What's your camp like?

[Coach1310]

I'm having a hard time passing the time before Rifle Opener when our "Camp" gets revived for another year. I thought you guys(and gals) could help me out by describing what your camp is like. Just curious as to how we compare to others.

The Land

We hunt public land north of Merrifield, MN. A lot of Paper company and State Land. Some nice old growth along with clear cuts etc.

Our Camp

It used to be a bus in a gravel pit years ago when we leased land. Then it was a small cabin on the lake. Now a guy from our group built a dream home on the lake and we stay in the basement.

Our Group

8 guys. The core has been hunting together for around 30 years. Ages from 58-14. We have "The Cook" "The Photographer" "The Canon" and "The Smurf" and "The Rookie" just to name a few. Great bunch of guys, too bad deer camp isn't a few months long instead of a few days long each year.

Our Routine

Arrive Friday. Do a little checking of stands to make sure we haven't been moved in on too bad, but on public land you never know. Hang out by the campfire until everyone arrives. Have supper. Tell the same old stories year after year and laugh our you know whats off about them again. Big breakfast on opening morning. And hit it. God I love deer camp. Getting excited just writing this....is it November 2nd yet?????

Lets hear about your camp.

[colonel42]

Land: 120 acres private owed. 1000 acres state and paper company. The river runs through it.

Our camp: 5 acres one mile from where we hunt. Four campers and an out building (garage) and a outhouse (got to have one of these) and POWER!!! Tree swing for the kids to play on before season.

Our group: 7 guys 3 woman most have been hunting for 20 plus years together.

Our Routine: Fire, drinks, lots of talk and stories from past years. Woman like to talk about work (have not figured that one out) good steak dinner. Laugh about one of our guys that is to lazy and does all his work on his stand the day before opener. I shouldn't rip the guy he hold the trophy for the biggest buck shot. I tell him it was just luck. By the way he holds the trophy for the smallest too. Funny he shot the small one first and got a major ripping and the next day shoots a monster. I guess he redemmed himself.

[Grant Pearson]

Our camp consists of 200 acres of privately owned land with an additional 160 acres of land only used by us (the owner lives in Italy and gave us exclusive hunting rights). My father, grandfather and I go up the morning before (the 3 of us are the remaining of the original group, but a new member will be added when he enters the world around the 13th of November), and consists of some last minute prep on stands and catching up and retelling stories. We usually eat a nice hearty meal as well as knock a few back and usually turn in around 10 to get enough sleep. But, with it being the night before opener, no one gets much sleep.

[harvey lee]

Camp

Three bedroom house with shed for 4-wheelers and a place to hang and butcher the deer.

Land

1,000 acres along with approx 800 acres of state land that just about no one else has access to.

Hunting party

Usually 3 gun hunters and 4 bow hunters. Non res tags are hard to come by.

Same group every year with a nice get together every year the night before with old friends. Usually a meal of some type of wildlife and some drink ta boot.

Rifle season doesnt open until noon so, we all go out in the morning and see if we can finish up with the archery tags and then for those who have rifle tags of to the rifle blinds or stands.

[HuskerBen]

80 acres of family-owned land along the Elkhorn River in Northeast Nebraska. 8 hunters, an assortment of Uncles and great Uncles, along with my dad and I.

Accomodations in the form of two trailer houses and a small tow-behind camper. Two fridges in each trailer (one for food, one for beer and/or catfish bait), along with a stove and TV.

Friday night: everyone gets there before sundown. We have a few brews, we talk about deer seasons gone by, and we figure out who's going to which stand in the morning. At supper, the "Legend of the Elkhorn" trophy is passed to one of us by the recipient of last year's trophy. The trophy is not about the biggest buck, but the most memorable hunt.

Saturday: We all suit up and head out to our stands. Breakfast is at 10:30 or 11:00, depending on how it's gone for everyone. Then it's back to the stands. I try to tag out in time to catch the Husker game (although I might not try too hard this year...), and then one of the guys grills up a bunch of steaks. We tell stories until bedtime.

Sunday: Repeat the previous day, subtitute NFL for college football.

Monday: Some of us have to get back to real life. Others stay.

This year will be a tough one, as it's the first season since Grandpa passed away. But it's because of him that we all go, no matter how far away we live.

[Shack]

The land:

80 acres of privet land that’s land locked by 800 acres of farm land (deeded access). Its an old trout farm with sheds and other junk still there! Rolling hills with old growth oaks, butted up against swap area by trout ponds!

My camp!

My house!

Our Group!

Me, my self and I!

Our Routine!

Hit sporting good stores Friday night and pick up last minute stuff (seem to need something new every year). Go home and blast a couple rounds to make sure gun is sited in! Go to bed until I a wake, alarm sounds! Get up and kiss wife, then jump in truck. Head to land! Go through the craziness in Sherburne Co. Wildlife area and tool down access road drinking coffee and listening to Ted Nugent (my plow truck has had only one tape in it for about 10 years now, kind of has turned into a tradition)! Go sit in stand and hope for the best! If I shoot deer that day, drag to truck and load it up. Head home to process deer! Not much, but it gets me out every year!

[Coach1310]

Thanks for sharing, but now I am jealous of all of you with your private land and steaks. Nothing like getting away and spending time with friends. I could tell you right now the exact stories our group will be telling around the fire on Friday night, but it will be like I'm hearing them for the first time, again!!

[Johnny_Namakan]

We are fairly remote. 10 miles down an old logging road to a forestry gate. DNR granted us permission to have a key to the forestry gate. Get through the gate and another 5 miles down some fairly rough terrain to the arrowhead snowmobile trail. Travel on the trail for about 500 yards then branches off towards our shack. Note:(we are allowed to be on the snowmobile trail, even in winter. If we wanted to we could plow the part we're allowed on but choose not to). Anway, park the trucks where the road narrows, then about 2 miles in by ATV. DNR has granted us permission to build a road all the way in to the shack over County land, but have to choosen not to because we feel it'll just give other people an easier time to get to our area. At the shack we have 80 acres of private land, surrounded by countless acres of public land. Nobody hunts the land arounds us except for a couple guys because we are so far back. The shack has 3 bedrooms, sauna, and large living/dinning room. Gas stove and gas lights, with a generator. We only use the generator at night so we can get the celing fan and TV going. T&G White Pine interior. Wouldn't rather be any place else than the shack. Tough to build this place though. ATV's brought all the material in to build the place, plus couches, beds, stove, tables etc, blocks, etc. Many many trips over many weekends to get the place built.

[cribbageboy]

The Land: about 10 square miles of Blandin Paper Co. Land. All public. I have been on that land for 10 years, have only covered about 5% of it. Hundreds of trails. (Feeley Unit just north of Warba, MN. About 15 minutes from Grand Rapids, MN.) Plenty of land for everyone. Only one other group shares it with us.

The Shack: Grandma and Grandpa's House

The Group: 6 including 3 generations, me being the third.

I would give up just about anything for a couple weekends up in the "big woods"

[Slim Pickens]

I go up Thurs., and a number of the guys get together fri. morn.to go to the range to sight in the rifles then off to breakfast. Afternoon consits of chores around the cabin. Then every one meets for dinner to go over the next days hunt.

Where the hunting shack is tere is 300+acre and at the hunting land there is around 700+ acres that is bordered by state land.

we all head to our stands and meet up at 930 to grab a bite and organize our drives. Lunch is in the field, then 1-2 more drives and out to our evening stands at 300.

There is 13 of us and this is the first year that the founder of the group won't be ther in person but will be with us in spirit. A good portion of the guys have been hunting together for 30+ yrs.

[cribbageboy]

Just Curious how long ago you lived in New Prague. Or Where.

[brassman]

my camp is my cabin and there is anywhere from 5 to 8 guys on opener. land is 160 acres of private land and thousands of public land a hop skip and a jump away. first person to the cabin opens it up and starts the fire both literally and figuratively, food is made talk about the possibility of one of our guys to shoot his first deer ever, (hes in his late forties, been hunting for about 12 years without a deer) and then stories until bedtime. get up extra early to go to friends gas station to get coffee and sit in comfort of a heated restroom. then off to the land where we sit for 5-10 minutes before heading off to stands. I usually sit all day saturday and sunday. hope to have a deer with my bow so I don't have to sit all day but it is still fun to be out there in the warm noon day sun. Have had deer under my stand after lunch too many times to count so I stay all day now and eat lunch in the stand.

cannot wait to get out. I hunt all three seasons but rifle is what I started with so it is my all time favorite type of hunting. getting the jitters already.

[luckey]

Land:

Around 640 acres of private land (owned by my brother in law and my self). An additional connected 600 acres owned by friends.

Camp:

Pretty bleak by most standards. Two old 22 foot travel trailers and an out house. No power, no water.

Group:

Usually around 8, mostly family, father, uncle, brother, son, and some in laws.

Routine:

Fortunatly my folks live about 20 miles from camp so we often stay there during the hunt. Guys head out to stands before first light, usually returning around 11:00 for lunch. We head out again around 2:30 or so for the afternoon hunt. During the week the party dwindles down to 2 or three hunters.

[bigbucks]

We hunt close to home, my Uncle's place, which was my Grandparents place until the last 10 years or so. 250 acres of private with some access to neighbors land, usually later in the season. It's only 4 miles from house, so I stay at home. Will hunt around home some later in the season (I have 50 acres), or at my folks which is 10 miles (they've got about 100 acres). First weekend party is usually at least 10 guys. This year it will be 14 on Saturday. Shoot the dump around the pickups after morning stand, somewhere between 10:00 & 12:00. Do a drive or two, go back to stands in the evening. Sit until 9:00 or so Sunday do a few drives if need be, then party starts to break up early afternoon. Some guys will sit in the evening, maybe on one of the other places.

I always take the Friday before & usually Thursday too, to bowhunt at my folks. Marginal hunting land, but almost anywhere is good that last week before gun season. I've shot a couple smaller bucks with the bow the night before in year's past. Won't do that now unless I still haven't scored with the bow by then.