of us, this is our favorite time of year. From a tent pitched deep in the pines, to as pop up camper, to a sturdy old deer shack out in the bush, deer camp is a special place. There's wide eyed youngsters, to the aged patriarchs of every camp, and every kind of hunter in between. Camp for me was always a two room shack with a crackling wood stove on Boone Mountain in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. Many years ago, my work brought me to Minnesota and new hunting experiences.


I am gonna keep this short, I'll just say how lucky we all are to take part in this yearly ritual. To those of oyr bretheren who took a kid out for youth season, good job folks. For this tradition to continue, it's our responsibility to bring along the next generation of hunters. To those making sure an older hunter, possibly on his last trip to the woods gets another chance to watch the sun rise on a windswept ridge, possibly for the last time, I say thank you for making this happen. We simply have to give our old mentors that one last chance.

Best of luck to all our members and their friends and family. Here's to the hope everyone returns safe and sound. Go forth, make some great memories, and maybe share them here folks. Good hunting!

[deadeye]

Well said gophergunner.  It can be a hectic time for sure and we sometimes need to take a step back and enjoy the moments.  Right now we have three generations at our camp. No real old timers (unless you call over 70 an old timer) just some well seasoned hunters. A number of 40 - 50 guys and my grandson at 15. Grandson just started bow hunting this past weekend. This is his 6 year of deer hunting and he is pretty much on his own now. I do miss mentoring him the past years but I know it's time to let him learn on his own from here on out.

[glenn57]

not guarenteeing this wont be long!!!!!!!!!! the 3 senior guys i started hunting with are in the big woods in the sky, but there isnt a deer hunt now where they still arent brought up in some manner!!!!!!!!!

i started hunting my sophmore year in high school. we used to always hunt in the general same area. our group is and never will be more than 6. it was feast or famine so we went to different areas. we used t o hunt strictly in what is now the leech lake reservation. when they started charging $2.00 more on the license if you hunted there my day said screw them. i'm back hunting there. when my brother started hunting it was us and a guy i'll call henry, his kid and SIL.

at some point dad my brother and i decided for the hell of it to start hunting the 3rd weekend. eventually henry did to, then dad brought his friend, i'll call ADO. not long he joined are group full time. Ado and my dad would dream up these goofy ideas to have to drive to town, for god only knows what, pizza cutter...cheese slicer..and that drove henry nutz. he figured they just wanted to go to the bar. one time they got back earliier, henry always kept his refreshments in a cooler by his bed, so they hid them on ole henry...what a ruckus that was.

think the last time my dad actually shot a deer was in 1975, he couldnt sit in his stand long and was always "scouting".  so of course that was fun fodder!!!!!! think he had bird feeders by his stand!!! he was more worried about the birds then horns!!!!! for some reason dad and Henry had a falling out and they no longer hunted with us.

eventually my dad and Ado passed away from cancer. so now its myself, son and stepson...when he has his child support paid up  , my brother his kid and his kids friend. a good group. but yea, i dont think there is a day deer hunting some shenanigans from the pass get brought up!!!!!! good memories!!!!!!!!     

[gophergunner]

Our Pa. deer camp was founded shortly after WWII by my dad and 4 other veterans, all former infantrymen from the European theater. Between then they had 9 Purple Hearts. These were tough, tough men, one and all. Us young punks called them the Olde Guard. Sadly, they are all gone now. My brother is our senior olde fart now, and with me being 60, I'm still the young punk of that group. Fast forward to my time in Minnesota, and my wife's uncle and grandfather have both passed from out group, making me the official old fart. I guess someone's got to be the geezer. I've mentored two of my son's buddies. Mike took his first deer, a nice buck a couple years ago. I was very proud of him. Tyler hasn't punched a tag yet, but his day is coming. He's a former Marine, and probably the best shot in our group. Like I said, his day is coming. My son won't be joining us this fall. He's finishing his first year of service in the Air Force and can't get away.  This year, we welcome in Josh and Elijah. Josh is a good friend I've hunted with before. I'd most like to see Tyler and Elijah punch their first tags, as I think I'm to the point where I get more out of their experiences than I do out of mine.

[Steve-o]

No real old timers (unless you call over 70 an old timer) just some well seasoned hunters.

Do I call someone 70 an old timer...?  Not anymore.

[mike89]

2nd that Steve-o!!   

[glenn57]

No real old timers (unless you call over 70 an old timer) just some well seasoned hunters.

Do I call someone 70 an old timer...?  Not anymore.

  i do!!!!!!!!!!!

[mike89]

No real old timers (unless you call over 70 an old timer) just some well seasoned hunters.

Do I call someone 70 an old timer...?  Not anymore.

  i do!!!!!!!!!!!

no respect....  just sayin!!!!   

[glenn57]

No real old timers (unless you call over 70 an old timer) just some well seasoned hunters.

Do I call someone 70 an old timer...?  Not anymore.

  i do!!!!!!!!!!!

no respect....  just sayin!!!!   

hey old timer means respect and smarts!!!!!!!!!!

[mike89]

just joshin ya bud!!!  respect is good!!!   

[Leech~~]

hey old timer means respect and smarts!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, "Old timers" in our camp where the OG's the guys that started the camp. The guys that know the woods, got tons of deer and now shared their knowledge with the new young members of the camp.  Not really anything to do with age.   

[glenn57]

man i just looked at the 10 day forecast......opening weekend supposed to hit 50 for a high.........

[Gunner55]

man i just looked at the 10 day forecast......opening weekend supposed to hit 50 for a high.........

   

[glenn57]

man i just looked at the 10 day forecast......opening weekend supposed to hit 50 for a high.........

   

[Jerkbiat]

Cool this week then warming back up by Friday. No good.

[glenn57]

Cool this week then warming back up by Friday. No good.

good napping weather!!!!!!!!

[snow1]

Good read goph/glenn...memories. No deer camp growin up here,duck camp tho near bemidji minn,old cabin back in the woods with a 50gal drum cut in half for heat,oil burning lamps for light at night,old man knapping during the day all  day until the evening duck hunt then us kids walked trails for ruff grouse w/o a dog all afternoon,great times long gone.

[glenn57]

that how are cabin started out. basic shell, but insulated, 2 burner fuel oil stove for heat and frig, stove and lights that ran on a 100Lb propane tank....... and of course that always ran out at 10 at night!!!!!!!

its come a long way since, an 8 foot addition the length of the cabin, electricity,  TV, gas furnace, running water in the summer, 3 smaller sheds and a biggin now. still the outdoor biffy though!!!!!

[snow1]

that how are cabin started out. basic shell, but insulated, 2 burner fuel oil stove for heat and frig, stove and lights that ran on a 100Lb propane tank....... and of course that always ran out at 10 at night!!!!!!!

its come a long way since, an 8 foot addition the length of the cabin, electricity,  TV, gas furnace, running water in the summer, 3 smaller sheds and a biggin now. still the outdoor biffy though!!!!!

something to be said about outdoor biffies....usually they have the best view.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Our deer camp was founded by my grandpa, two friends of his (that were brothers) and their dad. They used to camp out in the woods in a big green army tent with a wood stove. This was back in the 50's. The hunting season would also be over Thanksgiving back then and they would bring a turkey with and have their Thanksgiving at deer camp. Eventually my grandma and another wife would start coming along. At that time they began pulling campers out to the woods. My grandparents decided to buy a cabin on the Tamarack river by upper red in 1962 and then that became deer camp. A two room log cabin, no electricity but it did have a propane cooking stove, log burning stove for heat, and an outhouse (which we still use today). My grandma started hunting, and then my dad joined the group after marrying my mom in 1970. My mom's younger sister started hunting in the late 70's. I joined the crew as a 12 year old in 1985. My grandpa had a couple of strokes and was pretty crippled up but we still made it our mission to get him out hunting. My dad and I built him a couple of enclosed stand and had a little buddy heater in there for him. He could only use a pistol (357) at this point because of not having use of one of his arms. We'd take him out by 4-wheeler, get him all settled, then go to our stands. In 1997 while out hunting, he passed away doing his favorite things in life (deer hunting). What a way to go! It was tough on us, and we then named our hunting party after him. We have a travelling largest buck trophy with his name on it to continue his legacy. We had always hunted state land but we had an opportunity to purchase some private land (surrounded by state land) 6-7 years ago. It is still in the same area that my grandpa and friends originally started hunting. Three of my four kids hunt with us now along with a couple of my friends, and one of their kids. My grandma (90 yrs old) still hunts, my dad, and my aunt do too. So we have four generations but grandma says this is probably her last year. She enjoys an enclosed stand with a heater these days, but her knee is giving her trouble. We tell story from years gone by and ones grandpa shared with me when I was a kid with our next generation. Deer camp has been a huge part of my life and I hope my kids feel the same way!

[mike89]

 

very cool!!  and good memories!!   

[glenn57]

very cool!!  and good memories!!

yepper.......what he said...sweet pictures of how it transformed over the years!!!!!!

[Leech~~]

Our deer camp was founded by my grandpa, two friends of his (that were brothers) and their dad. They used to camp out in the woods in a big green army tent with a wood stove. This was back in the 50's. The hunting season would also be over Thanksgiving back then and they would bring a turkey with and have their Thanksgiving at deer camp. Eventually my grandma and another wife would start coming along. At that time they began pulling campers out to the woods. My grandparents decided to buy a cabin on the Tamarack river by upper red in 1962 and then that became deer camp. A two room log cabin, no electricity but it did have a propane cooking stove, log burning stove for heat, and an outhouse (which we still use today). My grandma started hunting, and then my dad joined the group after marrying my mom in 1970. My mom's younger sister started hunting in the late 70's. I joined the crew as a 12 year old in 1985. My grandpa had a couple of strokes and was pretty crippled up but we still made it our mission to get him out hunting. My dad and I built him a couple of enclosed stand and had a little buddy heater in there for him. He could only use a pistol (357) at this point because of not having use of one of his arms. We'd take him out by 4-wheeler, get him all settled, then go to our stands. In 1997 while out hunting, he passed away doing his favorite things in life (deer hunting). What a way to go! It was tough on us, and we then named our hunting party after him. We have a travelling largest buck trophy with his name on it to continue his legacy. We had always hunted state land but we had an opportunity to purchase some private land (surrounded by state land) 6-7 years ago. It is still in the same area that my grandpa and friends originally started hunting. Three of my four kids hunt with us now along with a couple of my friends, and one of their kids. My grandma (90 yrs old) still hunts, my dad, and my aunt do too. So we have four generations but grandma says this is probably her last year. She enjoys an enclosed stand with a heater these days, but her knee is giving her trouble. We tell story from years gone by and ones grandpa shared with me when I was a kid with our next generation. Deer camp has been a huge part of my life and I hope my kids feel the same way!

Fantastic family story.       But really, don't you people eat in camp?   "and an outhouse (which we still use today)"   

[Boar]

One of.my most fondest memories was in 2019, when i swept the hunting contest. Not only beating glenn, but everyone else. No one. Come close. Use i won glenns silly football thing contest too! Man....good times!! Good times..
 But seriously i really enjoy sharing pre and hunting and hunting times with all you guys! So many memories.with in our circle! Thank you all that have participated in this forum the last 5.to.10 yrs
 

[deadeye]

Outdoors Junkie,
Great story and pictures. I can never get enough of the old hunting pictures.  Keep up the traditions.

[gophergunner]

Rhanks for posting such a rich story. While every camp is different, it seems like there are things we all have in common. The great stories from yesteryear balways resonate loud and clear. We are so lucky ton share such a rich culture.