so GregH's post about his tribute to a friend made me think of the hunting crew I luckily became associated with, and it made me wonder... What's everyone else's crew like? How many? very serious or laid back? traditions? anything like that, I just thought it would be neat to compare how other parties like to party

I am very thankful for the guys (and gals) that I get to hunt with. All of them are family, some are a little more distant family, but nonetheless it is nothing less than amazing. First of all combined, we have about 240 acres that we hunt. Now only 3 of the 13 people bowhunt, and I am the most serious of the three. All of us partake in the Legendary Wisconsin Gun Season. There is me, my brother (Zeke001), my dad, his dad, my aunt, my cousin Rex and his son Brett and occasionally daughter Mel, My cousin Dean who brings along his wife from time to time. there is Roger, who is Rex and Dean's father. My Uncle David and his son Trey are also part of this crew.
About 5 years ago, Rex built what I think is the greatest thing to happen on our property, a 14x18 foot shack, along with a small bunkhouse. the best memories of deer hunting happen here. There is nothing that compares to spending all day in the shack with Rex, Dean, Dad, and Grandpa. Sure we may not shoot any deer, we see them, but usually they are more concerned with what model looks better in the swimsuit calendar, or something to that effect. Sure we hunt, and some of us get deer, and some get some bucks, which makes for some great talk in the shack. the group is not the most serious slew of hunters, but we seem to fill our tags and always have a great time.

There are five in my crew. One is a junior in HS, I'm a freshman is college, and the other three graduated in 06.It is weird, because we all have our specialties.Two are DIE HARD waterfowlers, one is a whitetail machine, one is a turkey/elk maniac, then there is me the turkey/bear connoisseur. We all do EVERYTHING together, I wouldn't want it any other way. It is nice to have buddies who hunt everything, and who know what they are doing. We do itright.There no doubt will be my friends for LIFE.

I have tried some groups in the past and had a few partners. I'm a die hard trophy hunter and most of the people I have been associated with just want to get drunk. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having a good time. I just haven't found the right group yet. I don't mind hunting alone eithor. I remember one guy that couldn't construct a sentence without several swear words in it. That got old after a while. The last group I hunted with almost all got arrested for mixing drinks right on the street in a small town.

Here is our gun party from this past season.
Magic this is your kind of group here buddy its all about family and friends going hunting.

I have to post my future.
My brother also has a family/friends website for fun fraleybigwoods.com
Son Dylan next to me in first pic then Dylan and Cole. Future hunters for sure.
Wow looks like I need new blaze orange.

my crew is made up of primarily rifle hunters. back in highschool, we had a pile of us...but the last couple years were lucky to have enough guys for even our small drives. yes, we hunt by driving deer. i was opposed to driving before i met my crew...but was ignorant and didnt understand it. we hunt with a limited number of guys and by the time we split up shooters and standers, the deer usually laugh at us and make fools out of us. but, we do our homework...the "leader" is a farmer...and he knows the land and where the deer are pretty well. we do our scouting by compiling our sightings, spotting episodes, what the farmer sees, and what the farmer and i find and see coon hunting at night and what us bowhunters offer to the table. we been doing alot of the drives for years...we all know the land pretty well. over the years we learned the deer...they are serious about their deer drives..but we have a blast and are laughing and having fun all day. we dont start till 11am after milking and breakfast...drive till dark...6 days a week if we have hunters. flintlock season we do the same...

my buddy was the only bow hunter in the crew for a while...as a bow hunter i dont know how id rate him...kinda sorta serious, but he dont scout hard..dont shoot his bow more than he has too, kinda laid back but loves to bowhunt..hes slowly getting more into it...farmer tells him where to go and thats where he goes and hangs a stand..usually hunts the same 1-3 spots all year but usually only hunts saturdays really

then i started...im pretty much a nut compared to the crew...i spend the time trimming, scouting, hanging stands, on stand before my buddy THINKS about waking up, on stand well after he ate lunch at HOME, shoot all year and shoot circles around him etc etc....farmer tells me where he sees the good bucks and the most deer etc, but i dont hunt where he says nessecarily. i go in and scout and i know the land usually and figure out where i need to be...i see alot more deer than my buddy...

last year another buddy started...hes far from serious...he just wont put in the time. shoots less than the other buddy and shouldnt have been out in the woods IMO...he only hunted trees the farmer told him...he didnt see a deer till the rut and found himself in a hotspot...but he dont know why its a hotspot and couldnt tell you...he just knows he saw deer there.

we all get along great...the farmer and his 2 nephews are like my own family...we did have a little dispute one year...the new bowhunter got trigger happy in flintlock season...the farmer sent a dandy 8pt RIGHT to me...came off the hillside infront of me and my buddy...there was a gully between us, i was on one side of it and he was on the other hill. came right between us angling RIGHT at me..i was sitting on a stump right on the path he was coming down...no doubt in my mind he would been right infront of me...while it was 75ish yards away from my buddy he cracked off a shot...said "he just had to shoot" and didnt think i was shooting...it was still 50yds from me but trotting right at me...i wasnt shooting till he was on my lap, and he woulda have been and i woulda been draggin him out...99% sure of it...just had to be there to see it happen and youd KNOW why i can say that..

needless to say i wasnt happy. buddy cant hit a deer at 15yds with his rocklock let alone 75. he appologized and said he knows he shouldnt have shot. the farmer(his uncle) was just as mad as i was when he found out what happened. he knew he shouldnt have did it...but i think a little jealousy struck him...we all had a talk and everything been cool since...i almost quit hunting with them...but that was the first dispute and conflict weve had...normally were a team and nothing like that happens...think he learned his lesson...weve been fine since then....

im about the only "serious hunter" in the crew, but they take their drives seriously and they know their stuff...average 1 good buck a year id say...couple small ones usually too...kinda hate to be there or hear of the small ones they take from my bowhunting areas....but the reality of it is if they didnt take them, another crew would...were 1 of many crews that drive the area...and my bowhunting areas are hit HARD...you wouldnt believe the pressure my areas see in rifle season...looks like a pumpkin patch...but, my honey hole seems to be a "big buck spot" seems like no matter what everyone kills, my hill seems to have 1 or 2 pretty GOOD bucks roaming...

peakrut... that is a big crew! I bet you guys have fun there!
IMO I think having a good hunting crew is probably the most important part of hunting. the comaraderie and story telling that goes along with it, is really what hunting is all about.

Theres 4 in my group. Were all seniors in high school, and we go to the same school. We hunt everything available in our area pretty much. But the passion for all of us, is bowhunting. Thats what we all love the most.

My crew only consists of my father and myself. We used to hunt with a few other friends, but their were some problems with them awhile back and we lost touch. And honestly, I wouldn't change it. My father and I didn't always have the best relationship when I was younger, right around my Junior year in HS we started to become close again, and now we're always together when I'm home from school. He's my number one hunting partner, fishing partner, and truley one of my best friends. He's taught me a ton, and I've always done my best to make him and my Ma proud.

My dad hasn't bow hunted in a number of years due to severe back/shoulder/elbow problems, but as of late he's back into real good shape again and isn't in as much pain, and he's going to give bow a shot again this year with me. On top of that, we may just have gotten permission to hunt a property of an old friend who has just moved back to the area. This should be a good year!