OT whats your hunting camp set up
05-23-2009, 07:18 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 272
OT whats your hunting camp set up
All right boys. Seasons along ways off. So talking about bullets is getting old. So whats your favorate deer camp set up past & present. My brothers & Iused to go to Colorado for elk every couple years. Do it your self hunts. Backpack in for 10 days or so. Those were some good times. Well 3 kids put the stop to that. I got no money[:@][:@]. So nowadays we try & spice up our deer camps. We ve canoed in to some areas & hunted. Had some real good hunts like that. This year for gun season we tented it for a couple days. This year we,re talking about doing a backpack ML hunt here in MIchigan. Just to add some adventure. Were thinkingthe Upper penisula. Snowshoe in, who knows. Im not ready to pay a guide just yet. Im40 y/o so I can still carry a backpack & do some walking. Whats your setups like?
05-23-2009, 07:52 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
I hunt from my house in my own private property. So I have all the comforts of home...
I used to be like you when younger. We'd canoe back into boundary waters, di fly in hunts in Canada, pitch tents and camp and hunt, we even made snow caves when we were kids, and we'd sleep in them. My friend and I built a nice log cabin on his property,back in his woods, but some one decided they did not like my friend's wife (he believes), and mysteriously burned the cabin to the ground during the off season...
I hate to admit it, but having all the comforts of home is kind of nice now. All the wild times are kind of behind me now. And maybe that's a good thing.
I used to be like you when younger. We'd canoe back into boundary waters, di fly in hunts in Canada, pitch tents and camp and hunt, we even made snow caves when we were kids, and we'd sleep in them. My friend and I built a nice log cabin on his property,back in his woods, but some one decided they did not like my friend's wife (he believes), and mysteriously burned the cabin to the ground during the off season...
I hate to admit it, but having all the comforts of home is kind of nice now. All the wild times are kind of behind me now. And maybe that's a good thing.
05-23-2009, 08:08 PM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
Well burntmuch, I'm a few years past 40 (quite a few). My days of trekking two or threemiles into the Honey Island Swamp are over, though I've done my share of that and have spent half a day dragging a deer out enough times to not want to do that again.
All of my hunting now is in the dry piney woodswhere a steep hill will rise darn near 30 feet over the distance of a quarter mile. I can still carry a backpack too - from my back door to the truck about does it. I've never been on snowshoes. Do they run on gas or electricity? My hunting camp is a permanent 8x8' "plywood tent". It's very primitive because, though it has electricity, the only running wateris from a 55 gallon drum that I have to fill at least twice during the season. No bathroom either, you have to poop in the woods. The bed is a single mattress and box spring and, though it's not lumpy or anything, you can't stretch out like ona king size one. Television reception is lousy too. I can only get three stations consistently - the other four are pretty much hit and miss depending on the weather. Still, I'm able to tough it out at camp every Friday through Sundayfrom October through January. Hunting from this camp can be pretty tough also. I have to walk a full 500 yards to one stand andalmost 600 to another. My best stand is on the North end of the lease, soI just take the truck to that one and only have a 200 yard walk.
I sure enjoy the stories and pictures of back country hunts and like to dream about them. I just don't want to do them. A man's got to know his limitations.
All of my hunting now is in the dry piney woodswhere a steep hill will rise darn near 30 feet over the distance of a quarter mile. I can still carry a backpack too - from my back door to the truck about does it. I've never been on snowshoes. Do they run on gas or electricity? My hunting camp is a permanent 8x8' "plywood tent". It's very primitive because, though it has electricity, the only running wateris from a 55 gallon drum that I have to fill at least twice during the season. No bathroom either, you have to poop in the woods. The bed is a single mattress and box spring and, though it's not lumpy or anything, you can't stretch out like ona king size one. Television reception is lousy too. I can only get three stations consistently - the other four are pretty much hit and miss depending on the weather. Still, I'm able to tough it out at camp every Friday through Sundayfrom October through January. Hunting from this camp can be pretty tough also. I have to walk a full 500 yards to one stand andalmost 600 to another. My best stand is on the North end of the lease, soI just take the truck to that one and only have a 200 yard walk.
I sure enjoy the stories and pictures of back country hunts and like to dream about them. I just don't want to do them. A man's got to know his limitations.
05-23-2009, 08:11 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Saxonburg Pa
Posts: 3,925
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
I actually got some new property to hunt this year so i am pretty excited. I actually started late in the 2008 hunting season. I harvested a couple Deer with a Flintlock after Christmas. Then was able to harvest A spring Turkey on it a couple weeks ago. I guess it's starting out pretty well. I would love to build some kind of shack on it to stay in. Even a camper would work.
05-23-2009, 09:11 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 272
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
Semisane thats a fine looking camp. My camp usually consists of a dome tent ,a cookstove & a canteen cup. It is getting harder every year to roll out of the sleeping bag in the morning to sit in a treestand all day. Theres been more than once when camp was packed up, & we ended up at a luandry mat drying clothes.
05-23-2009, 10:58 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Lake Tahoe
Posts: 308
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
In CA we are zoned off and have draws for them through DFG. Some are very hard to draw and some are general admission per say. Since I dont have my own property to hunt on, I am at the DFGs mercy. I scout the closest default area every year and so does about 1000 other hunters.We get a bunch of city hunters that come up and that just adds to the chaos. I havent drawn a premium zone in several years and I got skunked the last time I did. So we dont have a set camp or area. Once we find out what zone we are in, we just use tents. But I am the only one with a Coleman Heater. I use a (hospital bed) plastic urnal for the 2am mother nature call. My camping equipment is high end. I learned a long time ago not to skimp when it comes to camping. There is nothing like a good rain or snow to put a wrench in the works. So, I guess it doesnt look any different than a regular camp site. Oh, we do have trees to hang our deer in, but they are empty most of the time. 
One of the reasons I got into BP was for the extended hunt andto get me into a better zone. (now im just obsessed) But, there is a draw for MLing season as well. And, not all areas of CA are open for a BP extended hunt. The area closest to me that offers a ML season and has a good percentage of bagging a deer is 1 1/2 hours away and only 20 tags are issued. This state doesnt make it easy on a hunter let me tell you. Some parts of the state are better than others just because of habitat of course and lots of deer are taken but I know road hunters and pure dumb luck pads the number of deer reported taken.I am willing to bet that a small percentage really earns their shot. Most of the hunters I see as I am waiting for my buck to come along are pumpkin orange from head to toe, stumblin and bumblin through the woods and leaving their scent all over the place. The only good thing about all the hunters is they move the deer.
I use a (hospital bed) plastic urnal for the 2am mother nature call. My camping equipment is high end. I learned a long time ago not to skimp when it comes to camping. There is nothing like a good rain or snow to put a wrench in the works. So, I guess it doesnt look any different than a regular camp site. Oh, we do have trees to hang our deer in, but they are empty most of the time. One of the reasons I got into BP was for the extended hunt andto get me into a better zone. (now im just obsessed) But, there is a draw for MLing season as well. And, not all areas of CA are open for a BP extended hunt. The area closest to me that offers a ML season and has a good percentage of bagging a deer is 1 1/2 hours away and only 20 tags are issued. This state doesnt make it easy on a hunter let me tell you. Some parts of the state are better than others just because of habitat of course and lots of deer are taken but I know road hunters and pure dumb luck pads the number of deer reported taken.I am willing to bet that a small percentage really earns their shot. Most of the hunters I see as I am waiting for my buck to come along are pumpkin orange from head to toe, stumblin and bumblin through the woods and leaving their scent all over the place. The only good thing about all the hunters is they move the deer.
05-24-2009, 06:21 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: indiana
Posts: 1,621
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
In South Dakota we stay in the oufitters 1800's cabin, that he also lives in.Nothing fancy by no means,but neither is the price of the hunt.Anytime else for example a state park deer reduction, we stay in a camper if ittoo far to drive too.I have hunted Kentucky and slept in the truck and lived off of chips and deer sausage for a few days.
05-24-2009, 08:02 AM
#8
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 272
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
2 yrs ago My brothers were canoeing in for the opener of gun season & staying out there for a week. I couldnt go ,new baby at home, So I drove back home every night. Well them boys got messages crossed. They both brought big pots of Chili. So for a week they ate chilli, bologna, & oatmeal[:'(][:'(]. My brother said he was tempted to throw his tent away after that, it stunk so bad.
05-24-2009, 08:15 AM
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,703
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
burntmuch
OK - I even hate to tell you this, but you gotta remember I am old and i live in the west where there is still a lot of public land - so finding a hunting place is not as difficult for some. We do not do the remote hunting camp any longer, I know we are missing a whole lot of BS and some quality smells, but out camp is our own homes.
When people ask me where I hunt, our comment is really never know until we get in the truck and head out and since we go out in the dark and come in - in the dark we really do not no where we were or are at, so don't ask us. It is just my truck has been everywhere around here and it knows how to get there and how to get back on it's own.
Most big time hunters around here leave the area and go to more rugged areas - so the local elk and deer really, especially elk really do not have BIG time pressure on them - course most of them are not trophy size either.
So to make a long story short we drive maybe 30 miles to some great elk hunt areas and drive home... if a whitetail happens to screw up and show up then it is fair game....
This is our hunting camp and pack animal (the one without horns) - and pack is all it does - it is still foot work to get to the animal. Even though the Palouse Ranger district is one of the most roaded districts around...
OK - I even hate to tell you this, but you gotta remember I am old and i live in the west where there is still a lot of public land - so finding a hunting place is not as difficult for some. We do not do the remote hunting camp any longer, I know we are missing a whole lot of BS and some quality smells, but out camp is our own homes.
When people ask me where I hunt, our comment is really never know until we get in the truck and head out and since we go out in the dark and come in - in the dark we really do not no where we were or are at, so don't ask us. It is just my truck has been everywhere around here and it knows how to get there and how to get back on it's own.
Most big time hunters around here leave the area and go to more rugged areas - so the local elk and deer really, especially elk really do not have BIG time pressure on them - course most of them are not trophy size either.
So to make a long story short we drive maybe 30 miles to some great elk hunt areas and drive home... if a whitetail happens to screw up and show up then it is fair game....
This is our hunting camp and pack animal (the one without horns) - and pack is all it does - it is still foot work to get to the animal. Even though the Palouse Ranger district is one of the most roaded districts around...
05-24-2009, 08:42 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 1,408
RE: OT whats your hunting camp set up
Deer hunting in the midwest, there's never been any camping involved for me.
Last year elk hunting in Montana, we hiked about 8 miles in and 8 miles out EVERY DAY to avoid camping. Well, it worked as you can see in the photo, but we wasted a lot of time we could have been hunting more effectively and it got old.
This year, we're going to use a clearing at the bottom of the valley in the center of this photo to camp. We will either have what we can pack in for a 3-4 day stay, or we will contract a couple cowboys to use their horses to pack stuff in, I don't know yet.
Even the locals (except the one we were hunting with) thought we were crazy to be hiking in there. Nobody was going that far in without horses.
Last year elk hunting in Montana, we hiked about 8 miles in and 8 miles out EVERY DAY to avoid camping. Well, it worked as you can see in the photo, but we wasted a lot of time we could have been hunting more effectively and it got old.
This year, we're going to use a clearing at the bottom of the valley in the center of this photo to camp. We will either have what we can pack in for a 3-4 day stay, or we will contract a couple cowboys to use their horses to pack stuff in, I don't know yet.
Even the locals (except the one we were hunting with) thought we were crazy to be hiking in there. Nobody was going that far in without horses.